GO FASTER on ARROW at Skypark Bike Park [ TH04 ]

MTB ALAN Merch: teespring.com/stores/mtb-alan...
Subscribe - kzbin.info?...
This is a feature-by-feature guide to my favorite trail at Skypark at Santa's Village: Arrow. It has the most features per foot at Skypark and never disappoints. This trail will teach you all the foundational MTB skills.
My gear
kit.co/MTBALAN
TASCO Discount
tasco-mtb-referral-program.kc...
Where I get my music.
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
The Path Bike Shop Ambassador
www.thepathbikeshop.com/
Strava
/ strava
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:47 About Skypark's Arrow
01:37 Arrow is a puzzle.
01:51 Let's get to the trail
10:20 Full pull on Arrow
12:52 Thanks crew!
#mtb #skyparkbikepark #trailguide

[@mtb_alan]

If you're a ripper who knows this trail better than me, I would dig hearing any pointers!

[@DANNOSADVENTURES]

We need to get you over the M.... 2 pedals out of the corner and a lil pump off the top will get you there

[@mtb_alan]

@@DANNOSADVENTURES 👍🏾

[@rykerthestryker777]

Dude this video helped me a lot I got like top 50 today just some people slowed me down merging on to lower

[@mtb_alan]

Heck yeah!

[@MTBMOR]

Keep up the great work. It's a blast learning about Skypark.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! Will do.

[@bubbalover71]

Arrow is awesome, thanks video! I started riding last year and rolled EVERYTHING on Arrow, which is the beauty of it. Probably the best trail to progress on that I've ever ridden. Thanks for giving me all sorts of new ideas!

[@mtb_alan]

100% agree. Getting smooth and fast on Arrow requires pretty much all the MTB skills. Such a great trail!

[@jonathanangieri153]

I thinking i really dig this trail/technique breakdown type of video...! As long as you know what your talking about then i can definitely get used to these! Good job Alan!!

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Jonathan! I hear you. I do only make Trailhead episodes with trails on which I feel really confident. 👍🏾

[@THESEGMENTPR]

That was a great video. Looked like a PR run for sure. That was fast brother!!! 💪🏼💪🏼👍🏼

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks man! It was a pretty quick run but a few seconds under my fastest. 🤘🏾

[@factorymx9552]

I go there all the time and that is the trail I warm up on

[@mtb_alan]

Nice.

[@AurnobTrumpet]

Arrow was my favorite trial up there. It's fun, packed to the brim with features, and you can ride on literally anything. I'll be sure the keep these in mind when I'm up there next time!!

[@mtb_alan]

Totes agree. Hope some of the tips help. 👊🏾

[@workhorsemtb7075]

Nice work. That place looks rad!

[@mtb_alan]

It's a blast! If you're ever in the area, definitely worth a visit.

[@AdamMock]

Good stuff man. Definitely some great insights on how I can attack this trail better. Appreciate the reminder to stay over the top tube on some of those turns! ✌🏼🤟🏼

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Adam! Let me know if any of the tips help at all. 🤘🏾

[@Jasontoomire]

Hey Allen congratulations on 10k I’ve been watching science 500 keep up the good work!👍

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Nichelle! Thanks for being such a long-term supporter! 👊🏽🙏🏾

[@evolusd]

Got a reservation for sat next weekend, this is great prep. Thx!

[@mtb_alan]

Yew! Let me know if it helps!

[@MrGrimreach]

Keep up the great content. I'm still progressing as well and this is perfect. Been trying to get faster on Arrow and then this video comes out(Perfect timing). Thanks again.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Rob! I hope it helps. 👊🏾

[@Bobby_Chingas]

Alan thanks for the video, this is helpful since I’ve never been to skypark its a nice insiders view

[@mtb_alan]

My pleasure! It’s worth a visit. 👍🏾

[@davidfinney2612]

We're in Big Bear for the month, and hit up Skypark last week. It was awesome! Thanks for the great videos. Love your laid back attitude. We've used the Snow Summit videos to find their trails during the week, since they're closed and took the signage down. Keep it up!

[@mtb_alan]

Glad you dig the vids. Be careful about riding Snow Summit trails illegally. You can get banned for a season or for life. It also violates their lease with the Forestry and can be a real headache for the bike park.

[@davidfinney2612]

@@mtb_alan Oh really? I was told by a shop in town that it was ok. Good to know!

[@OutOfThisVan]

Trail looks like it’s got some great flow. Love the wood features.

