Terminology
Big Mountain Riding Terminology:
Big Mountain Riding – Riding all of the mountain. Riding up technical climbs to get to technical downhills. Covering epic amounts (25+ miles) of territory to accomplish a ride or event.
Deliverance Country – Areas and communities that make a rider wish that bike clothes weren’t as form-fitting and so visible from a distance. Often denoted by the local’s catch phrase: “You ain’t from around here, are you?”
Exposure – The great wide, vertical open. Going off the bike or off the trail bed on the exposed side of the trail is not an option usually, as gravity will carry the rider to serious pain or death far below. See many of Moab’s trails – Portal Trail upper section, Porcupine Rim’s singletrack section, sections of the Slickrock Trail, etc.
Carving a flowy turn
Flow – The desired state in mountain biking. A moment when rider, bicycle and terrain meld into one fluid expression. Requires high commitment and, like most narcotics, requires ever-increasing dosage levels to satisfy over time.
Free-form - Not constrained to any prescribed route or path. Maybe a spontaneous ride or, in open, hard-surfaced country, a new interpretation of the terrain.
Friendly – A ride with a group or even one other rider that is low-key and about the ride, not competing or even serious training.
Gonzo - Demands the rider to go all-out and to be all-in. Riders will feel these experiences, possibly for days.
Gonzo-abusive – May take not only the rider’s lunch, but their life as well if they miscalculate. Riders never will forget these experiences.
Huck - A drop or jump that makes others question the rider’s sanity. Relative by geography and experience. One can huck off of a loading dock. Another one can huck over a house.
Masochism - The disorder that drives people to seek pain and punishment.
Scary-fast – At the limits of the rider’s skill and equipment’s capabilities. A relative term depending on the rider.
Sketchy – Loose, scary terrain or features. Marked by questionable tire grip and the strong pull of gravity.
Slog – A long, wet ride or trail. Sucks the rider’s energy and morale.
