My Critique of Blue's Park

[funktekk]

I have been to Blue a couple of times this season and there are some things that gripe me about their parks, so I thought I'd post them here and see what you guys think.

 

First off I think Blue's Sidewinder park got some of the most impressive features in PA. Those big cheese wedges, and all the gap on rails really provide a great array of challanges to the skilled freestyler. However the lower, smaller, park has a lack luster selection of neglected features. Much like alpine terrian it is very important for a mountain to provide freestyle terrian that is in tune with the applitude of its customer base. It appears to me that there is a severe imbalance in Blue's freestyle terrian.

 

If we are to look at resorts known worldwide for freestyle terrian you'll obviously find those amazingly difficult features that find their way into video's and magazines, but what you'll also find is a plethera of well kept beginner and intermediate features.

 

If Blue were to provide better amenities for its less skilled customers I feel that this would divert a lot of the unwanted traffic from the Sidewinder park. I think the Sidewinder park at Blue is developing real nicely, but I think they have to invest some money in an area with smaller features.

 

The problems that need to be addressed with the lower park area all start with its location.

 

It is at in the middle of a long fairly flat crossover to the quad. I have seen a lot of people ride through the lower park just to avoid having to pole/skate through the rest of the cross over. I have also witnessed similar situations at the Sidewinder park where customers find themselves in the wrong place and having to decide between the park and the double black diamonds. Of course the less experienced customers are going to choose the park because the terrain is not as steep. If parks were more difficult to access it would act to filter out a lot of the unwanted traffic. Perhaps, if accessing the terrain park meant having to hike or walk up a couple of steps, then maybe customers would see it as more than just another trail on the map.

 

Another item that could improve the lower park is a steeper slope. The lack of grade in the lower park causes to increase the number of "cut off" incidents because long roll in's are needed to develop the speed needed to clear features. Also this makes it very difficult to gather enough speed to clear the on jump in the lower park, thus causing the landing to become bombed out very quickly. If there was more slope to the park it would allow riders to pick up enough speed to utilize the features without having to start there decent as far away. If the riders are closer to the feature it makes it easier for other riders to recognize that the feature is in use.

 

Now concerning both of Blue's parks... it seems fairly obivious that the parks are setup in a "slopestyle" like layout. A layout where riders are expected to use features as they progress down the trail. This is the traditional way of utilizing a resort, ride... lift... ride... However, freestyle riders often will just ride one feature over and over, hiking to the top of it after each hit. The layout in both of Blue's parks is very unconducive to this behaviour and actually makes doing it very dangerous. I think that is great that Blue's park allows it to be ridden in the slopestyle fashion, but I think they should also commit so resources to some hike freindly features....

 

sorry for the disjointed commentary... my girlfriends sick so I'm just killin' a slow friday night.

[miseria]

Wow, A very succint and and practical assessment of the situation at 'Booter".

 

I would suggest that making lower Sidewinder into an extension of Terrain Run would be a great addition.

[toast21602]

i agree with some of that... most of it actually. the reason why the lower park is so beat to shit is because of the mass numbers of people that go through it... and you clearly stated why this happens. i like the thoughts you put forward into improving the park and i agree with most of it... although the slopestyle set-up of sidewinder is nice because you dont have to stop after every hit to decide what you want to hit next... you just keep on going.

[nick malozzi]

i have to agree with just about everything you had to say in that review. i think a lot of those changes would be very positive improvements. I'm sure we will never see all of those changes, but maybe we will see a handful over the next few years.

The parks are still pretty sick though this year.

[swdorsey]

make the lower park or whatever its called a rail garden. thats my suggestion

[toast21602]

make the lower park or whatever its called a rail garden. thats my suggestion

 

thats a good idea... but its supposed to be a "beginner park" so they try to get all different sorts of features in it. i would rather have a rail garden though, but that just means that there will be more people on sidewinder looking for jumps

[wuzDATurSteezermine]

wow... funk.. thats probably the smartest remark... or shall i say book that you wrote about blues park. we dont need to dis any park.. just state the obvious and get the point across... well said..

[Stevo]

I agree with most of what you said. As for having sidewinder setup like a "non-slopestyle" course, i don't think it's possible. Sidewinder is pretty narrow in places, so multiple rails would make the people who shouldn't be in there harder to avoid. I think sidewinder is fine- a few more rails here and there-not too much more. Terrain run (the lower park) is pretty wide though. I think that they should definitely put more rails in there, and grade it down in the summer.

[Papasteeze]

Bumped up since this is such a good review of Blues Park(s)

 

I have been to Blue a couple of times this season and there are some things that gripe me about their parks, so I thought I'd post them here and see what you guys think.

 

First off I think Blue's Sidewinder park got some of the most impressive features in PA. Those big cheese wedges, and all the gap on rails really provide a great array of challanges to the skilled freestyler. However the lower, smaller, park has a lack luster selection of neglected features. Much like alpine terrian it is very important for a mountain to provide freestyle terrian that is in tune with the applitude of its customer base. It appears to me that there is a severe imbalance in Blue's freestyle terrian.

 

If we are to look at resorts known worldwide for freestyle terrian you'll obviously find those amazingly difficult features that find their way into video's and magazines, but what you'll also find is a plethera of well kept beginner and intermediate features.

 

If Blue were to provide better amenities for its less skilled customers I feel that this would divert a lot of the unwanted traffic from the Sidewinder park. I think the Sidewinder park at Blue is developing real nicely, but I think they have to invest some money in an area with smaller features.

 

The problems that need to be addressed with the lower park area all start with its location.

 

It is at in the middle of a long fairly flat crossover to the quad. I have seen a lot of people ride through the lower park just to avoid having to pole/skate through the rest of the cross over. I have also witnessed similar situations at the Sidewinder park where customers find themselves in the wrong place and having to decide between the park and the double black diamonds. Of course the less experienced customers are going to choose the park because the terrain is not as steep. If parks were more difficult to access it would act to filter out a lot of the unwanted traffic. Perhaps, if accessing the terrain park meant having to hike or walk up a couple of steps, then maybe customers would see it as more than just another trail on the map.

 

Another item that could improve the lower park is a steeper slope. The lack of grade in the lower park causes to increase the number of "cut off" incidents because long roll in's are needed to develop the speed needed to clear features. Also this makes it very difficult to gather enough speed to clear the on jump in the lower park, thus causing the landing to become bombed out very quickly. If there was more slope to the park it would allow riders to pick up enough speed to utilize the features without having to start there decent as far away. If the riders are closer to the feature it makes it easier for other riders to recognize that the feature is in use.

 

Now concerning both of Blue's parks... it seems fairly obivious that the parks are setup in a "slopestyle" like layout. A layout where riders are expected to use features as they progress down the trail. This is the traditional way of utilizing a resort, ride... lift... ride... However, freestyle riders often will just ride one feature over and over, hiking to the top of it after each hit. The layout in both of Blue's parks is very unconducive to this behaviour and actually makes doing it very dangerous. I think that is great that Blue's park allows it to be ridden in the slopestyle fashion, but I think they should also commit so resources to some hike freindly features....

 

sorry for the disjointed commentary... my girlfriends sick so I'm just killin' a slow friday night.

[toast21602]

unfortunately there isnt much that is going to happen with any of that this season.. you just gotta deal with the people in it and the way that its set-up. its a new world compared to the park from last year although its getting kinda beat with this weather.