You are hereForums / General Discussion / NoBMoB Chat / New Hornsby Trail - Open Yet?
New Hornsby Trail - Open Yet?
Anyone have an update on when the new trails out at Hornsby can be ridden? Last update on the Synergy Facebook page was that a couple of trees came down across the track (The Big Dippa) that had to be removed. That was back on December 12.
I know it was due to be opened early to mid December, so it must be close now??
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Tags
My understanding is 23rd. Signage is still to be installed.
A friend of mine rode there last week and said that the trails were fantastic. He didn't mention (and I forgot to ask) whether the trails were officially open or not, but he's not the type of rider to ride a trail illegally.
I think that it would be OK to ride there.
Your mate should not have been riding the trail, SNORC will make a post on their Facebook page when it is open for riding. Until then, please stay off the trail.
as per chopstir, snorc/synergy/hornsby council have not opened the trails yet. although they have INVITED riders to go WITH THEM on rides to sample the trail and give a bit of feedback on the work so far. If you have a look on Strava though you can see how many people have been in there recently... i was one but by invitation. i know it's hard to be, we have waited so long and so much work has been done by the builders, volunteers and advocates along this long journey. i jumped at the first chance i got to ride there, but a couple more days and it will all be over!
I'm happy to wait. I had an opportunity to go today before we go away fro Christmas, but I respect that it's not officially open yet so I'll wait until the new year.
I applaud BT's decision and others (I should note including myself and my partner, Sue) who have made the decision to hold back riding Hornsby A.K.A. OMV. My partner, Sue, recently spoke to a work colleague 6 weeks ago, who boasted to her, not only had he ridden OMV but did so at night!
Please all note and spread the good word that we (MTB community) agreed with council back in May 2012, we would not night ride. Night riding is not allowed currently...for the time being. I'm sure soon it will be (I'm hanging out like all of you). Please be patient.
Some local residents who objected to the MTB park, would look forward to any opportunity to expose breaches of what was very publicly agreed in the council meeting back in May 2012. Let's not give them the opportunity and show them how responsible were are as a community group. Don't give anyone an excuse to close us down or to delay or stop further development of OMV. (there is another 3km of sweet trails on plan).
May I also add, I'm sure many other Sydney councils are watching the 'Hornsby Project' very closely on the final outcomes. Sorry if I'm sounding a little preachy but it is so easy for so few to spoil it for so many after so much hard work by so few.
Hope to to meet some of you out on the OMV trail during the festive season. Look out for an old geeza on a Silver GT HT (Gertrude) - Ride hard. Ride Long.
Closed, a few(myself and foxpuppet included) had been invited to beta test recently, however its not open until you see an authority in regards to the trails posting an opening date
Keep up to date on the snorc/synergy trails facebook page
You will love the trails, By the 3rd run down it really starts to open up to you, lots of jumps berms etc
What a top bloke! BT good work!
as mentioned before by Nrthrnben, I had the chance to be part of a test ride the other day WITH the Synergy/Snorc guys. a group of riders from all over and riding different style bikes, different fitness levels etc. I rode for as long as i could (just before 8pm) and it was an absolute blast.... BUT i didnt ride there again even when i wanted to sooooo much today. i went to my normal riding area in Berowra and punished myself instead. as stated above by winco, all eyes are on this project. night riding is definitely off the agenda at this point, i know i have seen a bunch of riders logging the track on Strava as far back as early november... in group rides too and at night, it's not smart by local clubs to be doing this prior to the opening.
I will say this though, it's worth the wait! the track in it's current state is slightly different to what was originally shown on the trail maps. access of machinery etc slightly altered some lines and opened up some creative lines.... it's short (3.1km) sweet and so much fun. the plus being you can lap it as many times as you like and once the stage 2 stuff is done it will rival and surpass manly for length, line choice, technicality, climbing and fun factor. there is not really a track like this that i have seen yet in sydney... so much for everyone!
Are there signs up to say its not open and should not be ridden at night?
...if they'd been able to get signs up saying "no riding", they probably would have been able to get up the signs that they need to get up before everyone can ride it. And then they wouldn't need the "no riding" signs.... are you with me??
Totally understand your point Lach, but if there are no signs you cant really complain that its being ridden can you.
