Channel 6  

Notes:

Firstly I would like to apologise from the big blur in the middle of the video, the GoPro lens got badly scratched when it fell out of my hydropack and rolled around the back of a UTE as we crossed the Newnes Plateau the day before.

Channel 6 is the perfect Enduro Trail with a long winding XC descent leading into a full on technical downhill trail with some gnarly technical sections.

The Channel 6 trail technically starts at the top of the hill but to make directions easy the video starts from where the fire trail heads off from Hassans Walls Rd.  The fire trail gate is on the right hand side of a straight stretch of road not far from the Hassans Walls Lookout.  If you make it to the lookout or the road intersection just before it then you have gone too far.

Go around the gate and climb up the fire trail to the top of the hill (north westerly direction).  The fire trail has a bit of a climb.  At the top is a fork in the trail take the more well worn left fork out to the intersection where the fire trail heads left, a single track appears in the middle and a less used fire trail heads off to the right.  Take the fire trail to the right - the centre single track is the Gun Club DH and will take you to a VERY different part of Lithgow.

This is the start of Channel 6.  The fire trail heads out toward a large tower with a single track heading off to the left just before hand.  Follow the single track out to another short section of fire trail that intersects with the main fire trail running along the ridge.  On the other side of the main fire trail is the start of the Channel 6 Single Track proper.

The single track leading out to the end of the ridge is quite flowy and if you're on your game you can pick up a bit of speed however its a rough track.  Heaps of loose rocks, small steps, a few roots and ruts, fallen trees, logs and loose corners make the trail very playful as it runs adjacent to the fire trail.  While slightly descending it will require pedalling to hold momentum.

The single track crosses the fire trail, pops out and pops back in a couple of times before the DH section begins.  Make sure you drop your seat and adjust your suspension before descending as the DH sections starts with a gnarly off camber rock garden with a steep slope off to the side.  It's pretty daunting, I'm not sure I would have rode it had it not been for an even stronger desire not to be out done by The Boy, who descended it without hesitation on his 4.5" travel bike.

From the rock garden the trail descends very rapidly.  The trail is loose, rocky, rutty, sandy and contains some pretty reasonable drops with little stopping room (all drops have chicken lines as seen in the video).  

On both occasions I've descended Channel 6 my biggest issue has been brake fade.  The heavy leaf and branch litter means at any time the trail could be blocked so my descents have been slow and very hard on the brakes.  

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to ride Channel 6 in succession, in fact on the first occasion when we were set to do it again The Boy went too fast off one of the rollers at the bottom, lost the front wheel in the sand, went OTB and broke his arm.  Hello Lithgow Hospital.

I look forward to heading back to Channel 6 with my full face helmet and body armour, ridding it more than once in a day, building some confidence and getting a lot more out of the DH section.

Blog articles that mention this trail

• 17/6/2014 - 365 Days of Reign - My 2nd Year on a real mountain bike

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