[Closed] Why don't we have Black climbs?

I seem to recall during trail improvements at inners they put in some more challenging features on the climbs, although not really alternative 'black routes', and it was a while ago.

I'm all for technical bits in climbing, takes your mind off the pain!!

Kirroughtree has a couple of tricky climbs, the Judgement frinstance and there's a nice one on Talnotry Hill that comes just as you're completely shattered. And McMoab of course has some techy climbing. Innerleithen's red has some interesting bits on its climb, lots of rock steps on one bit... None of those are options mind.

Glentress throws some interest into the main singletrack climb with optional rock features, logrides and such, though none of them are all that tricky, red rather than black...

I guess that mainly people like going downwards so if you've got X to spend you spend it on the descents.

Thanks Northwind, sounds like I need a trip further north!

Agree about the bang for your buck arguement, certainly wouldn't want up hill trickiness to come at the cost of downhill fun.

Try Stainburn. Not really a trail centre more an over grown skills loop, but the return climb on the Boulder Trail is a challenge which I don't always manage to get up without dabbing.

Golspie! The climb gets progressively more interesting on the way up until it hits Lactic Ladder which is black!

The descent is OK too btw...

there's a black climb at Kielder, not done it as it misses out some nice trail.

The new climb at Lee Quarry is challenging enough for me thanks!

"Natural" technical climbs often seem to involve, loose, scrabbly surfaces and maybe a few roots. These are hard to build into purpose-built trails, especially without losing sustainability. They've made an effort at some of the 7Stanes (e.g. Innerleithen) but their approach is often to put a bunch of rock steps in, as these won't just fall down the hill after a few tyres have been over them. Kirroughtree has huge slabs of rock lying around all over the place so is able to use these to make interesting features for both climbs and descents.

As Northwind says, initial trail construction at a trail centre will be focused on the descents as they're what people enjoy the most. It seems that it's mainly at the more established trail centres that the fire road climbs get replaced with more interesting singletrack climbs. Also in my experience, the Scottish trail centres seem to put more emphasis on providing singletrack climbs than the Welsh ones.

Golspie!!! I've yet to clean the Lactic Ladder and the last time I tried I managed to go over the bars. Twice. WTF!!

Laggan black has an interesting climb as well.

That said, I did some of my SMBL course there with Jules Fincham. His solution to find a black grade climb was to ride up the red! (With all appropriate precautions taken re. descending riders, of course!).

Golspie!!! I've yet to clean the Lactic Ladder and the last time I tried I managed to go over the bars. Twice. WTF!!

Next time we'll do it on steel Pete 😉 Make it more of a challenge

Stairway to heaven is the first section of black graded single track you come across at Kirroughtree - its all up and really hard going

Yeah be nice to have super steep, super technical short cuts on climbs 🙂
I guess they wouldn't be 'black' though as not as dangerous as a black descent

Golspie climb is teh bomb. For a trudge up bomb back down it's really quite entertaing compared to others like glentress or Lagan or Ae (unless you ride cyclocross) WTF?

+1 For Golspie Lactic

Wee Vid of part of the Up at Golspie
[url= http://www.youtube.com/user/kbrembo#p/a/u/1/KAwBTcRfDqY ]Golspie Video[/url]

Kiroughtree has some great climbs

I often think there's plenty of natural stuff out there that could be graded black,blue red etc.

For example the climb onto Lonscale terrace (from Skiddaw house in the North Lakes,I have never cleaned the climb,only the terrace 😥

one day 🙄

Kielder does, devils elbow. I often do it and then ride back down if I'm just doing the red.

A lot of people (the majority in my experience) do not like climbing so builders do just enough to keep it interesting but make it easy to get to the top.

Smith's combe on the quantocks always used to be my black, plenty around rivington as well.

I'm not that good at climbing but like the pain / reward thing and find that technical singletrack climbing is far easier than fireroad where I just switch off and trudge to the top.
Black options would be good, removing all fire roadswould be better.

Next time we'll do it on steel Pete Make it more of a challenge

Singlespeeded steel I hope! Actually I reckon anything will be easier than doing it on a Nomad with Lyriks with no air in them. I'll have to get the orange summer season (or snow gate as it is now affectionately known) back brake fixed and take that up there. It was made for Golspie.

The last black section/alternative finish at Drumlanrig is mostly climbing and has some challenging turns and steepness. It's currently beoing rebuilt due to a spring having sprung just above the trail and bringing with it significant sogginess.

I'll be out with the locals tomorrow night on the club dig night fixing some of it.

In the black forest in germany the MTB routes mapped and carded by the local clubs are rated red, blue, black. Unfortunatley the rating refers to the amount of climbing involved not the fun on the way down. Which was deeply disappointing after lugging myself up 3,000 ft to then be waymarked back down again on tarmac grrrrrrr. Daft bluddy krauts.