in Beginners, Newbies, Noobz, etc (Moderators: imwjl, TheMayor1)

I've been curious about any plans for the skills park here- I've ridden it quite a bit and taken some new riders there and they've appreciated the smaller features that help them practice low-risk skinnies and ramps.  I think someone at the annual meeting said there wasn't room for more features there, but I noticed that the smaller, more beginner friendly ones had maybe reached the end of their lifespan and and been removed.   Are there any plans for more features that beginner to intermediate riders can use?  That jump at the entrance is a little much, even for me.    
While things like the pulpit in CamRock itself look awesome, I wonder how folks can learn to transition from flat ground to beginner and intermediate features - is there room somewhere for some progressive features and inclusion of some less risky ones? Maybe this has already been planned and some spots picked out?  Thanks.

I've had the same thought - the CamRock bike park feels like a good idea that was just never given the resources it needs to come to fruition. The few times I've gone there it's always been overgrown and the old small skinnies definitely needed replacement so I ended up taking like 2 laps and just going back to MPG or Outback. Plus the winding trail that gets mowed through the grass is kind of a waste of space in my opinion since there's miles of good beginner singletrack under a hundred yards away. I would absolutely love to see some dirt hauled in to make a gentle slope for novice, beginner, and intermediate jump lines, more of the nice bridge features, and updated skinnies. Maybe even a pump track, but I don't think the park is big enough for that.
I get the impression the main obstacles are funding and priority. We barely seem to have enough to get the Middleton Bike Park project rolling so I seriously doubt we could put much money toward improving the camrock park this summer. That said, if it becomes a possibility I would love to help make that happen.

CR Bike Park is intended to be more of a family/beginner spot, where riders of a variety of abilities can work on skills within sight and shouting distance of each other.  We'd like it to be attractive enough that a rider going to CamRock proper would find it worth it to pop over for a lap or two, but it will always be more of a community asset than the regional draw that a true Bike Park might be.  A couple things hold it back form becoming everything we all might dream of.  Money and space are factors, and it's in a flood-basin, so we're pretty limited in what we can do in terms of bringing in or moving dirt. 

Your observations about the state of the beginner features and the need for intermediate ones are valuable, I'll make sure the right people get them.  Maintenance is a struggle everywhere, but especially at beginner focused areas; beginners don't tend to volunteer, and the folks who do tend to volunteer end up working where the are riding and seeing issues; not a good excuse, but it's reality, and, again, it's good to hear from the folks using the space to remind us to keep an eye on it.

As far as Middleton, funding isn't the biggest issue for the rate of progress.  There are alot of moving parts and entities involved, but there are pretty good signs we'll see progress quite soon; we should have some news to share shortly.

We are quite limited on what we can do there, but we have been replacing run down features gradually.  Unfortunately we are not able to haul soil in there but keep an eye out because we have been adding more woods features. We are looking at trying to throw some sort of drop zone in there this spring

This spring and summer we do plan to add to the park- and mainly in the beginner category. The temporary features were just that and had rotted away to the point of being unsafe. The entry jump was a donation we retrofit to be a little safer, but I agree it’s a bit big for the intent of the park .  Thanks again for the feedback- we love to hear what people think and what they’d like to see out there!

That's awesome to hear!  I personally got a lot of mileage out of the one long skinny that was still there at the end of the season.  It's super low risk, but a really good indicator of how one might handle an elevated skinny.
The thought of some progressive drops is awesome.  I'd definitely spend time on those as I'd like to work my way up to some of the drops on trails but need something between flat ground and a 4' drop. 
The beginner/intermediate rider I ride with keeps asking about lower risk skinnies so she can gradually progress to elevated ones, if that helps at all.
I'm excited to see what takes shape and I'm really happy to hear there are plans to keep it running. If there are some posted workdays, I can provide two people- one with really solid carpentry skills and a keen interest in riding and learning.

I'd like to work my way up to some of the drops on trails but need something between flat ground and a 4' drop.

If you haven't found it already, the skills park at Blackhawk has a couple good progressive drops to practice on. The one on the intermediate line is just barely small enough that you can roll it one wheel at a time, and the one on the advanced line is probably only a couple feet high (but you can go bigger if you send it low on the landing). The advanced one is also great practice for putting that tech onto the trail since you don't have a ton of time after the rock at the entrance or before the jump at the end. There's also a few fun drops, including a small one, on Little Sister at Quarry Ridge.

There are a couple of options for 18" to two foot drops in the CamRock Bike Park. On the feature straight in from the road, the one one that is equal three ways, you can go straight for about a two foot drop. The other is the Y feature and if you go left that is about an 18" drop. Both are drops to flat.

I wasn't aware they had a skills park, actually. I'll have to consider a membership this year. Thanks!

There are a couple of options for 18" to two foot drops in the CamRock Bike Park. On the feature straight in from the road, the one one that is equal three ways, you can go straight for about a two foot drop. The other is the Y feature and if you go left that is about an 18" drop. Both are drops to flat.

Ah good point. I'll have to take another look.  Maybe master the curb+ heights first   

Big THANK YOU to whomever added features to the skills park recently!  They're great!  I think they're just the right flavor- not too risky, but useful for total beginners and up. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make them!

No problem, hopefully we can get some more out there when wood prices come down!