Cypress Trail Conditions Thread

Yeah, That is the trail Layne built, how is that running? Not sure if somebody else has taken up the maintenance on it, or not.

I've done quite a bit of work on the lower half.

Posted by: Kieran

I've done quite a bit of work on the lower half.

Glad to hear somebody is keeping it running, the bottom would completely overgrow if nobody did any work. Last time I rode it, there were a bunch of braids around the top rock faces, still the case, or did you cover them up to keep the original line?

There's braids everywhere! Covid really brought out the lesser experienced riders to Cypress.

I haven't touched any of the braids. I just fixed up the area next to the last off camber rockface. Built a new catch berm, fixed the drop option and built a new line to the far right if you want to continue the gnar.

Yeah, that will always be a problem, especially with no trail rating signs. Wutang proper is a harder blue trail, with one black feature (the ramp). The exit you use is a full double black, there are steep rocks and a couple super tech moves (steep and off camber + roots), but it is easy to get on it and it doesn't look bad at the start. Plus, people see the ramp on Wutang proper and think the other way might be easier.

I guess you don't ride the Roach's corners at the bottom much. I did a pile of work on them last summer, drainage and dirt, I'm hoping they are holding up OK.

Yeah, defo a full double black - I broke my collarbone once going way too hot into the last rockface. The new options installed keep it that way too.

I ride the corners often as I ride Roach Hits. They are holding up well. They were so bad for a while as you know. Thanks for that work!

Cypress newbie here, rode it for first time last week. Did Slipper Canoe, Pull Tab, Roach Clip, Wutang. Awesome trails, liked the natural feeling up high and speed at the bottom. Slippery and Pull Tab were pretty soaked and muddy though, how long does that stuff usually need to dry out? Might check out Upper Tall Cans next time too. 

BLT sure is a bitch, was gonna pedal up the highway figured it would be easier/faster but didn't have a blinker light and it was foggy/rainy so felt too sketchy with cars.

Posted by: grambo

Cypress newbie here, rode it for first time last week. Did Slipper Canoe, Pull Tab, Roach Clip, Wutang. Awesome trails, liked the natural feeling up high and speed at the bottom. Slippery and Pull Tab were pretty soaked and muddy though, how long does that stuff usually need to dry out? Might check out Upper Tall Cans next time too. 

BLT sure is a bitch, was gonna pedal up the highway figured it would be easier/faster but didn't have a blinker light and it was foggy/rainy so felt too sketchy with cars.

Yes it's been extremely soggy up there lately, two weeks ago I was basically either getting sucked into a mud hole or sliding off a greasy root most of the way down. Make sure you do Upper Tall Cans next time, one of my favourites, great use of the natural terrain.

BTW a bear has been hanging out in the Upper Tall Cans area, didn't see him/her last time but just a heads-up.

Actually there are two bears (technically four) hanging out around Upper Tall Cans area. 

One is fairly large (haven't flipped it over to confirm but likely a male) that is quite passive and slowly moves off the trail if you talk nicely. He's been nicknamed "Hagrid" due to his size and gentle demeanour.

The other is a mother with two young cubs. She gets the right of way.

Posted by: grambo

Cypress newbie here, rode it for first time last week. Did Slipper Canoe, Pull Tab, Roach Clip, Wutang. Awesome trails, liked the natural feeling up high and speed at the bottom. Slippery and Pull Tab were pretty soaked and muddy though, how long does that stuff usually need to dry out? Might check out Upper Tall Cans next time too. 

BLT sure is a bitch, was gonna pedal up the highway figured it would be easier/faster but didn't have a blinker light and it was foggy/rainy so felt too sketchy with cars.

For a proper Cypress introduction on that side of the hill you should do Wild Cherry > Roach Clip > Roach Hits. Then count how many times you walk ;)

Then in the centre try Shore Play > S & M. Guaranteed butt pukering :P

Trunk Monkey....  old school sketchy tech gnar super steep.  

Greatest thing about Cypress is there are no IMBA style trails.  Funny how the "authorities" say steep fall line trails are unsustainable but here these trails have existed for decades.  It's just about controlling what they don't understand.

Power to the builders at Cypress!  Your work is appreciated.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

Greatest thing about Cypress is there are no IMBA style trails.  Funny how the "authorities" say steep fall line trails are unsustainable but here these trails have existed for decades.  It's just about controlling what they don't understand.

That's too simple a statement for an issue affected by a lot of factors including geology, geomorphology and the amount of traffic a trails gets. There are more than enough trenches to bedrock on Cypress to show that steep fall line trails are typically not great for the environment. IMO the two biggest factors that keep trails on Cypress relatively sustainable are more rock and lower levels of riders compared to other places on the shore.

Cheers to the builders there for sure.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

Trunk Monkey.... old school sketchy tech gnar super steep.

Greatest thing about Cypress is there are no IMBA style trails. Funny how the "authorities" say steep fall line trails are unsustainable but here these trails have existed for decades. It's just about controlling what they don't understand.

Power to the builders at Cypress! Your work is appreciated.

Tricky stuff building a sustainable fall line trail though eh, even for the pro builders it doesn't always work out. Upper Tall Cans is a master class, but Lower Tall Cans for example is a nightmare of runaway erosion.

Yeah IMBA's specific trail grade rules are kind of impossibly conservative to implement, but I agree with them on the point that bench cut trails should always be standard practice as it makes for fool-proof erosion resistant trail building.

I've been pain-stakingly adding in grade reversals and drainage to a poorly laid fall line trail locally here going on 20 years now. Many hundreds of hours of labor piling up boulders and moving dirt. If only they'd bench cut, or spent a season observing the erosion patterns with a mind to extreme weather events.

Posted by: Hepcat

Tricky stuff building a sustainable fall line trail though eh, even for the pro builders it doesn't always work out. Upper Tall Cans is a master class, but Lower Tall Cans for example is a nightmare of runaway erosion.

Yeah IMBA's specific trail grade rules are kind of impossibly conservative to implement, but I agree with them on the point that bench cut trails should always be standard practice as it makes for fool-proof erosion resistant trail building.

upper TC was recently (<10years) built new trail as old man serpentine (aka IMBA std), while lower was a cleanup and refurb of an existing proper old school fall line trail, complete with a 25 year old log ride.   The differences in sustainability (it's all about water not flowing instead of the conventional perception of "flow") are quite appearant.