If you want to ride Portal without doing the whole Mag 7 (which left me exhausted by the time we got to Portal!), a good option is to climb up Poison Spider Mesa, which is 8 miles instead of the 19 miles that the first 6 of Mag 7 are!
I always have to watch any video that has the Portal loop in it. I rode Poison Spider Mesa w/ the Portal solo in 1994, my favorite trail next to Porcupine Rim.
This is awesome. Love that this was edited like a real Moab ride with all the the stops and WTF moments, talking yourself into taking lines, and puckering up on the sketchy stuff. This is what MTB is about! Kudos for being real!
For those unfamiliar with Moab riding, typical rocky steps and drops like 4:30 are everywhere, with consequences of failure mostly limited to the broken wrist/elbow/shoulder category - painful, embarrasing, typically tedious long slow hike to extricate oneself, hopefully aided by companions who can carry gear or push your bike for you if it helps. Dropoffs, ledges, slopes one can slither down for quite a ways can add agony, by degrees, but as helmets are mandatory (by logic, not law), you are more likely to survive than not. Adventurous day rides with modest risks, offset by grand vistas, mostly clean and amazingly high friction clean slickrock domes are the positives of the risk/reward equation, and as long as you don't grossly overestimate your skills or stamina, most emerge with little more than scrapes. Susceptibility to peer pressure, either applying or receiving, can get you in trouble. Accept that everyone can and likely will dismount somewhere, without apology, and you and your group will be fine. Poison Spider is a POS, for several reasons. First, as a very exposed and arduous hike, it was not particularly dangerous in ordinary circumstances and weather for healthy persons. As brave/foolhardy mountain bikers began riding it, most is no harder than the Porcupine Rim, but the exposure leaves zero margin for errors. At least two places where the trail constricts to force crucial, short technical maneuvers coincide with absolute vertical drops of a few hundred feet, 4-12 inches from your wheel path, or a couple or three feet if you opt to attempt a bunny hop over an off-camber boulder. Falling outward, there is simply no possibility for recovery or catching anything to stop. Although less obvious, longer traversing sections of trail are also close enough to dropoffs that a tumble could lead to a fatal plunge in those stretches as well. Last, probably due to the traffic over twenty years, the entire lower trail has broken into a rubble-strewn junkpile only hard core long-suspension geeks seem to appreciate. Actual crash potential is probably greater without the death exposure factor, but makes for an overall unenjoyable ride. I outgrew the "bragging rights" justification for any ride 25 years ago, and even worse, seeing others trying to coerce friends into attempting sketchy sections with real serious injury potential makes me want to slam my pump into faces. The GoProTube era has unfortunately created a self-perpetuating, self-indulging loop of "Look, ma, no hands!" propaganda which makes folks who merely enjoy non-risky rides out to be gumbies. The same folks who might call out bullying fail to notice their own behaviors in group rides or edited videos. Perhaps it's time to grow up, and think for yourself, in regard to your personal risk/reward calculus.
Portal is one of my ultimate goals because of my fear of heights. I just started riding 2 months ago but by the time I get there I'll be able to enjoy the second half of that trail (technical downhill).
Haha! Aside from the 2 spots where the signs warn you to dismount your bike and walk, the rest of it wasn't that bad. The really technical parts are past where the exposure is.
@@huntstyle hmm I'm going there this Sunday 18 hr drive 😁 anyways going to hit whole enchilada doing the ups and lps. Depending on how that goes and based off what you just said I may hit portal. Extreme maybe haha.
@@cd8788 if you do, I'd probably go up Poison Spider Mesa. It'll be much shorter, and you won't be so worn out vs doing the whole Mag 7. But while you're in Moab, be sure to hit Captain Ahab!
Just looking at that exposure makes me nervous! I might be in Dallas next weekend. I'm guessing you aren't ready to ride yet? Any spots I should check out?
I was told 3-4 weeks (on Tue) to return to full activity. Yeah... it's supposed to be over 100 next weekend. Luckily it looks like humidity will be fairly low.