[@mtb_alan]

It's a tricky one. It took me a lot of laps to get it to flow top to bottom. But hella fun once you get your head around it.

[@derekmann4317]

Great job detailing how to go at this trail. I was there today and struggle a bit to pick my lines and maintain momentum.

[@mtb_alan]

My pleasure. It's a complex trail, and yeah...linking so many features together smoothly is a bit of a puzzle. It did take me a lot of laps to start finding a top-to-bottom flow.

[@jeremysweeten2792]

Intro is BACK!!!! LOVE

[@mtb_alan]

It makes an appearance from time to time.

[@caleschimmel1632]

Hello, I am visiting Sky Park this weekend, Thanks for the vid!!!

[@mtb_alan]

My pleasure! Hope you have fun!

[@caleschimmel1632]

@@mtb_alan Thank you so much! Maybe we will run into each other if you go?!

[@mikegonzales5407]

Heading down to shred Sky park this weekend, hope to see you there!

[@mtb_alan]

🤘🏾

[@marcosmadrazo2440]

Awesome track!

[@mtb_alan]

🤘🏾

[@trenttomlinson6176]

Rad Video Alan🤘

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks!

[@mtbboy1993]

Great guide. 👌

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks!

[@jedidiahwest4619]

I need to hit up skypark again! Lower arrow didn’t have as much wood the last time I road it. Thanks for the breakdown

[@mtb_alan]

No worries. Yeah, there’s a bunch more planks on the lower half now.

[@speed2live]

Hey Alan, another keeper! I'm back at Skypark 11/01, and I'll be shooting the Arrow. (and Playground, Sleigh Ride, and Neverland Jumpline, balls permitting)😄

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! Sweet!

[@cullenbergmann7619]

Love it 🤙🏾🤟

[@mtb_alan]

🤘🏾

[@tgnilsson1]

Perfect for learning little jumping in good pace. Everything rollabel, until you want to begin jump some sections :-) Wish i lived a little closer to those places :-) Rock om Alan :-)

[@mtb_alan]

Yew! 🤘🏾 It's such a good trail for learning skills.

[@MTBRadDad]

Good Stuff Alan! Arrow is my favorite trail up there.

[@mtb_alan]

Same! How do you feel about the re-entry into Lower Arrow now being further up Upline?

[@MTBRadDad]

@@mtb_alan When did that change? Last time I was at skypark was late august.

[@mtb_alan]

Hmmm....I guess it's been a while since they changed it. I have to remember that I was out with an injury for half a year.

[@hunterschultz8606]

Great vid! I was wondering when you went to skypark because I was up this sunday and I swear I saw u do neverland jumpline!

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! Must’ve been my evil twin.

[@hunterschultz8606]

@@mtb_alan LOL when do you usually ride?

[@randynava5653]

Hey Alan love your videos. Do you when Skypark will be open until? Thanks bud.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Randy! Skypark stays open all year. They only close or partially close due to unfavorable weather. So an annual pass actually gives you year round access.

[@hopooba]

Great advice.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks!

[@Yhigma]

Cool. I like the way you draw on the screen. It's really clear what you're talking about. I reckon it would be a much larger undertaking, but it would be cool if when you pause and draw, you could also show some other angles of the same feature. This would be especially useful for double blacky chutes or rolls that are hard to really identify looking through the GoPro.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@ConnerSatterthwaite]

Yew! Rad video. I'm puzzled where to look on wallrides, do you have any advice?

[@mtb_alan]

Good question. Where you look is gonna be pretty similar to where you look in a berm, i.e. you'd look through to the exit as much as you comfortably can. Just like in a berm, it'll depend on how long, sharp, or tight the turn is. The main mistake riders make is trying to go up then down a wall instead of coming across it. I talk about that at 2:31 in this video. I also cover it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWake52XoNdogpI Hope that helps!

[@ConnerSatterthwaite]

@@mtb_alan Yep that helps a lot! thank you very much.

[@coachrz7919]

Cool breakdown. Very helpful. I found your Snow Summit vids very helpful as a mental pre-ride before I was able to get there. I noticed your breathing changes toward the bottom of the trail. Have you ever received any tips you can share in that area of riding? PS - congrats on 10k

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! Glad the vids have been helpful. Ha! That's funny you noticed the breathing. Before I broke my wrist and when I was better conditioned, I always trained to only breath through my nose. There are tons of resources out there on this, but basically, avoiding mouth breathing especially when participating in athletic pursuits, while initially being very uncomfortable, has long term performance and health benefits. ;)

[@mtb_alan]

And thanks for the congrats!

