25 years ago, skinnies were becoming popular and they freaked me out! So I got myself a trials bike and practiced on curbs, picnic tables and anything else I could get on top of. Now I can do most skinnies but will sometimes skip those with too high of consequences. Same goes for drops and lines that require a lot of commitment - all made easier by practicing in low consequence situations.
Not too long ago I watched a video of someone trying to conquer Imonator. They must have fallen off it 20+ times. My feeling on skinnies is that I get one shot. If I'm not confident enough that I believe I can do it 100%, I often skip it. If I come off a skinny, I move on. To me, it's not worth a twisted ankle or a torn ACL. Seeing someone come off skinny, in some cases 4+ feet off the ground baffles me. Then again, he rode the skinny roller coaster where I have not. I've done all the other parts but passed on the skinny roller coaster.
For drops and high consequence moves, I often use the "if I wouldn't jump off this without my bike, why am I contemplating it with my bike?" rationale. This keeps me honest and on drops that are generally less than 5' (shoulder height). Steeps I'll usually do if they have a good run out but a super steep 30' rock slab with a harsh bottom is just asking for it. I realize I would be OK 95% of the time but 30' down a steep rock with no braking ability generates a lot of speed and any fall could be catastrophic.
Wondering what makes others take a ride around? What % success do you need to feel to attempt a feature? How serious a crash are you willing to risk? Any features on the shore that you always look at but never do? Any features that you know you will never do (the skinny roller falls into this category for me). I'm always curious how others assess risk. I'm also always appreciable of people who add their crashes to their videos. Watching too many videos always makes me feel like I suck but then I see just one of their crashes and I go - oh yeah, that's why I don't do those things.
Last edited by: RAHrider on Oct. 15, 2020, 7:50 p.m., edited 1 time in total.