Pic of the Day

Jokipea

Active member
Apr 4, 2023
5
22
Scotland
Yes Ben Starav is the view out the back door . I walked that yesterday hard going. No mod cons outside toilet water from the burn but at £7 : 50 a night 🤔 . Got it all to myself as well.
You seem to have got a nice dry day for it, when my mate and I did it decades ago, FFS, it pished rain all day.
Mind you we've had lots of days climbing at the Etive Slabs, across the loch from Ben Starav, in blazing sunshine to compensate. Just don't mention Etive midges, they are vicious wee bastards.
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,182
4,901
Scotland
The last post today I promise. Heading home today so one lap of Laggan Wolftrax there's an enduro race on there this weekend. Added a couple new trails latest just opened Easter. Some knarly bits and I only did the Red . They were setting the tapes up when I approched Ayers rock not sure if they do that . I would love to see pros going down that . Plenty battery so I manage a blast up to top of the Burma road near Aviemore. Planting trees up there so all changing one gate so far to slow you down. That would be a 50 mph downhill if you are man enough maybe more. Think it's Brewdog Planting trees????.

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Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,182
4,901
Scotland
Think I spot Ben Starav and the Wee Buachaille, think the wee cottage at bend in road is down Glen Etive?
Yes thats the one in amongst trees. Excellent weather I did Starav yet again yesterday but only that . Been the late 80s first time I did it and another couple hills as well and again 90s . Last time defo. Etive Slabs never climbed there. I was always a seconder never lead. Great area though.
 

Mr Tonka

Member
Apr 19, 2024
85
142
Tampa
Thin air up that high , does it affect you ?
I live a sea level, so I was expecting to be useless. But arrived at 11,600' (slept at this altitude) around 9:30am, took that day to do a whole lot of nothing other than build my bike, take a walk, eat dinner and drink lots of water. Next day was an easy day toping out around 13,000'. Felt great but kept the efforts small until the 3rd day. Was good to go after that.

Don't get me wrong, all hard efforts felt 10x harder, even after acclimating. 1000% worth it.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,934
9,275
Lincolnshire, UK
At 13,000 feet of altitude (3963 metres) there is almost 40% less oxygen in the air!! :eek:

I am full of admiration for your ability to ride even after some acclimatisation. :love:

I rode uphill at a measly 1500m on an mtb and I thought I was going to lose a lung. :sick:

NB: A friend of mine hiked around the world when he was in his late 20's. He discovered in a mountain pass in the Himalayas that he could not get an erection at that altitude (15,000 feet IIRC). He'd copped off with a New Zealand nurse and he was very embarrassed. She was so understanding that he married her. Normal service was resumed when they descended the other side.
 
Last edited:

Arminius

Well-known member
Subscriber
Jul 26, 2022
565
945
Rhein-Ruhr Delta, Germany
No, a small white diesel powered van with a home made shuttle rack on the roof. We were actually dropped at about 14800, hit about 14900 traversing and hiked up to get over 15000 and free rode the ridge back down to the trail. First time over 15k! View attachment 139201
Did you run somebody over or is the budget shuttle hanging at the rear bumper? 😂

When you did such long downhill how were the brakes / pads doing? 🤔
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,182
4,901
Scotland
I live a sea level, so I was expecting to be useless. But arrived at 11,600' (slept at this altitude) around 9:30am, took that day to do a whole lot of nothing other than build my bike, take a walk, eat dinner and drink lots of water. Next day was an easy day toping out around 13,000'. Felt great but kept the efforts small until the 3rd day. Was good to go after that.

Don't get me wrong, all hard efforts felt 10x harder, even after acclimating.

Did you run somebody over or is the budget shuttle hanging at the rear bumper? 😂

When you did such long downhill how were the brakes / pads doing? 🤔
5 sets of spare pads and extra rotors
 


steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,934
9,275
Lincolnshire, UK
That's a head f**k right there! If that was a brick wall instead of a kerb on the edge of the canal, I'd do it without hesitation. But the possibility of a drop into the water just sets me on edge. :oops:

It's a bit like riding a white line on the road, easy-peasy. Put a 12" wide plank ten feet in the air and it's a no-no. :eek:
 

Mr Tonka

Member
Apr 19, 2024
85
142
Tampa
At 13,000 feet of altitude (3963 metres) there is almost 40% less oxygen in the air!! :eek:

I am full of admiration for your ability to ride even after some acclimatisation. :love:

I rode uphill at a measly 1500m on an mtb and I thought I was going to lose a lung. :sick:

NB: A friend of mine hiked around the world when he was in his late 20's. He discovered in a mountain pass in the Himalayas that he could not get an erection at that altitude (15,000 feet IIRC). He'd copped off with a New Zealand nurse and he was very embarrassed. She was so understanding that he married her. Normal service was resumed when they descended the other side.
it was quite different from the altitude I'd experienced elsewhere. Colorado at 11,000 some how fells worse than Cusco at 14,000. It was wild to experience the difference between high alpine in CO vs Peru. Peru seemed very easy to handle compared to CO. Maybe it was the humidity? Peru was quite humid compared to CO.

Shuttles helped. haha We only did about 4000' of climbing over 8 days. We had just over 80,000' of descending over those 8 days though. On the Transition Relay, left the battery at home.
 

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