Naming trails in Frick Park

[trun]

The Park Manager wants us to name and rate the difficulty of the trails in Frick. Discuss!

[trun]

This winter the park is going to make sign posts for the single-track in Frick. The Park Manager wants us to name the trails and designate their difficulty using the standard ski-slope designations. Let's start with one at a time. Do we want to call the trail the Irish Center Trail or the Iron Gate Trail? Do you think it is a green square (beginner), blue circle (intermediate) or a black diamond (advanced) trail?

[pratt]

My vote is for

Iron Gate and a blue circle.

[drumbum]

Iron Gate seems sounds cooler and more "hardcore". I agree with Pratt on the rating.

[seth]

I too agree that the blue square is the best rating for this trail. It can be a challenge for beginners, but it's not the toughest trail out there.

As far as naming the trail, everyone who rides the trail from the top will remember the iron gate. We were calling it the iron gate trail before we ever heard the term from other riders.
But, you could ride the trail a number of times and not even notice the Irish Center building.

Also, I've heard a number of other folks at trail maintenance that want to call it the iron gate trail, and I agree.

IRON GATE!!!!

[kikawhat]

I always called it the Iron Grate because it is iron grating at the top, not a gate, but I'm not really too picky about what it is called

[t-bone]

i'm going to have to be different here.
i think that iron gate should be a black diamond

were you really only need to be an intermedeate rider to ride the trail. by making it a diamond it will give the people who don't know the trail the respect needed not to fly off into the woods wile riding through the many blind sections on the trail
this is over rating a bit, but if multitrack is the baseline ez then raiting iron gate a diamond it will give more room to lable trails like rolercoaster, with it's small obsticals and clear line of sight, blue
the rating system isn't for us who allready know the trails, it's for people who are just starting to use the park
but on the other side it might make us look like sisses o well

[xjoex]

I am suprised that IMBA did not suggest removing the rusty iron grate as part of the trail work, thats an accident waiting to happen.

Anyhow that trail that connects the tranquil trail to the... I think the river view trail, it has a big fallen tree at the bottom and a stream to cross... That trail I think should be called "The Biber Cutoff" as Dave designed it.

-Joe

[xjoex]

i'm going to have to be different here.
i think that iron gate should be a black diamond

I agree, as far as Frick goes, that is one of the toughest trails there.

More trail names, at the bottom of what I think is called the roller coaster trail, you cross the main trail and ride over a plywood bridge. That trail should be called the cove, its a solid medium/blue trail, and the vegetation is so tight you can barely see in the day time!

The trail that goes down from the nature center to the dog park, that should be called the "long snake" because its a long long trail for frick and its a moderate level trail.

The trail that goes from the bocci courts, across the main trail, back up over the hill and down a step descent and drops you out by the modern house/forbes should be called the swooper, because its a fun swooping trail, its blue/green.

-Joe

[brungeman]

I am suprised that IMBA did not suggest removing the rusty iron grate as part of the trail work, thats an accident waiting to happen.

Anyhow that trail that connects the tranquil trail to the... I think the river view trail, it has a big fallen tree at the bottom and a stream to cross... That trail I think should be called "The Biber Cutoff" as Dave designed it.

-Joe

yeah, that Iron gate that has been there for almost as long as I can remember, and it is an accident waiting to happen! It should be named "THE IRON GATE OF DEATH trail" specially with all the decomposing bodies and carnage laying around from where people have wrecked going over said iron gate!



just pokin the hornets nest a little!

[pratt]

I am suprised that IMBA did not suggest removing the rusty iron grate as part of the trail work, thats an accident waiting to happen.
-Joe

Actually it has been planned that the iron fencing at the top is to be extended up and over the tree roots to protect them.
tasty gashed legs on rusting metal.....mmm tetanus


I love that trail entrance....
rip down a short trail section, swoop down over some roots, rattle across some iron fencing, hop a log, then huck off the railroad tie right into a 90 degree berm!!!!

[Intense1]

I think the trail should get a blue rating.

In the grand scheme of things, all the trails in all the parks will get a rating correct? We need to consider that because if someone thinks they can ride a black diamond at Frick and then go to say Hartwood, the black diamond may be considerably more difficult.

