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DH5 (Non Feature DH)
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Distance: 16.1 mi / 25.9 km Traffic: Light



Video is optimized for broadband access. Wide-angle lenses used to record video straighten the curves out. For a truer sense of twistiness watch the mirror dip .

At a Glance

Few things look better than Andy Mapple acing a water ski course laid out on a mirrorlike, milky-blue, glacier-fed lake such as beautiful Lake Chelan. Unless of course it’s you carving through lots of curves on a glassily asphalted, well-engineered DH like this one. To our minds, biking and slalom water skiing share certain similarities. Done at the peak, both sports mandate the use of protective gear and the carving of exquisite turns. And failure to do either activity properly can lead to painful crashes. So be forewarned: from its start in the steep terrain of the hot, dry country near the Columbia River to its dead end in the cool, eastern foothills of the Cascades, this twisty lakeside squiggle can be as challenging as a 30-off slalom run. Especially at competition speeds. Perhaps that’s why a 35-mph (55-kmh) restriction, more appropriate to water-skiing, blankets the circuit. And why, out of a deep concern for your safety, course marshals from nearby Chelan speed tax this route on a regular basis, especially between town and the Lake Chelan SP. One final caveat: the heavy concentration of holiday homes along some of the tour means spectator pylons can pop up out of driveways as readily as, well, orange balls on the water. Ready, Andy? Okay, hit it!
 

 


 

Riders Reviews: 
"There're few people on four wheels that understand the attraction of a road that goes nowhere. But DH5, which hugs Lake Chelan and dead-ends at 25-Mile Creek (one of the last places to catch the daily Lady of the Lake up to Stehekin), is a road that calls many lucky local motorcyclists with nothing better to do with a fine morning than lean into turn after turn -- and then turn around and do it all over again. Just watch out for random tourists on foot and bicycle when you crack that throttle. Sweet!"--Sara Urdahl info@saraurdahl.com