Posted by: [email protected]
Posted by: craw
So I've committed to doing a trip with Basquemtb in October.
Curious if you did end up going and if so, how was it?
I did! It was really good. If you're thinking "I could just go there and use Trailforks" you'd be wrong. Basquemtb builds, maintains or supports the trails there and they're sort of secret. In BC you can show up to a spot and use Trailforks to find stuff. There each town had one monstrous descent that linked together old walking trails, new enduro trails plus all the little linkages you'd need to get to the bottom and you need a local to guide you through that.
6 days of riding was good, each with a huge shuttle, most days had some pedalling and one day had a push/carry that would be considered epic anywhere. There were two guides on every lap, usually at the rear of each group (we split into a faster group and a slower group). The weather was borderline but totally fine; I had all the right gear to remain comfortable. 6 days of big descents takes its toll. I'm glad I brought my physio ball and a few other things to keep my mobility and persistent injuries happy. By the end I had my fill of riding. It was nice to be taken care of. You'd get a briefing at breakfast of what the day would be like and what to expect and what to bring. Meals were included. So by the end of the day you'd drag yourself into the hotel (a different hotel/town every night), clean and lube your bike, have a beer, shower and put out your gear to dry, dinner then pass right TF out.
This is about as high as we got.
There was some carrying.
How that day ended.
This is about the wettest we got, which was pretty good for around November 1. Never got soaked through. But that mud was full of cow shit so a rain shield for your pack was nice.
Around Ainsa there was a lot of this badlands type stuff.
Ultimately the riding wasn't quite as good as here but it was also wasn't ridden nearly as much so everything had a wilder more isolated feel which was really nice. That being said it was great to ride fun trails a new place - they were great trails to be sure. We never encountered other riders.
For 12 riders we didn't have a single mechanical until the last day. Definitely bring a brake bleed kit and fresh pads for both ends as running out of pads in the mud is a real possibility. I ran fresh dual DD maxxis with inserts and didn't have any issues. I had to replace both rotors and both ends of brake pads when I got home.
It was nice to be taken care of, just dropped at the top of the trail with basic landmark directions but then be free to charge as hard you want. Then picked up and placed in a chair for dinner and bed, not having to worry about planning anything, where to eat, where to sleep, what to ride tomorrow or how to get there. No misdirection. That was new for me and really good. I would definitely do it again. I'd probably do a little bit early, no later than mid october for that area around Ainsa though it's not unheard of to ride all winter long.
Last edited by: craw on Feb. 2, 2024, 11:37 a.m., edited 3 times in total.