[@coachrz7919]

@@mtb_alan thanks for the response. I’m always curious about how upgrading “myself” may have more impact than upgrading my bike/equipment. I know I am far from out-riding my bike (Capra Shred). Thanks again!

[@mtb_alan]

@@coachrz7919 I like that. "upgrade myself" rather than "upgrading my bike". 👊🏾

[@WildMeff]

Great video wish you talked about the tire jump more the one time I rode this trail that thing came up quick and scared me and I skipped it. Doesn’t look like anything on GoPro

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! Yeah...the ol' GoPro effect. TBH, the first time I came across the tire, I just rolled over it. It's really hard to describe how to hit that jump. But if you start by rolling it, you'll get a feel for it and go from there. I would say it's also hard to have enough speed to hit it unless you smoothly hit the wall ride beforehand. Hope that helps!

[@lukewilson9828]

Sick ride man🤘🏼 u going up there anytime soon since snow summits closed?

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! I've been up there sometimes on the weekends.

[@jrnekro2605]

i live in the area, i got my first nice bike! im going to get a 6 month ppass there and have a good time

[@mtb_alan]

Yew!

[@AppleJack76]

Paralysis by ALANysis. It likes the heavy breathing.

[@mtb_alan]

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

[@VegasMike1904]

I'm definitely not currently a ripper, it's been two decades since a hit a proper jump, but... It's a little hard to tell with the pov footage, but it appears that you're looking down at the second hump when you land. It's hard to tell if you're intentionally looking where you're going to land or maybe instead of getting a good pop off the jump you're sucking the bike's energy up. That is causing your back to arch which in turn forces your head down. Again it's difficult to judge in pov, but when I case a jump it's usually one of those two things happening. Now I just need to convince my confidence that I'm not too old to hit jumps again.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for the suggestion. Im definitely spotting the landing early. It’s pretty narrow and that scares me. 😆

[@steveo0621]

Love the video Alan!!! Just a heads up there is a hiccup on the voice on the video on 9:26, but still can make out what you are saying. Love your rides hope I can do some of the things you do some day!! 🤙

[@mtb_alan]

Ha...sorry about that. It was me trying to edit out where I misspoke. I wanted to say that at a faster speed, it's more dangerous to not jump it than to jump it. But I accidentally said the opposite. Thanks for letting me know that was hard to understand. 👊🏾 And totally gimme a shout if you see me on the trail!

[@steveo0621]

Totally will and I wanted to thank you for all the good info. I watch you videos before trying a new trail. I could imagine having to edit all of these videos. ✌️

[@nolan4781]

Is Skypark open in December? If so do you know which trails are usually closed then?

[@mtb_alan]

Skypark is at Santa's Village...so they'll def be open in December. :) The park, including the trails, are open year round. They do sometimes close some or all of the trails based on weather conditions.

[@sdtrailrider8070]

Hey Alan. With the tire jump, do you treat it like any other jump?

[@mtb_alan]

Good question. I don’t. Because each tire gets bumped as you go over, you gotta compensate. I can’t easily explain here, but in general I pull up more. I also sometimes nose bonk it and my rear wheel never hits. Hope that helps!

[@jordanrabara8848]

How are you liking that mobius brace?

[@mtb_alan]

I wish I'd gotten it sooner. It has given me a lot more confidence, my wrist never feels beat up after a ride like it used to with like a neoprene "brace". My favorite thing is that with the boa system, the brace allows for free movement while the wrist is straight and the tension/support ramps up the further I bend...similar to how normal tendons and ligaments work. And it has a limiter screw that allows you to adjust where the brace will totally stop the wrist from bending any further back.

[@EricHollanderAcu]

I have always found it tough to maintain speed for that sharp wall-ride turn. Any other things to be aware of on that first tire jump?

[@mtb_alan]

That wallride can really punch you back unless you hit it early and ride it like a big berm. Regarding that tire jump, the tire definitely bumps you, so you can't hit it like a normal jump. But if you've ever hit a hard kicker, it's similar to that...except that the kicker part happens when you get to the tire. LOL!

[@EricHollanderAcu]

@@mtb_alan Thanks! Consider doing a break down of Neverland Jump line too.

[@collinrose4084]

Lol rode this for the first time yesterday and ate it on that second steep wallride. It's a tough one

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! Hope you're all right. Hope my tips helps you out.

