# Deer Valley Gravity Porn



## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

You guys probably thought I quit the game. Not a chance. Just have too much work with PhotographyREVIEW.com. But when the homies rolled into town for the Deer Valley National, I made sure to be there. I'm just gonna dump a bunch of photos on you to enjoy. I shot over 1000 images and I've got too much work to write a big article or anything. I'll just let the pics tell the story.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Some Slalom*

The first one here is from the dual slalom finals and it's one of my favorites from the whole weekend.


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

amazing pics!


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## prophet413 (May 17, 2007)

this has the making of a great thread!


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Downhill*

Here's a batch of downhill practice photos from Saturday and Sunday.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*DH Finals*

And finally, some photos from semi-pro and pro DH qualifying and finals. Justin Leov won the pro DH with a 6 second lead over Amiel Cavalier. I checked my photos and unfortunately couldn't find a race run image of Justin. But I am including Chris Van Dine, always a favorite here in Utah, who placed fifth in the pro DH.


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## chris_d (Apr 5, 2008)

Very clean photo's. That dual pic is sick!!!

Can't wait to start shooting at north*

Chris


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## supermoto (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks for posting, Photo-John, your work is truly inspirational. I am a new dSLR user (Canon Rebel XTI) and have read 2 books and your tips, but am not yet happy with my results. I know this way too big a subject for you to address here, but can you give me some basic starter settings and I'll go from there? For example; should I choose shutter priority, AWB, partial metering, AI servo, ISO 100 (for daylight) and just pick the fastest shutter speed? Or should I just go to Sports mode and let the camera figure it out? I have read your helpful tips on prefocusing and panning and am anxious to try those out. Any help is greatly appreciated - Thanks


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## V-Dub (Jan 27, 2004)

Totally sweet photos! (might be biased as one is of me) ha ha


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## MikeG (Oct 1, 2002)

You should go over to John's site http://forums.photographyreview.com/ and ask in the sports photography section. The guys over there are *super* helpful.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Photo Tips*



supermoto said:


> Thanks for posting, Photo-John, your work is truly inspirational. I am a new dSLR user (Canon Rebel XTI) and have read 2 books and your tips, but am not yet happy with my results. I know this way too big a subject for you to address here, but can you give me some basic starter settings and I'll go from there? For example; should I choose shutter priority, AWB, partial metering, AI servo, ISO 100 (for daylight) and just pick the fastest shutter speed? Or should I just go to Sports mode and let the camera figure it out? I have read your helpful tips on prefocusing and panning and am anxious to try those out. Any help is greatly appreciated - Thanks


My first suggestion is for you to post a question on the sports photography forum on PhotographyREVIEW.com. That ensures I keep my job and it's really better for you to post there. You'll get more informed answers and it's better for me to post my photo answers there. That said, I'll give you a little info and keep my eyes open for you on my sports forum.

I almost always shoot in manual exposure mode because that's how I learned. The auto modes work well, though. If I was shooting auto, for sports, I'd recommend shutter priority and the lowest ISO you can use and still get a good shutter speed. I tend to push the limits and lose a lot of photos. For instance, for the big drop photos, even 1/800th of a second wasn't fast enough. That surprised me. But I'll remember next time. Panning is a good idea because it introduces a sense of motion and helps keep your subject sharp. I almost always shoot RAW and use auto white balance. No reason not to use it if you're shooting RAW and can change your white balance later. And even though there's a bit of a learning curve, I encourage everyone to shoot RAW. It gives you a better original, archivable image file and you can do a lot more with that file, even if you don't know what you're doing now.

