Levis Mound

Written: 5/22/05
By: Goo

Yesterday, I went mountainboarding out at Levis Mound. Levis is a big mountain bike/cross country skiing/hiking place... and it has some absolutely killer single track. Single track has to be one of my favorite things ever to do on a mountainboard. I just love it.

But, yesterday was different, because it was the first time I have ever gone there without my mother coming with me... which was nice.

It was also the first time I have ever really gone mountainboarding with a group of friends. I brought both of my mountainboards, and one of my friends brought his digital camera which takes much better quality vid’s than my cam... but back on topic.

So yeah... we headed out. I decided to show them all my favorite places to ride. We went up to Porky Point first, and took some video of me riding off a 4 ft. cliff. Then we took a break. We took a lot of breaks, between filming and watching other people ride. And then, I decided to ride this like wooden bridge thing that some mountainbikers had set up so the wouldn’t have to ride up/down this big section of rocks (wussy bikers). So that was pretty sweet, took some vids of that.

Then, I we took some video of my riding down the rocks that the mountainbikers are too wussy to ride. (Ha!) That was pretty awesome. That whole section probably has a vertical drop of about 10 feet over the space of about 10 ft. or so, so basically it was like riding down a big rock pile. Also, there’s a tree growing right above these rocks, and its as if all of the roots growing over the rocks are holding them to the hillside, as a natural erosion preventative. That added a little more in the technicality department.

Next, we went over to North Face, one of the best downhill single tracks. Its long, with several very different sections in it. It also has a rock garden section rather like the one on Porky Point, only easier. We hung out there and rode for a while.

Then, we headed over to my newest favorite singletrack, Corkscrew. Corkscrew is just basically switchbacks all the way down. The top section is riddle with roots, and a 2 ft. drop off, then to a left hand turn/switchback. Then, there’s a straight section with a big rock in the middle, creating a mandatory ollie. Next, right hand hairpin turn, perfect to powerslide through to shed speed (if you ride goofy foot like me.) Now, the best thing to do is to cut off the next switchback and go cross country down to the trail and continue. Next obstacle, a stump in the middle of the trail. If you’re going slow, you could probably ride over it. But if you have ridden the top section about perfect, you should be screaming right now. After the stump, the trail continues straight, or you have the choice to turn sharp left and take a less used trail through the woods that is a bit longer than the right path, and much more brushy.

Then, we hiked back up Corkscrew, rode North Face again, and hiked to the best downhill cross country ski hill, Jack Rabbit Draw. There, I tried to give some turning and powersliding pointers to my friends, but the powersliding didn’t go over so well.

The only good mountainboarding place that we didn’t go was to Pile Driver. Never descended by a mountainboarder, Pile Driver is probably one of the longest downhill sections of any single track at Levis Mound that I know of, and its one of the most technical too. Once upon a time, their was a horse race held that went up and down pile driver, and all the dirt got pushed off of it. Since that time, it has become one big erosion ditch. The bottom is completely covered in sandstone boulders, with barely any dirt/sand at all. Over the middle of the bottom section, there’s a huge log lying... with about 2 1/2 feet of clearance below it, maybe enough to squeak through. I have hiked Pile Driver before, and for me to even feel partially comfortable, I’d have to assemble a brake for my board. The moutainbikers rarely ride it, if ever. It is the king of gnarly, guaranteeing death to any bomber. But, I know I will have to conquer it eventually, first with a brake... and then without one. Once I have done that, nothing will pose a threat.

So, that’s my day at Levis... pretty much an overview of Levis Mound, but that's OK.

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