Heres my two cents... Northshore in grapevine is one of the best ones (20-30ish minutes from dallas) but if you do it, do it on Sunday cause there's a running race on Saturday. If you wanna ride Saturday check out boulder in duncanville (like 10-15 minutes from dallas). Some gnarly stuff there comparable to Austin! Hope you enjoy! Maybe ill see ya out there \m/
Oh yeah, I forgot about that trail run! I like Oak Cliff, too. It's shorter (7.2 miles) but has some fun rock sections, also similar to Austin. I haven't ridden any of the others down there, yet, but heard good things about Boulder & Big Cedar.
Haha! A lot of it wasn't really that bad, mostly smooth dirt where the exposure is the worst, and the trail is plenty wide, but I don't think I'll ever ride those sections with the warning signs. Lower Portal doesn't have the exposure, but is actually much harder. I walked a lot!
I love that you’re able to laugh when you fall. That’s awesome. My wife and I are buying our bikes this week so I can’t wait to start riding. Nothing too extreme so we’ll probably hit up some easy trails around dfw to start :) gonna sub to your channel now.. really like the content
That's awesome! Unfortunately we may not have open trails for a while after all this rain we're expecting. And yeah, you gotta laugh when you fall! It's definitely part of it!
Yeah, tell me about it. My fishing areas are still closed due to the last flood we had. But, luckily for me, my area is surrounded by some nice trails and ponds so we'll be able to practice
I was impressed with the Trance! This was the Trance Advanced 2, which is one of the lower specs, but it still performed well. I didn't care for the dropper post, but that was really my only gripe!
Huntstyle I bought my first bike two weeks ago and I’ve been watching your videos to prepare myself for my first real trail this weekend. So question; Northshore, River legacy, or Sansom?
@@tonyvandyke7588 River Legacy, and skip EKG. It's very beginner friendly. Once you've gained some experience and feel you have good control over the bike, head over to Northshore, east side. Some parts you'll have to walk at first, but the majority of it is not difficult.
Great videos, keep,up the good work. It does drive me nuts that so many riders stop right in the middle of the trail blocking the rest if the group from any opportunity to clear that section. Get out of the way. Don’t sit there in the middle of the trail just staring at all the subsequent riders you are screwing up.
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If you want to ride Portal without doing the whole Mag 7 (which left me exhausted by the time we got to Portal!), a good option is to climb up Poison Spider Mesa, which is 8 miles instead of the 19 miles that the first 6 of Mag 7 are!
I always have to watch any video that has the Portal loop in it. I rode Poison Spider Mesa w/ the Portal solo in 1994, my favorite trail next to Porcupine Rim.
You should do yungas road in Bolivia
"What do you think Matt?" LOL "I think I'm out of water!" (what you should have said) hahahahaha that was a fun one!
Outdoor Gold hahaha I knew that!
This is awesome. Love that this was edited like a real Moab ride with all the the stops and WTF moments, talking yourself into taking lines, and puckering up on the sketchy stuff. This is what MTB is about! Kudos for being real!
Heck yeah! Glad you enjoyed it! I do my best to portray the vibe of the whole ride, so that means showing a bit of everything! 🍻🤘
Ahhh! I so want to get up to Moab and ride this trail. Great presentation of the trail. 👍👍
Yes! Given your prowess through the AZ chunk, I'd say you'll do well on this one!
Looks like so much fun. After watching I no longer feel quarantined. 😆
Hahah!
oh geeze… can't wait to hit this again.
watching myself from almost a year ago... I feel like i'm watching a JERRY! XD
Haha, man you've improved a TON since then!
For those unfamiliar with Moab riding, typical rocky steps and drops like 4:30 are everywhere, with consequences of failure mostly limited to the broken wrist/elbow/shoulder category - painful, embarrasing, typically tedious long slow hike to extricate oneself, hopefully aided by companions who can carry gear or push your bike for you if it helps. Dropoffs, ledges, slopes one can slither down for quite a ways can add agony, by degrees, but as helmets are mandatory (by logic, not law), you are more likely to survive than not. Adventurous day rides with modest risks, offset by grand vistas, mostly clean and amazingly high friction clean slickrock domes are the positives of the risk/reward equation, and as long as you don't grossly overestimate your skills or stamina, most emerge with little more than scrapes. Susceptibility to peer pressure, either applying or receiving, can get you in trouble. Accept that everyone can and likely will dismount somewhere, without apology, and you and your group will be fine.