Hope that helps. You've got a great camera. It will only limit you for sequences. I shot with an XTi all last year and I just replaced mine (too much rain, I think ) with a Canon EOS XSi / 450D. The race day rock garden photos were taken with the XSi. I have an EOS 40D, too. But most of my non-race photos are shot with the XTi or XSi because it's better for riding with. Last but not least - it's just like riding - practice, practice, practice! The more you shoot and experiment, the better you'll get.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Von!*



V-Dub said:


> Totally sweet photos! (might be biased as one is of me) ha ha


Glad you found this. And I'm really glad I didn't decapitate you this year. You might not think I care, but getting a clean shot of you was one of my top priorities. And I'm pretty pleased with this one. The ones I shot of you on the big drop didn't work out. I hadn't shot that before and made some judgement errors. I'm actually thinking we should go back up one day and session that for photos. You, Van Dine, Chris Canfield, and anyone else that wants to. Because I have some ideas for that spot that I really want to get right. Plus, you guys could really style it if you weren't racing.


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## supermoto (Jan 26, 2004)

THANKS! On my way to the sports photography forum!


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## YoungGun91 (Jun 28, 2008)

dude you're a hell of a photographer


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

Is it possible to dl these in hi res so I could use them as my backgrund john?


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Ha*



V.P. said:


> Is it possible to dl these in hi res so I could use them as my backgrund john?


I'm glad you like them. But this is as big as they're getting unless you're a paying customer. Sorry. But this costs me a lot of time, energy, and money.


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## _FratSop_ (Nov 1, 2007)

Ok that fork and wheel in the upper left hand corner appear to be missing something... a bike.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Doh!*



_FratSop_ said:


> Ok that fork and wheel in the upper left hand corner appear to be missing something... a bike.


Obviously Photochopped


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## ryan_daugherty (Oct 8, 2006)

Hey, was that drop after barney rubble, part of the race course this year?


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## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

wow, great shots.


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## ianjenn (Aug 1, 2004)

Good shots there John, I like 8 and 10!


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## Sticky Fingers (Jun 20, 2008)

It's just in the perfect position to see nothing but the tires. The back one is there too look.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

_FratSop_ said:


> Ok that fork and wheel in the upper left hand corner appear to be missing something... a bike.


Actually if you look closely - you can see the front cables going to the handlebars and the rear wheel... kinda like where's waldo... 

peace


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## Playdeep (Mar 18, 2005)

Looks like I need to make it up to Deer Valley this summer.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Playdeep said:


> Looks like I need to make it up to Deer Valley this summer.


Personally I was really dissapointed with deer valley

the best run, the race course, you have to push your bike for 15 minutes up a hill to get to 
because they only run the lift when they have races.

most runs have "switchback like" corners that have you pedaling to get speed back up instead of just flow runs...makes me laugh because some of these tight switchback corners have signs that say no skidding in turns (I asked someone about it and they said it is to keep speed down for the new riders - hello they shouldn't ride this stuff then)

thieves forrest is a good trail, but lacks drops bigger then 8 inches (they put in logs to enter a steep part of trail)

another reason to hate MBA (typical lies) Experience the thrill of biking at Deer Valley Resort, rated by Mountain Bike Action magazine as one of the ten best mountain bike destinations....what a joke IMO

Sunset to Fire swamp to Thieves forrest is a fun run (what they had open at the time)
if you push the

avoid naildriver National Championship Series Downhill Course is awesome....very challenging

staff was great......lonely vibe on the mountain, not the brotherhood of DH'ers. Not really a after hour party area....very family oriented (maybe because of the Mormons).....very blau

overall...I wouldn't recommend going there


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Agreed*

I pretty much agree with everything you said. If you're in the area it's cool to ride. But if you've been to Whistler, you're going to be disappointed. The Sunset to Fire swamp to Thieves Forest run is super fun, though - super dooper pooper fun. The pro DH course has a bunch of stuff that I am personally not going near. But it is definitely cool for photos. Truth be told, the best stuff in Park City is all out of the resort and best done on a 6-inch bike. I only rode Deer Valley once last year.