[brungeman]

I think the trail should get a blue rating.

In the grand scheme of things, all the trails in all the parks will get a rating correct? We need to consider that because if someone thinks they can ride a black diamond at Frick and then go to say Hartwood, the black diamond may be considerably more difficult.

in the same light.... if you can "ski or board" on a "black diamond" trail at 7 springs, you may not be able to even get off of the lift at some of the black diamond runs I have seen in VT or even out west...

I think that there are two ways of looking at it, each park has its own personality, are we judging the trails against all the other trails in one park or are we judging the trails as far as all the trails in the region? I agree that the hardest trails in one park may not come close in dificulty to the easiest trails in another park.

I vote that it is a blue, and named the "Iron Gate" it is slightly more dificult than other trails in Frick, but still managable by most intermediate level MTB'ers, and has something to offer advanced level riders... and i guess for some of the more "tech" places we ride, you can always say a trail is "DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND"

[Bushwacker]

I think the trail should get a blue rating.

In the grand scheme of things, all the trails in all the parks will get a rating correct? We need to consider that because if someone thinks they can ride a black diamond at Frick and then go to say Hartwood, the black diamond may be considerably more difficult.

in the same light.... if you can "ski or board" on a "black diamond" trail at 7 springs, you may not be able to even get off of the lift at some of the black diamond runs I have seen in VT or even out west...

I think that there are two ways of looking at it, each park has its own personality, are we judging the trails against all the other trails in one park or are we judging the trails as far as all the trails in the region? I agree that the hardest trails in one park may not come close in dificulty to the easiest trails in another park.

I vote that it is a blue, and named the "Iron Gate" it is slightly more dificult than other trails in Frick, but still managable by most intermediate level MTB'ers, and has something to offer advanced level riders... and i guess for some of the more "tech" places we ride, you can always say a trail is "DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND"

hell at black at springs is wimp even comparedto a black a blue knob.

My home resort of snowbird has green run steeper than goosebumps called "Big Emma"

with that said Iron Gate rated black get my vote.

[Joed]

IMHO, The rating of trails in Frick should be relative to, and only relative to other trails in Frick Park. That is consistent with how every ski area operates.( I can't say if bike parks do the same), but it's simply not practical to try to rate a trail in Frick and compare to trails in other parks in the region.

That said, there are numerous other technical trails in Frick that would merit a higher rating than the Iron Gate trail. Blue is a correct ranking for this trail.

[joe shmo]

Definitely Iron Gate. Rating: Blue Circle (or square)

[trun]

Sounds like the Iron Gate Trail and blue square is what it is. In reading the description of the trail rating system and all of your comments, this seems to be a good fit. Thanks!

DrumBum, just for my information, where did you find the great description of trail ratings?

Up next, an easy one to name: Roller Coaster. name and rating???

[erink]

Okay, where exactly is Roller Coaster? Because I've heard many things about this trail, for example:
- the old Roller Coaster run was destroyed by a new wide trail that cut right through it
- it's better as Coaster Roller anyway
- I think this is the trail we tried to ride a few months ago and the end part my buddy knew from back in the day was way overgrown (apparently not being used)

So, little help?

[pratt]

erink
here's a map for reference http://pittsburghparks.org.savvior.com/userdocs/frickmap.pdf

if you look at the bottom right of frick where it shows a yellow square for the soccer fields you'll see a trail to left left called firelane extension. The "exit" for roller coaster is about 3/4 the way up this hill. The entrance is off to the right of lower riverview (which firelane extension intersects), right around where you see the blue line all by itself.

If you were riding past the soccer fields towards nine mile run (stream at bottom of frick) you would make a right, go up a short inclined gravel road (firelane trail) then turn right onto a steep double wide hill (firelane extension), before reaching the intersection of another double wide trail (lower river view) you would make a right onto roller coaster...this is not shown on the map. There are actually two trail heads that provide access to roller coaster from this direction...most people use the second one, nearer to lower river view.

[t-bone]

roller coaster is roller coaster, and it's green circle.

the old roller coaster is still there, great little trail.
going from the slag piles in sq hill past the garbage heaps and bleachers hand the first left and alyes take the leveler trail when it splits.
watch out for the tree hanging over the trail right at the end.