I bet if you surveyed people at trail heads you would find that most are not a member of a forum nor surf the net to find out if trails are in fact open or legal to ride so how would one know if the trail is ready to ride or not?
For those few idiots that have chosen to ride this trail while it is still closed and under construction, you are jeopardising five years sustained effort by a number of wonderful people who have got us to this point of a brilliant new MTB track in Sydney, with another 3km of single trail to come. I have not ridden it, but helped on a volunteer day and got to walk 60% of it, it looks just fantastic.
Unless you have been involved locally in letter writing to Council, read the anti bike campaign by the local paper, seen the campaign by local residents, and attended some challenging Council meetings, you will not realise how hard it has been to get to this point. Yet how easily it could all be lost by allowing the local residents an opportunity to prove that they were right - ie MTBers are noisy, loud, ignore rules, etc - and then we would all complain that they are targetting us MTBers again ? And yes, there are a number of Sydney councils watching this MTB development closely - I am confident that the Hornsby Councillors will be rewarded for taking this iniative a number of years ago, and they should be congratulated for their support.
We have waited five years to get here, I think we can all wait until the official GO via the SNORC site.
The trails all have orange construction fencing at their entrances, so cut the nonsense about not knowing if the trails are open or closed. You have chosen to walk your bike past them and ride.
Instead of getting all uppity about it mudman, why not simply state that they are blocked off by contruction fences/tape? I live nowhere near the trail hence the reason i asked if they had signage stating it was closed and or not to be ridden at night.
If there is in fact something to indicate that its a construction zone then it is pretty ignorant of people to be riding it. It does also show though that all attempts to prevent entry have failed and that those working on the trail should make more of an effort to ensure access is denied.
I totally understand where you are coming from with the lead up work that has been jeopardised, but you cant always lay blame with the mountain biker. Maybe someone forgot to put tape up at some point or something of the like. Unless you live across the street and watch the place like a hawk you never will know what has transpired
Due to there being a bit of confusion on opening dates, I messaged SNORC via their Facebook page:-
Hi guys,
There's a lot of talk on the forums about the opening date for OMV but no seems to know for sure. The general consensus is this Sunday (23rd). Would someone from your team be able to put a statement out to confirm this or let everyone know an alternative date? My self and the rest of the mountain bike community are very appreciative of what you've done and we''re looking forward to riding OMV, but dont want to ruin your hard work by riding there before its officially open.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all.
Their response this morning:-
Pete rumor is that date should be correct i spoke to Synergy guys last night and they where putting up trail markers yesterday. The trails are ready to go.
The trails have always had construction fencing across them with signage that says trail closed and under construction. It is that simple. When you finally get to ride this track you will see that there are only a few access points, and the main one off the road into the flowing downhill section has always been clearly marked as closed. Lets not make excuses for them.
We all want more MTB tracks in Sydney, and my point is that is is hard enough to get support to build them, lets not stuff it up by a few riders choosing to ignore simple commensense rules. To make it worse I understand several riders rode the track after heavy rain, causing the track builders several days in repair work !! Perhaps if track builders had not lost time having to do repair work, it would have been opened sooner for the rest of us. See my point.
The residents were beaten compreheisvely at the Council meeting about this track, but they got a six month review added into the approval process. So we all need to prove that us MTbers are the good guys and girls over the next six months.
there is orange bunting over the entrance to the trails with signs attached saying no entry construction in progress.... it's pretty clear and to the point.
Has anyone read my last post?
The official day of opening is Sunday. This has been confirmed by SNORC.
It's ok telling everyone it's closed but if you don't tell people when it's opening, no-one is any the wiser.
See you all there Sunday
Pete,
A rumour doesn't make it official. While Sunday does look like the planned date I would still wait for an official announcement from Synergy and SNORC on their Facebook walls.
It's my understanding that Synergy isn't responsible for opening the trail.
SNORC being a little cheeky in their latest response to the opening date question on FB this morning - 'looking good' they say. Still not official!
Surely a message direct from SNORC is official?
but the wording "SHOULD be correct" still is not "official"
haha there was a bunch of guys logging strava there this morning though from collaroy i believe. i think folks with no web mtb background (nobmob/rotorburn etc) would be unaware and seeing other strava users logging time there (myeslf included) may think the trails are open... drive over and find the signs saying closed, but say bugger it we are here and go for a pedal.