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## Airskank (Jun 15, 2008)

Great photos!! Thanks for sharing


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## atomicAdam (Sep 19, 2005)

whats up w/ chris running the old F1? where's the Jedi?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Photo-John said:


> I pretty much agree with everything you said. If you're in the area it's cool to ride. But if you've been to Whistler, you're going to be disappointed. The Sunset to Fire swamp to Thieves Forest run is super fun, though - super dooper pooper fun. *The pro DH course has a bunch of stuff that I am personally not going near*. But it is definitely cool for photos. Truth be told, the best stuff in Park City is all out of the resort and best done on a 6-inch bike. I only rode Deer Valley once last year.


the pro course is awesome/....... just hate the walk to it


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## Whafe (May 27, 2004)

John, sh1t hot photos, real gems, that 4X one is a stunner, needs to get into a magazine, a rocking good picture..... Awesome stuff


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## buckoW (Feb 7, 2007)

Is the one of the guy in the SOBE jersey Nick Van Dine?


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## 8664 (Oct 17, 2005)

THANKS! Super Photos!


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## sodak (Oct 10, 2006)

Damn nice shots! I dig the dual salom shot, both Yeti riders in the air! Nice!


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## rabidweasel999 (Oct 22, 2006)

The dual slalom shot is indeed awesome!

Nice work:thumbsup:


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Right*



SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> the pro course is awesome/....... just hate the walk to it


I should have been more specific, i.e.: _I'm a poossy._  :thumbsup:


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## string (Jan 13, 2004)

Photo-John...I have a question about Fire Swamp / Thieves Forest. Is it doable (meaning still fun and ridable) on a 6/7 inch light freeride/ heavy all mountain bike (basically will I regret not having a bigger bike or more travel.)

I will be in Deer Valley next week with the Family and am taking my Knolly Delerium T (with a 66 ATA on the front). I've ridden most of the mountain in the past with the exception of the Fire Swamp / Thieves Forest side (mainly because I did not want to mess myself up when riding riding solo with a toddler and a pregnant wife at the hotel and since I only get a week of true DH a year it takes some time to get back up to speed). 

Anyway, I am planning on hitting much more this year and was guessing the frame (and the rider...the true weakness) can handle it. I just want to make sure I'm not getting into something built for bigger bikes if I head over to that side of the mountain.


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## Mani_UT (Jan 30, 2004)

atomicAdam said:


> whats up w/ chris running the old F1? where's the Jedi?


This was practice

Chris loaned his Jedi to Ben Craner who won semipro by 9 seconds on it!
Chris took back his jedi for the real race but got a flat I believe :madman:


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

atomicAdam said:


> whats up w/ chris running the old F1? where's the Jedi?


Chris was on a Signature frame, the last one that he built, just for practice. He let Ben Crainer borrow his Jedi to spank the Semi-Pro class! Yea Ben!!! He rode his Jedi in the race but it was sprung soft for Ben and he caught a pedal. 
Way to kill it Ben, your the MAN!
edit: ha too slow!


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## Loki (Oct 15, 2004)

*Two sets of flypaper pedals*

I noticed two people in those shots where using the flypaper pedals. Look pretty sweet to me.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Sure*



string said:


> Photo-John...I have a question about Fire Swamp / Thieves Forest. Is it doable (meaning still fun and ridable) on a 6/7 inch light freeride/ heavy all mountain bike (basically will I regret not having a bigger bike or more travel.)


I've only ridden it on my mini-Free. That's a VP-Free with a 36 Talas in front and a short shock in the rear. So it's 6 in the front and about 7 in the back. I'm sure I could even ride it on my Bionicon, which is 6 in the front and about 5.5 in the back. DH tires are key, though. Not running them will be a mistake.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

Loki said:


> I noticed two people in those shots where using the flypaper pedals. Look pretty sweet to me.


