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WWU, bellingham etc.

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bikerocker
Posts: 1427 - Karma: 461
So i need to decide where I'm moving to, I'm transferring schools, and It's between bellingham and montana.  Is the closest ski hill baker?  Also if there are any bikers in town are there skateparks and dirtjumps around there?  I know vancouver, and seattle will keep me busy on the weekends but some trails or park nearby would make me happy.
Mar 18 2008 5:42PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,687
montana
Mar 18 2008 6:37PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Oh man. Baker is the closest mountain for sure, but you don't really need anywhere else unless park is 100% your thing. As for biking, we have our own biking mountain. Galbraith mtn. has an unofficial company that basically controls all the jumps and ladders, and there's a lot of really great features. If you get bored of those there are other features in the Chuckanut mtn area, and out on the 542 (Mt baker highway).

There are also a lot of fun urban hits in town, small drops and loading docks, though I stopped biking a few years ago after breaking myself.

Oh and Galbraith doesn't have a chairlift like Whistler or something. And Whistler is 4-5 hours from Bham (I think, correct me if I'm wrong others) Plus there's Northshore on Vancouver Island which has some other sick biking a few hours away.
Mar 18 2008 8:25PM
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erknz
Posts: 943 - Karma: 256
there's a bike park right next to the skatepark that has a shit ton of doubles and whatnot and it's always empty, probably because everyone is riding trails at galbraith (mini north shore), there's ladders, jumps, burms and tons of other shit up in there.  skatepark is a five minute ride from campus and galbraith trail heads are close, too (one's probably a ten minute ride from campus, because it's uphill and the other trailhead is just south of lake padden, five minute car ride from campus). 

there's a few pictures of galbraith here: http://home.comcast.net/~kdunruh/bellingham/galbraith.htm#Family%20Fun%20Center

a search around the transition website, there's some bellingham stuff on there like this: http://www.transitionbikes.com/Gallery/Gallery_MikeMetzgerGalbraithHip1.jpg
Mar 18 2008 8:31PM
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bikerocker
Posts: 1427 - Karma: 461
sick.  Even the little dj park would keep me entertained for years, and that skatepark looks pretty fun for being small.  The dh trails are also nice.  Allthough I think i'd get upset if it was only ladders and skinnies...  north shore is cool and all, and as long as everyone isn't too interested in being dangerous dan, and the trails have some flow instead of non stop 3 inch wide bridges it'll be awesome.

Yeah i'd rather never ski park, but it's kind of a necessary evil when there is no good snow.

Thanks, I'm going to lean towards washington for now.
Mar 19 2008 11:41AM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Oh Baker has a park, it's just only up 15% of the time, and its generally preetty boring after a few laps.
And if you want just trails, theres a whole back trail area of Lake Padden which has tons of skinny, flowy trails. And Galbraith has those of course too.
Mar 19 2008 2:38PM
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Jibmaster_J
Posts: 491 - Karma: 8
Gnarly, no i love to freeride, but i get sick of endless skinnies quick. I kind of view it as mountain biking from the nineties when everyone was running around in full armor on their dh bikes dropping off walls to flat.   I'm really happy mountain  biking is passed the jumping off loading dock stage, and turned into being more about flowing, or being smooth on trails and jumps.

So what's the deal weather wise there? does it snow in bellingham? how cold does it get in town?  Can I ride skatepark year around?  or is the place as snowy where i live with 8 degree weather for a month at a time?

I know it rains a lot, but thats ok.
Mar 20 2008 11:39AM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
It really doesn't rain that much in Bham. It rains a lot in Everett because of the convergence zone, but thats an hour to the south. We get usually one snow storm a year, generally in December or later November, and it's usually cold through January, but dry. The skatepark is pretty much good year round, and it's very mild temperatures here. It doesn't go much below freezing usually. But when we get snow that sticks it's below that. Last year it was 20*F for a week, but that was very rare.
Mar 20 2008 5:54PM
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knal
Posts: 505 - Karma: 43
im going to western next year, pretty damn stoked to ski with all you westerners
Mar 20 2008 8:32PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
So I don't really have a mountain Bike. But I want to make it out to the trails this spring to shoot some photos, and these trails look rad.

Is it hikeable? How long would it take to get to the crazy ladders and log rides and all that from walking from whatcom falls parking lot? Is that the fastest route?

 If it's not hikeable, who's got an extra bike? want to get some shots? I'll shoot...
Mar 20 2008 8:37PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Well for log rides it would be quicker to come from the Padden side. Just park at the galbraith mtn parking area up Samish Wy. from Padden park, walk up galbraith mtn drive or whatever that road's called, and follow it until it comes to a private dirt road, continue on that road until you reach the logging roads' gate. Then walk up that road 'til the blue rock, and directly to the left of the rock is Shawn's trail, which has a ton of great drops and a few ladders, to your right up the road fair distance is Scorpion, which has a really long log ride/ladder, and a few other smaller ones, or to the left of the rock following that road a way is 9-1-1, which has a really long, easy ladder.
It's kind of hard to explain how to actually get to the trails though. I suggest getting shown your first time.
Mar 20 2008 9:31PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
Well if anyone is trying to go in the near future, shoot me a PM and I'll come along and shoot. I want to do some more MTB stuff.

Mar 20 2008 9:59PM
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542East
Posts: 105 - Karma: 9
me and my friends try and ride at least once a week on the weekends unless its snowing at baker, when it gets light later in the day we go sometimes after school and shit. the thing about galby is theres only really a couple things that are worth filming or photoing and everyone that rides galbraith has already done it a million times. go out to the northfork trails or the trails behind grahams in glaicer and theres some crazy gnarly shit
Mar 20 2008 10:15PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
Yeah I'm down I just don't have a bike right now.

I'm plenty capable of riding to most spots, I just need a bike. Or I'm hoofing it.
Mar 20 2008 10:21PM
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