ABQ ARROYO Guide

[Severian_Sidewalk_Surfer]

if anyone wants to skate or finds a better map pm me
stay stoked

Howdy, y'all, just a helpful reminder that there's a jazzed up version of the text from last year's Ditch Slap race packet posted on the 'fish at: Albuquerque Ditch Directory

It's edited with extra directions and local knowledge, for the benefit of any guests from out-of-state who don't already know their way around. But it's got pretty good, explicit directions to ditches (profuse thanks to Timeship Racing out of Santa Fe, NM: they wrote the original text) that may be helpful as you're using Google Earth.

(Many ditches are unskatable, as us locals know, due to being too far downstream, too slow, chronically sandy or riddled with huge cracks and potholes. Others, like the beautiful monster that runs past the UNM Law School, never quite drain completely, and are awesome to drool over but sadly, unskatable. The "Albuquerque Ditch Directory" thread might save you a bit of time by serving as a palimpset of good, known routes.)

BTW, there are two ditches called the "North Pino" and "South Pino" arroyos that I've not skated, but my friend Ian says they're awesome. I'm a tad fuzzy on directions, but I know they're in the Far Northeast Height, and last week I stumbled upon a slow, shallow section of the North Pino Arroyo, next to the parking lot of the Marriott Pyramid hotel next to I-25. Guessing the good stuff's downstream of that point. If someone who knows the route were to add it to the ABQ Ditch Directory thread, that would be very cool!

BTW, the city re-textured the ditch next to La Cueva High School a couple summers ago; it's really, really, slow and bumpy as hell now.

Hope this helps. Sorry it's so long. More power to our amateur cartographer in North Carolina; we'll all be very grateful for that map. I'm sure you'll be drinking shocking quantities of free beer, next time you're in town! May the stoke be with you!

[sk8nsurfNC]

Ha ha.
I'll be in town Nov 11-13. I'll be skating IS the afternoon of Nov 11.
I'll be riding a new Eastside board.

Hope to see y'all there!

[TM_Cruzer]

Ha ha.
I'll be in town Nov 11-13. I'll be skating IS the afternoon of Nov 11.
I'll be riding a new Eastside board.

Hope to see y'all there!

Which part?
I'm assuming the top? What time-ish?

[thokk2]

Ha ha.
I'll be in town Nov 11-13. I'll be skating IS the afternoon of Nov 11.
I'll be riding a new Eastside board.

Hope to see y'all there!

Awesome! You can give me a call, I'm Devon- 505-321-six391

[sk8nsurfNC]

Which part?
I'm assuming the top? What time-ish?

Yeah, I'll be at the top starting around 2:30 pm, Tues Nov 11. My flight gets in at 12:50 pm.
I'd like to hit that a few times, and if anyone's up to it I'd like to try 3mile ditch.
I've never skated that one.

I'll be able to sk8 Thurs on the 12th probably around 4 or 5. The days are getting shorter really fast, so not as much time to skate.

Lookin' forward to skatin with y'all again!

[sk8nsurfNC]

Wow, great Session.

Check out the attached picture.

Ponder the crisp detail, the contrast, the textures, the background, foreground, the architecture, and the contrasting colors all coming alive in the crisp, dry Southwestern desert morning. In the background are the Sandia Mountain range east of Albuquerque...

I rode this down in the shadows, and I saw the light and the color and the life and huge panorama background outside of the shadows of the ditch; I lived this and I'll never forget it as long as I live.

It can get dark down in the valley, but outside of the dark valley is beautiful color and a majestic dawning of a new day. If you're ever in the valley, remember not to get hung up by the trash and the debris, but to look out and look up!

[sk8nsurfNC]

.... and here's the promised cartography.

Sorry we didn't get together Devon.

[sk8nsurfNC]

BTW, there are two ditches called the "North Pino" and "South Pino" arroyos that I've not skated, but my friend Ian says they're awesome. I'm a tad fuzzy on directions, but I know they're in the Far Northeast Height, and last week I stumbled upon a slow, shallow section of the North Pino Arroyo, next to the parking lot of the Marriott Pyramid hotel next to I-25. Guessing the good stuff's downstream of that point. If someone who knows the route were to add it to the ABQ Ditch Directory thread, that would be very cool!

Hope this helps. Sorry it's so long. More power to our amateur cartographer in North Carolina; we'll all be very grateful for that map. I'm sure you'll be drinking shocking quantities of free beer, next time you're in town! May the stoke be with you!

So I was back in the Bourque this week, and the bad weather gave me some time to go explore. Here's my take on the Pino confusion.

In the far NE heights are three parallel arroyos:
The Northern Ditch is South Domingo Baca, aka Ventura Ditch,
The Southern Ditch is South Pino Arroyo, aka Harper Ditch,
and the middle ditch seems to be unamed. It runs through Heritage Hills Park so I suggest Heritage Hills Ditch.
Therefore the Middle Ditch is North Pino Arroyo, aka Heritage Hills Ditch.
See the attached pictures.