Yeah. One of them was V-Dub. He took them up on the podium with him 

I saw Dean there and took some more pictures of them. They're looking a lot more polished now than at Interbike. I'm going to try to get Chris Canfield a set so we can do a review. Dean took them apart and showed my a bunch of cool features. I know people are skeptical. And I don't know enough to have much to say. But I like the look of them. And I have noted that people who do know stuff and ride well are interested.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

string said:


> Photo-John...I have a question about Fire Swamp / Thieves Forest. Is it doable (meaning still fun and ridable) on a 6/7 inch light freeride/ heavy all mountain bike (basically will I regret not having a bigger bike or more travel.)
> 
> I will be in Deer Valley next week with the Family and am taking my Knolly Delerium T (with a 66 ATA on the front). I've ridden most of the mountain in the past with the exception of the Fire Swamp / Thieves Forest side (mainly because I did not want to mess myself up when riding riding solo with a toddler and a pregnant wife at the hotel and since I only get a week of true DH a year it takes some time to get back up to speed).
> 
> Anyway, I am planning on hitting much more this year and was guessing the frame (and the rider...the true weakness) can handle it. I just want to make sure I'm not getting into something built for bigger bikes if I head over to that side of the mountain.


no problems at all with a 6 inch bike......hell it probably a better bike for that place then me on the M-3......you'll love that run...


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## string (Jan 13, 2004)

Photo-John said:


> I've only ridden it on my mini-Free. That's a VP-Free with a 36 Talas in front and a short shock in the rear. So it's 6 in the front and about 7 in the back. I'm sure I could even ride it on my Bionicon, which is 6 in the front and about 5.5 in the back. DH tires are key, though. Not running them will be a mistake.


Cool...thanks.

I put the DH casing Minions and DH tubes on the bike for the trip. Heck, the bike weighed in at 42lbs before I shipped it out...damn near killed me on the XC ride I did to test them out in 95 degree weather. Should be great in DV.


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## gline (Sep 5, 2006)

i absolutely love deer valley, and i have ridden whislter and keystone, and the natural terrain at deer valley cannot be beat. it has by far the gnarliest trails i have ever ridden. 
nothing against your opinion SMT, i just don't agree with you, and the walk up to NCS is worth it because it is the craziest race course i have ever seen.
thieves forest and fire swamp are also some of the coolest trails i have ever ridden, sure they don't have 100' long burms like whistler but everyone can ride huge burms.


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## gline (Sep 5, 2006)

i would recommend to everyone to go and try out deer valley, it is worth it. it will make you a better DH rider for sure.


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## FBC2008 (May 5, 2008)

thanks but no thanks- I have had to many bad experiences at duh valley- I live an hour from there but have not ridden there in almost four years after the way I was treated- I was accused of riding with an invalid pass- I bought it that day but the lift guy was being a tool- so I say again thanks but no thanks- not worth my time


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

gline said:


> i absolutely love deer valley, and i have ridden whislter and keystone, and the natural terrain at deer valley cannot be beat. it has by far the gnarliest trails i have ever ridden.
> nothing against your opinion SMT, i just don't agree with you, and the walk up to NCS is worth it because it is the craziest race course i have ever seen.
> thieves forest and fire swamp are also some of the coolest trails i have ever ridden, sure they don't have 100' long burms like whistler but everyone can ride huge burms.


the dh race course is awesome, but the walk kills it.....

Keystone blows it away period.....nothing hard about thieves forest or fire swamp....*I ride cautiously and never stopped to check anything out*....Mammoth is way more challenging then deer valley


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## danyiluska (Sep 20, 2006)

Really great shots...


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## Luigiugueto (Oct 16, 2007)

Any chance you got the first pic on the dual slalom finals in full size?
that might just be my next wallpaper


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## matthew4president (Dec 18, 2007)

one of those guys is racing white fly papers


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Northern Utah*



SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> the dh race course is awesome, but the walk kills it.....
> 
> Keystone blows it away period.....nothing hard about thieves forest or fire swamp....*I ride cautiously and never stopped to check anything out*....Mammoth is way more challenging then deer valley


I haven't ridden Keystone. I agree that Mammoth is way burlier. The thing is, Deer Valley is fun. But I wouldn't recommend anyone make a trip here just for Deer Valley. If you're gonna be here, definitely ride it. That's what I used to do, before I lived here. But...