I'll be there in the morning though to check, if it's good to go... i'll ride!!!!
in the meantime i'm prepping a vid of the track for those who cant make it to see what it's like.
Synergy posted the following in a FB comment yesterday
Personally, as much as I want to see and ride the new trail. I'm waiting.
surely it is up to the council to say when their trails are open for public use?
ohhh man....I got 3 kids really wanting to have go .....but I think I'll leave it until next week.
Are there signs up or other indications (eg, bunting across the track) a reasonable person would interpret as saying trail's closed?
Yes = don't ride, wait a bit longer
No = not closed, go for a ride.
There are signs up saying closed but at the trail head this morning there was a guy from Synergy and a guy from SNORC who both said it was fine to ride. The only reason the closed signs are up is that the trails haven't had their 'official' opening yet.
As the bloke from SNORC said "get out there and enjoy!"
is there a link with a map of the track and how to get there for when its open?
can seem to find it on the facebook page
the vid of the track looks good though!!!
well done all those involved
Its very clearly stated on the SNORC Facebook page that its open
So its currently an out and back is it?
If its on twitter it must be true right?
SNORC just posted: @snorcmtb: Stage 1 of the Hornsby trails are now open for riding. Park on Quarry road or catch the train, please be courteous to our neighbors.
Hope to get up there later this week.
It's a full loop if single track goodness, about 3km long.
The vid i saw must have only been part of it as it didnt really seem to be a loop
It certainly doesnt appear to be a beginner level trail with some of the things built into it.
Its typical though that this shit opens when i move out of the area
It's definitely a full loop. The return leg was only half complete when I was there for a look-see, and the fire road climb bailout option is nasty - but short.
The climbs are techy, the switchback corners thereon quite tight, and it will lift the standard of riding substantially. The descent is flowy and fun with some great pump sections, berms, banked bridges. It will show up Manly Dam for the sow's ear that it is (by comparison).
Social ride organised here: http://nobmob.com/node/39633
Looks like the last section is still closed so use the firetrail for exit.
It's Defo not a beginners trail but most is ridable for the average rider who gets round the Dam without getting off.
Best fun I've had on a bike since Rotorua!
Gazza, was the closed bit that sharp left turn back up the escarpment opposite the pump section parallel to the fire trail?
That's the one!
This vid was taken on a *very* early morning, discreet "test" ride of the blue route about 6 weeks ago, which I used to provide some encouragement and feedback to the SNORC guys through Trail Care.
Yes, it's slow: familiarity first, speed later. Plus, wasn't completely confident in the suitability of the skinny tyres I had on at the time either.
Apologies for the smeary lens
http://youtu.be/EYXIihxFI2A
The section where you can hear me skidding has since been rock armoured, I believe. Looks like this was intended from the start. The elevated boards and log ride from 2:18 is the filter at the entrance to the Black side section that contains the Chute My Pants roller. Smart track design. Yes, by-the-book IMBA guidelines implementation, but kudos to Synergy for the evident creativity and knowing where to put what.
I'm hoping they win the tender for stage 2. Also hoping we are able to get them involved in some work within Warringah.
What a can of worms that question opened up! I'm back
home tomorrow so, barring any wet conditions, ill look forward
to riding OMV in the next day or so. Thanks to all involved
in getting this happening. Hopefully it's the catalyst for
more well designed and more importantly, legal trails in Sydney.
video as promised... black line bonus to come soon
http://vimeo.com/56283000
[Mod. fixed video embedding - just use the URL from browser]
Love the rear view shots
Nice edit !
that corner at 2:00 is pretty damn tight, gotta make sure your brakes are working
Good Vid Fox, music went will with the video and my speakers
what street is entry point & the trails are marked ,to ride what is complete at the moment ?
Trail head sign can be found on Quarry street. This includes a map of the trails built and under construction.
Stage 1 blue and black trails are complete and signposted.
Stage 1 green loop is not complete.
Stage 2 Blue and Black are not complete.
The 3km of track that is currently open is some of the best track I have ever ridden. Synergy have done a really good job!
http://vimeo.com/56501055
sorry forgot i had not posted this here
The official opening date has been confirmed for Saturday Feb the 2nd at midday (on the Hornsby Council Facebook page).
Fox, Admin,
not able to view the embedded videos on any browser, on pc or Mac.
Any chance they are on YT?
thanks.