[@collinrose4084]

MTB ALAN They did for sure! Just got to go faster I guess. Great video

[@SUPERFUDSTER]

Hey Alan, I'm new to the Mountain Biking Deal, I want to go there, I live in palm springs so its not to far, I'm a little nervous about it and dont want to make a fool of myself, HAHA! What day of the week do you think is the least busy? I'm also in guessing first thing in the morning is the best also.

[@mtb_alan]

Hey there! Skypark is great for beginners. Weekdays are going to see fewer people for sure. Mornings are actually more “crowded”. We are talking about mountain bikers here. 😆 But “crowded” is relative as reservations are limited due to COVID compliance. That being said, if you wanna visit a bike park, part of that experience is learning how to share the trails, learning how to gauge when to drop in, and how to let faster riders pass. It may sound scary, but most of us are cool and encouraging. Anybody who would make you feel unwelcome is not worth you worrying about. Come up! Have fun! Just remember that you may need to make reservations days ahead of time. 🤘🏾

[@SUPERFUDSTER]

@@mtb_alan Thanks For Taking the time to respond to me, you're a stand up guy..

[@mtb_alan]

👊🏾

[@twothemax8759]

I still haven’t been to Skypark, but I want to go so bad. When I go what are the best trails to ride?

[@rayfound]

Arrow, Neverland, Sleighride. Comet if you like tech/skinny/rugged.

[@mtb_alan]

The park is small enough for you to try all the trails and decide which ones you like best! 👊🏾

[@rayfound]

@@mtb_alan this is correct.

[@NoBrakes23]

All of them, but Sleigh Ride and Arrow are some of the most flexible for skill level. Sleigh Ride is a nice fast blast halfway down the hill that allows you to warm up. Mind the brakes your first time through. Both Sleigh Ride and Arrow let you approach them with caution and roll/bypass features, but if you want to, you can get quite sendy. I've ridden SR and Arrow on a hardtail, (I actually like SR better on a HT.) They used to have a "Green" rated trail that they called Evergreen, but it had black extra credit features. I found this trail more sketchy than Sleigh Ride or Arrow, and they now call the trail Knotty or Nice, which hints at the possibility of it going either way. Comet is a rougher trail, (SR and Arrow are REALLY buff trails for SoCal) but like Arrow, Comet has some options. I can't speak to the Neverland jumpline, but there are tons of video runs of folks riding it. Every time I have been to SkyPark, there has been a park employee at the top to point you to the tools or give you trail advice. You can't go wrong there. The only bad crashes I have seen are on eBike demo days when guys over ride those 50 lb monsters.

[@mtbnasty251]

Is there a way to hit trails up there now that there closed?

[@mtb_alan]

🤔 They’re not closed.

[@mtbnasty251]

@@mtb_alan oh? Website must be deceiving me haha. Says tickets not available

[@twothemax8759]

MTB Alan What Santa Cruz do you ride and how do you like it?

[@mtb_alan]

I ride the version 3 Bronson. I ride trail and park, and I love the Bronson. It's a total brawler on the downhills and with a bit of tuning, flies on the jumps. It climbs all right. I love it!

[@sullyzinn1900]

No disrespect but do you ever hit the session jump.

[@mtb_alan]

I session it a bit most times I'm up at Skypark. It's no Muscle Beach, but it's fun to hit a couple times.

[@AverageChad]

Tip for the M feature. Send it harder.

[@mtb_alan]

Ah! That’s what I forgot to do. 😆

[@TrailDogsMTB]

Hard to tell from this angle why you’re casing the “M bridge”. It almost looks like you’re squashing the jump instead of compressing and standing. Might be a subconscious thing since the bridge is skinny and you don’t want to miss it 🤙🏻

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for the pointer! That's def what I had been doing previously. In this vid, I was starting to stand up some and pull, but I think I may have figured out my deal. Because the ramp is straight, I have been just rolling up the ramp and not compressing until the last bit. Next time, I'm gonna treat the ramp like a lip and start compressing on the way up. 🤔

[@TrailDogsMTB]

@@mtb_alan Sick! You’ll be cleaning it in no time 🤘🏻

[@mtb_alan]

🤘🏾

[@blakes6192]

Pedal up to pedal down ..

[@mtb_alan]

Pedal down? 🤔

[@teddyportney255]

Hi

[@mtb_alan]

👋🏾

[@matthewgoulamanian5968]

mostly………….. making good choices but not quite

[@mtb_alan]

😆

[@dariang3363]

this video makes me feel as if you are running out f ideas for videos

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for sharing your feelings.