The best riding in Northern Utah is all out of the resorts. The Wasatch has some of the most epic and fun trail bike singletrack I've ever ridden. Most of the people I know don't bother with Deer Valley. They ride 6-inch bikes on trails you have to pedal for. That's where it's at here. So, go ahead and visit. But bring a small bike and pedal for the good stuff. Do a day at Deer Vallery because it is sweet. But don't come planning a trip around Deer Valley. Because most of you will be disappointed. And even if you love it, you'll be missing out on the best stuff.

The trail below is nowhere near Deer Valley and I'd rather ride it any day. You have to climb from 8000 feet to over 10,000 to get to it. But it's worth the suffering. And it blows away anything at Deer Valley for pure joy.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Fly Paper Pedals*



matthew4president said:


> one of those guys is racing white fly papers


That's V-Dub. He was on the podium for semi-pro DH. The pedals are for real. Dean's done a lot of work on them and they look a lot more polished than they did at Interbike.

They're not white. They just look like they are in the photo. They're just raw aluminum.


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## alloutprodux (Dec 12, 2004)

aswww yeeeah john!
sick fartographs!!
man, wish we coulda kicked it monday,
but hungover pooh-buttness prevailed....
soon mon!


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## themarsvolta55 (Dec 23, 2004)

is that a bionicon bike with a double barrel??? pinning it oh so fast dh style?
never seen that before, i guess its possible:thumbsup:


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

*Bionicon Ironwood*



themarsvolta55 said:


> is that a bionicon bike with a double barrel??? pinning it oh so fast dh style?
> never seen that before, i guess its possible:thumbsup:


Yeah - that's semi-pro John Widen, during the race. That's a prototype Double Barrel on the Bionicon Ironwood. I have some closeup photos of it I'll post later.


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## Mani_UT (Jan 30, 2004)

gline said:


> i absolutely love deer valley, and i have ridden whislter and keystone, and the natural terrain at deer valley cannot be beat. it has by far the gnarliest trails i have ever ridden.


What the hell are you talking about? I've had season passes at BOTH resorts and Deer Valley is not even close in the technical/gnarliness aspects. The trails of Garbonzo are plenty natural and will make you a better rider than DV ever will. Seriously.  I often take my small bike at DV instead of my DH so I don't get bored. I only do so in Whistler if my DH bike is broken.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Quote:
Originally Posted by gline
i absolutely love deer valley, and i have ridden whislter and keystone, and the natural terrain at deer valley cannot be beat. it has by far the gnarliest trails i have ever ridden.



Mani_UT said:


> What the hell are you talking about? I've had season passes at BOTH resorts and Deer Valley is not even close in the technical/gnarliness aspects. The trails of Garbonzo are plenty natural and will make you a better rider than DV ever will. Seriously.  I often take my small bike at DV instead of my DH so I don't get bored. I only do so in Whistler if my DH bike is broken.


I thought most people in Utah didn't do drugs


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## LoozinSkin (Jun 29, 2004)

photo skills= Amazing!


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## blackbart (May 1, 2004)

Great shots of of the race

I used to live in Kimbal Junction just down the road from deer valley. 

Two things: 1. If you want to dirt ball it you can shuttle the ncs course using the local free bus service - no need to buy a lift ticket 2. the ncs course is the only tough trail pretty much in the whole park city/wastach area (save for a few local tracks) everything else is pretty cupcake


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> Personally I was really dissapointed with deer valley
> 
> the best run, the race course, you have to push your bike for 15 minutes up a hill to get to
> because they only run the lift when they have races.
> ...