Poison Spider is a POS, for several reasons. First, as a very exposed and arduous hike, it was not particularly dangerous in ordinary circumstances and weather for healthy persons. As brave/foolhardy mountain bikers began riding it, most is no harder than the Porcupine Rim, but the exposure leaves zero margin for errors. At least two places where the trail constricts to force crucial, short technical maneuvers coincide with absolute vertical drops of a few hundred feet, 4-12 inches from your wheel path, or a couple or three feet if you opt to attempt a bunny hop over an off-camber boulder. Falling outward, there is simply no possibility for recovery or catching anything to stop. Although less obvious, longer traversing sections of trail are also close enough to dropoffs that a tumble could lead to a fatal plunge in those stretches as well.
Last, probably due to the traffic over twenty years, the entire lower trail has broken into a rubble-strewn junkpile only hard core long-suspension geeks seem to appreciate. Actual crash potential is probably greater without the death exposure factor, but makes for an overall unenjoyable ride.
I outgrew the "bragging rights" justification for any ride 25 years ago, and even worse, seeing others trying to coerce friends into attempting sketchy sections with real serious injury potential makes me want to slam my pump into faces.
The GoProTube era has unfortunately created a self-perpetuating, self-indulging loop of "Look, ma, no hands!" propaganda which makes folks who merely enjoy non-risky rides out to be gumbies. The same folks who might call out bullying fail to notice their own behaviors in group rides or edited videos. Perhaps it's time to grow up, and think for yourself, in regard to your personal risk/reward calculus.
Heading to Moab this weekend to ride Gold Bar and Portal for the first time. Looks sick!
Nice! Have a blast!
Oh wow I held my breath on this one. Amazing ride.
It's a great trail! But not for those with a fear of heights!
Looks like an awesome ride with some killer views! Great vid!
One of the best in Moab! Thanks Christopher!
Portal is one of my ultimate goals because of my fear of heights. I just started riding 2 months ago but by the time I get there I'll be able to enjoy the second half of that trail (technical downhill).
Nice! I love it!
That ride is no joke. Nice video.
Not for the faint of heart!
Its 10 degrees with 20 mph winds here you dont know how bad I want to go down there in the wintertime. Looks awesome thanks for showing.
Oh man, that sounds brutal!
Love the Giant Trances , got one myself
Nice! It's a great bike!
I can't believe you did portal you mad man! back in the 90s they were having at least one death per year on that trail. Cheers!
Haha! Aside from the 2 spots where the signs warn you to dismount your bike and walk, the rest of it wasn't that bad. The really technical parts are past where the exposure is.
@@huntstyle hmm I'm going there this Sunday 18 hr drive 😁 anyways going to hit whole enchilada doing the ups and lps. Depending on how that goes and based off what you just said I may hit portal. Extreme maybe haha.
@@cd8788 if you do, I'd probably go up Poison Spider Mesa. It'll be much shorter, and you won't be so worn out vs doing the whole Mag 7. But while you're in Moab, be sure to hit Captain Ahab!
Just looking at that exposure makes me nervous! I might be in Dallas next weekend. I'm guessing you aren't ready to ride yet? Any spots I should check out?
Unfortunately not. Gonna be hotter than hell next weekend! Northshore is my favorite. Given the heat, I'd probably stick to the east side, loops 1-5.
Right on. I think it's even hotter here in San Antonio, so the Dallas heat may be a vacation for me! Let me know when that wrist heals up. Thanks!
I was told 3-4 weeks (on Tue) to return to full activity. Yeah... it's supposed to be over 100 next weekend. Luckily it looks like humidity will be fairly low.
