Talk:Slickrock Trail

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NOTES ON RIDING THE SLICKROCK TRAIL[edit]

Most of this section, while well-intentioned and perhaps useful to some riders, is not appropriate for Wikipedia, so I propose removing it. See WP:NOT which says Wikipedia articles should not include instructions or advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. RosinDebow 20:49, 20 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm removing the section for the reasons above, and copying here: RosinDebow 22:04, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

NOTES ON RIDING THE SLICKROCK TRAIL: Persons wishing to ride the Slickrock Trail should be aware that no water is available at the trailhead, and that a minimal fee is required to enter the Sand Flats Recreation Area.

Riders using shoes and pedals with "clipless" cleats should be good at escaping the pedals because of numerous uphills that end with an un-rideable section. Clipless shoes designed with a recessed cleat are better than standard clipless shoes on this trail. Many sections of the Slickrock Trail have been marked by metal cleats (marks look like bashring or 3rd chainring marks) because of riders attempting to push their bikes up some of the "unridable" sections. Clipless shoes with non-recessed cleats will give riders a quick and painful education on how slickrock got its name.

There is a 1.9 miles (3.1 km) (one direction) "cherry stem" or "lolly pop stick" that leads to the beginning of the loop. The loop and "cherry stem" is clearly marked by white dashed lines. Follow the line to avoid getting lost (getting lost in this area has resulted in death) and be sure to not disturb any cryptobiotic soil.

At the junction with the loop there are two directions marked "easier" and "harder." The "harder" direction has steeper but shorter uphills, and more pleasant, faster downhills. Both directions have very steep uphills and will probably require one to dismount and push their bike. Since this is a loop/out-and-back the total elevation gain/loss is the same in either direction. The author has ridden the trail in both directions and found the "harder" direction to be easier overall.

Putting amended notes back in.[edit]

Deaths on this trail and others in the area occur annually; it is important to note locations of drinking water, information pertaining difficulty, and notes about rider safety, as future riders of this trail will use this as a resource. Because this is a famous trail, it attracts novice riders from around the world who commonly are under-protected and ill-equipped. The tail has some long and potentially fatal exposures, and as someone who has ridden the trail, having incorrect equipment, such as shoes, could be life threating. I amended the notes to be encyclopedic.

As I noted above, advice does not in Wikipedia. I think that your edits were an improvement over the previous notes, and I've made some additional edits to improve readability, but removed some of the sentences that still constitute advice ("...is paramount...", "...is preferable", "...is integral"). People are more likely to die by straying from the trail and becoming lost, running out of water, or getting heat stroke, rather than being able to release from clipless pedals or getting an abrasion injury. That said, much practical advice can be had in the website and downloadable brochure about the trail from http://www.discovermoab.com/sandflats.htm . That was an inline link before but I've added that as the first external link because it has the official map that you get at the park entrance as well as tips for survival and minimal impact trail use. It would be rather foolish to only consult Wikipedia before heading out on the Slickrock trail, but I don't think that it is Wikipedia's responsibility to prevent people who do just that from getting into trouble. You mentioned that deaths occur annually - perhaps there is a statistic somewhere to cite that can be included in the article that would not only be a useful addition but also give the reader a sense of how dangerous the area can be.RosinDebow 18:50, 7 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]