I think you've got most of the Deer Valley experience correct and keeping people away just means shorter lift lines for the rest of us:thumbsup: .
Keep in mind that you were up there over a weekend when 99% of the serious downhillers were up at Wolf Mountain racing and if I recall, there was still a lot of snow and trail closure (not that that would have made a huge difference anyway). 
A couple years ago there were a couple of guys who worked up there and traveled to Whistler and came back with some good ideas. They started building some stunts off of _Sunset _(of all trails) and then they left for whatever reason. I don't think the remaining staff knows what to do with what's left and add on to make it interesting. Or they just aren't given the go-ahead from management to run with it.
Deer Valley isn't a downhillers paradise by any means. None of the resorts in Utah really are. I would call them "Lift Accessed Mountain Biking" resorts instead where they cater more to families and want wealthy people to rent their trail bikes (reflectors and all), helmets, etc... and pay for an instructor for the day. 
Funny you mention the switchbacks and skidding. I swear most of the trail network up there with the exception of the _NCS_ downhill and maybe _Four Point/Deer Crest_ (because of how well it flows) was designed around a beginner on a rigid bike. It also serves to keep speed down and I'm sure, liability for the resort to a minimum. 
On a side note: I think things will get waaaayyy tamed down in years to come. Wolf Mountain already forced the Utah DH Series to finish in a more round about and 'tamer' manner than they did last year. And right after NORBA left town, Deer Valley closed the _NCS_ course (and it's still closed as of this afternoon). My understanding is that they are tearing down a double jump or something they built for the race and don't want the average Joe to ride (and get injured on). I could have my facts incorrect, but that is what I've been hearing.

BTW, great photo's Photo John!


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## wyrm (Jan 19, 2004)

blackbart said:


> Two things: 2. the ncs course is the only tough trail pretty much in the whole park city/wastach area (save for a few local tracks) everything else is pretty cupcake


I second that... being a UT local... I have often found myself wanting more. This year I went shorter travel because most of the trails here don't warrant the full 8". After a trip to Whistler a few years back I got to Jones-ing for some lift accessed riding and followed up that trip with a DV day. We were running down foo's all day.

About the guys building at DV... thanks for all the effort... but it really sucked. They were putting too much work into a building a sub par trail. They didn't even use the natural terrain. They did way too much dirt removal.


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## ryan_daugherty (Oct 8, 2006)

hey, what trail was the Super D on?


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## Jorgemonkey (Mar 10, 2004)

Sweet pics!

I'm coming out there in August, maybe I'll talk my wife into letting go out & ride or go shoot while I'm out there


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## slcrockymountainrider (Jan 4, 2004)

ryan_daugherty said:


> hey, what trail was the Super D on?


Ryan, 
It crossed a bunch of different trails this year. It started right next to the downhill start gate with a short, running start and followed the same start as last year down the road to the right of the NCS course, under the bridge and then onto the single track behind those giant homes right below the NCS start. It crossed right over the top of Little Niagra and followed an old DH trail down to Four Point.
Right before Four Point kicks you out on to the dirt road that connects Deer Crest, they routed it to the left down a short drainage ditch (not a legitimate trail) which cut left again and crossed the NCS course again and headed over to a service road (the climb) which then kicked you out on to the middle of the Sport/Beginner downhill race course: Devo and the old NORBA DH course. It cut left again off the DH course onto Tour De Homes and made it's way over to another service road that fed you across lower Devo and onto Tour De Homes again where you cut across the top of the Dual Slalom course to finish at the DH finish line.

It was a crazy fun trail and I don't ever remember seeing so much carnage on a Super D course. I watched my friend Mike Holder, who won the Open Mens 40-49, explode a brand new rear 2.5in Kenda UST tire- the same set up he's been racing downhill on, during practice. On his second run he flatted the same tire with a tube and went home to rethink things. After the Sport/Beginners got finished the bottom half of the course was just junk: deep moon dust and rutted out.

I watched Carl Decker (Giant) practice with a 4in travel XC bike and show up the next day on a Giant _Glory_. I never thought I'd ever consider running a 2.5in tire on a NORBA Super D course, but opted for a 2-Ply Minion front with flat pedals on my RFX. It sucked on the climb, but I made it down without flatting and getting too squirly on the nasty stuff. Oh, and like Gregy Gibson, opted for a full face and goggles. It felt more like a tame DH run with a short/steep climb thrown in the middle and a running start. Would have been interesting if they would have run this lemans style.