Heres my two cents... Northshore in grapevine is one of the best ones (20-30ish minutes from dallas) but if you do it, do it on Sunday cause there's a running race on Saturday. If you wanna ride Saturday check out boulder in duncanville (like 10-15 minutes from dallas). Some gnarly stuff there comparable to Austin! Hope you enjoy! Maybe ill see ya out there \m/
Oh yeah, I forgot about that trail run! I like Oak Cliff, too. It's shorter (7.2 miles) but has some fun rock sections, also similar to Austin. I haven't ridden any of the others down there, yet, but heard good things about Boulder & Big Cedar.
Awesome!! Real deal mountain biking there .
Yes sir!
Nice! that first drops a doozy . the chunk looks so awesome on gold bar.
Video doesn't even do it justice on the Gopro!
It never does. 🤘
That exposure was insane!
Yeah, the parts with the warning signs may not be extremely difficult... but if you screw up, it's game over.
I don't think I could take that risk. I'm not good enough...or crazy enough haha
Haha! A lot of it wasn't really that bad, mostly smooth dirt where the exposure is the worst, and the trail is plenty wide, but I don't think I'll ever ride those sections with the warning signs. Lower Portal doesn't have the exposure, but is actually much harder. I walked a lot!
Pucker factor 10! Nicely done.
Main goal: don't die!
I love that you’re able to laugh when you fall. That’s awesome. My wife and I are buying our bikes this week so I can’t wait to start riding. Nothing too extreme so we’ll probably hit up some easy trails around dfw to start :) gonna sub to your channel now.. really like the content
That's awesome! Unfortunately we may not have open trails for a while after all this rain we're expecting. And yeah, you gotta laugh when you fall! It's definitely part of it!
Yeah, tell me about it. My fishing areas are still closed due to the last flood we had. But, luckily for me, my area is surrounded by some nice trails and ponds so we'll be able to practice
You are really fast for that tall scary mountain
Plenty of guys out there faster than me!
This place looks beautiful and fun but I don’t think I would do it haha
Not for the faint of heart, haha!
Hardtail has left the chat
LOL!
Looks like a great trail. How do you like that Trance?
I was impressed with the Trance! This was the Trance Advanced 2, which is one of the lower specs, but it still performed well. I didn't care for the dropper post, but that was really my only gripe!
Great value for your money
Kind of looks like Mars or the Grand Canyon...then other parts look like Central Texas with all the Rock Gardens and chunk✌
It's a rad place!
I rode (walked) that one a couple years ago.
Haha, yeah lots of walking on this one! Beats dying!
I don’t think I would ever ride those cliff side trails.
It's pretty wild!
Huntstyle I bought my first bike two weeks ago and I’ve been watching your videos to prepare myself for my first real trail this weekend. So question; Northshore, River legacy, or Sansom?
@@tonyvandyke7588 River Legacy, and skip EKG. It's very beginner friendly. Once you've gained some experience and feel you have good control over the bike, head over to Northshore, east side. Some parts you'll have to walk at first, but the majority of it is not difficult.
Huntstyle thanks! Love the videos man! Totally inspiring.
@@tonyvandyke7588 thanks man! LOVE to hear that! To be inspiring is definitely my goal!
Cramps suck. Nice vid man.
Thanks! Yeah I need to have a better plan to avoid cramps. Probably need to hydrate better the day before a big ride like this!
Great videos, keep,up the good work. It does drive me nuts that so many riders stop right in the middle of the trail blocking the rest if the group from any opportunity to clear that section. Get out of the way. Don’t sit there in the middle of the trail just staring at all the subsequent riders you are screwing up.
who else knows how to ride a bike but not like that i gie that man propes
Nope. No way.
Haha!
shouldve left your bikes and hiked instead.
Lol might've been just as fast... but not as FUN!
how odd, ive just watched my first video of yours, not youre on Alex's channel haha
Hahaha! Crazy coincidence!
Yea imma have to pass
Hahaha!
I would not ride that!
As long as you walk those parts where the signs are, the rest of it isn't that bad!