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Here's the inside scoop on riding in Utah everyone: Moab is fun, but the Salt Lake/Bountiful area has probably the best trails in the state save for the Wasatch Crest. In fact, some of the best trails around are all within a 20 minute ride of each other. And usually me and Tim ride those trails. Usually.
Today though, we were feeling dangerous and so we got out the motocross clothes and threw on the full face helmets. We were hitting some of the drops and scary lines that we invented and some others that only locals know about (I hope all of you reading this know what I'm talking about). The Pop Drop, Valentines, James' Face, and City Creek Sick......all of these trails that make the average Joe on his $300 GT shake his head in awe of our complete stupidity. The final run of the day was to be made down the chute, though. That's the big one
The chute (while the location will remain anonymous) is probably hairier than anything else around here. It's about 200 yards of 50 degree sand-on-slate that likes to let your front wheel skid at the slightest dragging of the Hayes. It wouldn't be so tough except for the jog in the middle--a 4 foot wide quick right-then-back-left turn right where you hit about 25 or so. And that may not sound so bad until you realize that if you don't make the turn, you bust through a bunch of bushes, off a rocky outcropping, then a 15 foot drop into a gravel run-off. That is the part that sucks.
Me and Tim had ridden the Chute the previous day without incident and we thought today would be no different. Tim took off down the deer trail that connects the chute to a road about 1/4 mile away. I followed until about 5 feet before the off-camber left hand turn on a drop-in at the entrance to the Chute. I watched Tim take the corner, realize he was going too fast and try to scrub off some speed. His rear wheel locked and (the horror) his front wheel did also. He ground forward for about 10 feet, both wheels glued to the brake pad. Tim tried to make the turn at the jog, but his wheels slipped out from under him. He went over the bars as I watched the rocky lip of the cliff come up to hit the face of his Bell Bellistic Pro. The helmet was forced back to his chin and I couldn't tear my eyes away as he bounced on his head and......over the cliff. He sailed out a good ways...probably about 5 feet out. Somehow Tim managed to land on his feet but he was going so fast that he just fell to his knees and slid down the rest of the mountain. "Sh*t" I said as I threw my leg over the top tube and adjusted my arnette's. I rode down the chute, much slower than yesterday and a ton slower than Tim. I rode out of the chute and slammed on the brakes. I jumped off my bike and ran to the sitting Tim. His helmet was off and a look of total bewilderment was on his face. His new Fox jersey was totally chewed; both elbows were blown out and his 911 plastic cups were easily visible. The 360 pants and Pawtector gloves were covered in a tan dust. "God Tim are you okay?" I asked. "How the hell am I supposed to get my bike? It's sitting on the top of the cliff!"
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