Here's some interesting commentary from some local XC Pro's about the course this year:

*Kathy Sherwin (Sobe/Cannondale):*
The Super D race today was like no other that I have done in that the course design was not a cross country racers dream come true. All the Super D's that I have done have been 20% uphill and 80% downhill and today's SD was about 99% downhill which is ok, just different. The real downhillers definitely had an advantage today and good on em!!
People lined up for the time trial format start with full dh bikes and pads. As you can see, I lack that sort of biz as I ran my bike at full speed to the designated line that you are officially supposed to jump on it at before sailing down the mountain.
The downhill was fast, rocky, dusty, rutted in sections and even contained a 1-2 foot full on drop off that was too steep to roll over because it you tried any of that cross country action on that sucker you would definitely go a** over tea kettle.....so I chose to cyclocross that part. I know - dork - but I really wanted to save my still healing thumb and save my kankle from any crashes that may happen if I decided to jump it. You HAD to commit to that thing and I wasn't positive I could.
I signed up for the Super in the first place because I really didn't know where my fitness was going to be after not racing for 6 six weeks. But after getting on the podium earlier in the day in Short Track I decided that my fitness was actually in a real good spot and not wanting to ruin that, I made the decsion to do the Super D more as a practice for my downhill skills. So that became my plan along with not getting hurt (again!) which worked out well.

*Gregy Gibson on MTBracenews.com (another local pro):*
World class downhill racers dominated the pro super -D race contested Sunday afternoon. The technical, six minute course was a breath of fresh air to those who are tired of the usually cross country dominated event. The course was so technical that I chose to ride a seven inch travel bike over the usually favored xc bike. The top pro man was New Zealand's Sam Blankisop of team Yeti. Sam also shredded the pro men's downhill earlier that afternoon. Second place man was the young Austrailan Amiel Cavalier of team Giant. Amiel is a hot up and comer on the world cup circuit. Keep an eye on this guy, you may seen on the podium at the worlds sometime in the near future, rounding out the top three was Wylon Smith from Great Brittan, riding team-less this year. As for the xc racers, Sam Koerber and Nathan Wyatt from North Carolina had good runs. Carl Decked mounted a Giant glory downhill bike and finished 13th. Short track winner Geoff Kabush tried to ride an xc bike and finished 19th.
The women's race was won by Californian Joanna Petterson over Kiwi Amy Laird. Local Utah pro Connie Misket riding for the Velo Bella team finished out the top three. Our own Kathy Sherwin used her xc bike and said she was happy to be alive when she crossed the finish line.

*And the ever beautiful Sonya Looney (Sobe/Cannondale):*
I rode the Super-D course today&#8230;3 times. It was fun and strange to ride the chairlift up and then ride my bike down. I was very surprised at the course. It was pretty freaking gnarly with huge roots, tons of loose rocks and gravel, and a 2 or 3 foot drop off at the end. I'm not sure I'm going to race it b/c I probably would not be able to get up again if I crashed, but I am thinking about it&#8230;. I did pay my entry fee, so I figured I'd get my moneys worth and at least practice my DH skills.

I managed a middle of the pack finish in the Open Mens 30-39. To be honest, I thought I won it when I finished, but a lot of fast guys showed up and stepped up. I managed to screw the running start mount to my bike. I guess I need to work on my cyclo-cross skills as I slipped a pedal jumping on the bike and almost came to a complete stop right at the beginning. That short, but steep climb, wasn't fun with flats and 1330 gram Super Tacky tires even though I caught the rider who started ahead of me at that point and another guy almost at the end, it just wasn't fast enough. 
Despite the mediocre finish, I really hope they consider doing something similar next year. It was a great change for the Super D events.


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## Photo-John (Aug 1, 2001)

jorgemonkey said:


> Sweet pics!
> 
> I'm coming out there in August, maybe I'll talk my wife into letting go out & ride or go shoot while I'm out there


Cool. Keep me posted. If you're gonna be here, it's worth riding. Although, there's a lot of stuff you have to pedal for that I think is a lot more fun and photogenic.


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