MORE “CX for XC!” … We don’t have terrain around here. But this past fall I finally got into CX biking and had a blast. Those guys really know how to make a fun course out of nothing. Give em a little contour and they’ll lay in crazy twisties, offcambers and scramble-ups. Yet they can still keep good flow. It’s a gas.
I just got back from looking at my local woodsy ski course with a new eye. I …laid it out years ago and call it “advanced fun” — it takes full advantage of all the highs and lows of a modest little ravine and gentle gully system. It even has some swing-over berm-turn sorts of deals. But I never thought of it in the CX way with intense twisties and S’es (especially on the downhills!) and offcambers. I now see how a bunch more fun features can be included in this course to greatly enhance the ski fun. …And make it unlike any ski course I’ve seen in recent decades. I look forward to it!
(UPDATE 2015: I built a new CX course in downtown Lansing that is such a thrill to ride. Then in the winter I used it, and added more features to it, as a XC ski course! And it was even more fun to ski! Best anywhere!)
