Thinking about trying downhill

from experience...this being my first year too...  if there is no lift, and you just want to try it out, youll want to take off your clipless pedals, use a bmx/bike helmet, maybe get some shinpads.... you will also want a rather large camelbak (for gu, tubes, and tools...).. i recommend the camelbak octane 8+, which is sold @ rei. it has a lot of cargo space, and a large bladder. i dont know the difficulty of the trails, but i am assuming that they are beginner-intermediate... just take a day to go hike these trails to evaluate for yourself... i think you will really dig DH.

Thanks.  I have a pretty big dakine hydration pack I already use for XC so I will just use that.  I was reading that they do a lot of shuttles with trucks so I might plan where I can just do that so I dont have to do the climb myself.  I will look into some shingaurds.

Use flats for sure, I'll only use clipless if I'm racing a really smooth trail with lots of pedaling. 

And as far as DH in general goes, it's as close to skiing as you're going to get during the summer.  Just because the snow is gone doesn't mean you can't still carve, jump tables, and huck!

dude i did the same thing, this is my first year mtb and i live in pa so i got a xc hardtail cause theres not many hills. But i went downhilling last month and it was awsome. its so much more fun than xc. go for it

So me and some friends went to the DH place yesterday.  None of us have ever DH before btw.  On the first run I was taking it kind of easy, but I was having a good time getting used to the trail and taking more runs but on like a 3 ft or so drop my friend landed on his front wheel and bent the shit out of it, went over the bars, and messed himself up.  Not too sure but he may have broken his collar bone so we were done for the day.  He can still move his arm but he says he has a grinding feeling and a shitload of pain when he does.  He is going to the hospital later today so we'll see if its really broken.

This place is legit and I am excited to go back.  I do want a DH bike now after seeing this place and was wondering what a good bike (new or used) would be for about $1500?  Also what do you do when going over those bigger drops?  Ive done drops at about a foot and havent really had problems with them, I just try to keep most of the weight on the back.  Is that all you really need to do?  Thanks guys.

look at kona , cannondale, and trek.
the kona coiler/coilair (i have the 07 coiler) is a great bike for dh and xc: 6" travel fork and shock
i got the coiler for about 1300$$$
i found a 800$ cannondale prophet at a local bike swap, fox float air shock, and lefty fork.. i dont like the lefty cuz it doesnt seem stable/balanced/strong to me.
trek is cool; the remedy is pretty sweet 1400$$.,.

when goin off a drop more than about 2 feet, wheelie, pull up, ollie, or bunny hop right before ur front wheel hits the edge if u have some speed.
if ur goin slow, u can roll  drops up to about 3 ft if u get really far back over ur back tire,, DONT GET SUCKED IN!!!......this is from my previous experience.
also.. INSPECT new drops and landings i.e.: holes, bumps, size, turns, rocks etc.....

Thanks man, I was checking out the Coiler because I still plan to do xc but I dont really need to be fast or anything Id just do it for fun.  The difference between the coiler and the coilair is that the coilair has a rear air shock right?  Is that much better or is it more preference?  I am a pretty big dude at 6'3" 200lb if that matters.  I will check out the trek and the cannondales too.

Coil will feel better than air, especially at your weight--the only drawback being that they will weigh more than an air shock.  I'm using the same shock on my AM bike as I use on my DH bike, and love it that way.

you know, its all about preference, so u might want to rent/test ride the coiler and coilair, but i think that u will be happy w/ a coil shock.
and yeah, the major difference between the coiler and coilair is that coilair has an air shock...

I DH lots and trust me on this stuff. if its lift access, dont wear a pack. especially if you have body armor on, in which case its not really possible. what i do is grab a few water bottles and throw them beside the line at the bottom of the lift, then use them when i want. if it has a lift at the resort, chances are there will be renting too, which i highly recommend. rent a bike, armor, helmet. way better than wrecking your stuff and then you also have the right tools to do the job. if you dont wanna rent, go for it, but be advised, id have no trouble at all breaking a hardrock downhilling, and i certainly wouldnt be too confident on one. also put on flats. definately. if theres no lift, then id bring some water bottles or a pack and just put it at the bottom of the run. just remember, waiting till the bottom to suck your camelback (you wont be able to mid run anyways) is way more worth it than getting an allen key through your back, ya dig?
its hard to say what you need to do without knowing alot about your situation. is it like a ski resort with DH? does it have a lift? whats the places name?? sorry for the short story

Thanks mang.  The place is called horns hill and its in Newark, oh.  Its not a resort or anything its just a park but people usually do truck shuttles there so I dont have to worry about a pack.  As for my bike, I just bought a Specialized Big Hit 2 so I should be good.  All I need to woory about now is armor and pads.

in my opinion, if the top of the trail isnt within walking distance to the base/nearest shop, bring a pack w/ tubes and stuff to fix a flat tire... unless u like to walk ur bike down a dh trail... just in case of those ride-interrupting flats. but w/o a pack, that flat becomes ride-ENDING. idk its all about preference... when im 'in the zone' i dont even realize that i have a pack on....

I probably wont wear a pck just cause the place is only 250 vert feet.  Even if I have to walk the bike down it wont take that long.  If I go somewhere else, I will definately consider it.