All three ditches are parallel and similar. I didn't get to skate any of them, but google earth calculations give them an average 2.5 to 3% grade so they should be huge fun.

If I'm wrong let me know, or if someone has named the ditch let me know, but I haven't found anything in all of the posts....
peace

[thokk2]

I don't think the ditch has been named. Man, why didn't you contact any of us while you were here? I'm always down to skate.

You coming into town for Ditch Slap?

[sk8nsurfNC]

I don't think the ditch has been named. Man, why didn't you contact any of us while you were here? I'm always down to skate.

You coming into town for Ditch Slap?

Ha Ha I came during a snowstorm and I turned it into a photography trip of the NE Heights. I then bought a new deck from Koa Nalu... I wanted to visit Mob Shop but it was closed when I was free.

I went around to some of the arroyos that I've never skated and explored and took pictures.
Turns out these three ditches were confusing, so I mapped them on the way home on the plane, and matched the photos to the maps. They look like they could be good rides.

Yeah I'm signed up for the slap. Turns out my next business trip is exactly around the time of the slap. Amazing coincidence. Ha ha.

[thokk2]

Awesome! Are you in town for any extra time before or after the slap?

[sk8nsurfNC]

Awesome! Are you in town for any extra time before or after the slap?

No. I come to ABQ every three months on business. It really did turn out that my springtime trip was exactly the time of the ditch slap. So, I've just extended my stay to include the slap. Looks like a number of locals will be there. Looking forward to skating with you.

I hope to have a pdf on CD that is a map of all the arroyos that I know of, and then to skate all the more popular ones during the ditchslap, and have photos, google maps, slope, map and some details from the locals for each of the ditches. Work in progress.

Next visit after that will be late July - early August.

[thokk2]

Cool man. I can't wait for ditch slap, this year will be my first. I didn't go last year because I didn't know about it. I've only been skating for a year and a half.

But be sure to be there for the Harper race... the prize board will be the same as the one I'll be skating. And they will be the only two in existence, because my girlfriend and I will have only made two by then.

[sk8nsurfNC]

Cool man. I can't wait for ditch slap, this year will be my first. I didn't go last year because I didn't know about it. I've only been skating for a year and a half.

But be sure to be there for the Harper race... the prize board will be the same as the one I'll be skating. And they will be the only two in existence, because my girlfriend and I will have only made two by then.

I'm looking forward to it as well. My first time as well.

I'll definitely want to be in the Harper race. How cool that your girlfriend is helping you out!

I have a few more ditches that I have some questions about. I'll try to post some more questions for you to help me out with in the next few weeks as I find time to put them together.

So do you want to call it the Heritage Hills Ditch??

[thokk2]

Sounds like a good name.
And actually I'm helping her. She's the one who started the business, I just help. She does most of the work.
http://www.silverfishlongboarding.co...ongboards.html
Ghoti Longboards

[mancade]

So I was back in the Bourque this week, and the bad weather gave me some time to go explore. Here's my take on the Pino confusion.

In the far NE heights are three parallel arroyos:
The Northern Ditch is South Domingo Baca, aka Ventura Ditch,
The Southern Ditch is South Pino Arroyo, aka Harper Ditch,
and the middle ditch seems to be unamed. It runs through Heritage Hills Park so I suggest Heritage Hills Ditch.
Therefore the Middle Ditch is North Pino Arroyo, aka Heritage Hills Ditch.
See the attached pictures.

All three ditches are parallel and similar. I didn't get to skate any of them, but google earth calculations give them an average 2.5 to 3% grade so they should be huge fun.

If I'm wrong let me know, or if someone has named the ditch let me know, but I haven't found anything in all of the posts....
peace

if i'm reading you right, we call those, (from southernmost to northern) academy ditch, starts out there. 3 out of 5 stars.
The next one up is Cherry hills Ditch cuz it goes thorugh the park of the same name, where it's a 18 inch mini ramp for a half mile or so 4 out of 5. on of my favorites
and Barstow ditch, cuz it goes thorugh that park. 3 out of 5 due to the large amount of crap that collects in the bottom. go by barstow park next time it really rains and youll see why that's a crazy ditch.

Going even further north is a ditch that starts around barstow heading west. It's past alameda (i believe) and goes to the freeway. This ditch is a wet dream. Parts of the walls are easily thirty feet tall and the tranny is very similar to the indian school transition. However be warned cuz this ditch goes under wyoming by means of a hundred yard, slow right hand turn [I]tunnel[I]. Going in with sunglasses on is to invite disaster. THe first time we did it was at sunset, and i ended up having to put my hand out on the wall and skating at 20-25 in pitch dark, for about 50 yards thorough a turn. IT IS A RUSH!!! then the ditch dumps you out into some area where the walls have been corrogated. To go down here would literally be like landing on a cheese grater. NO EXXAGERATION! I like to just tuck down and bomb the rest of it, or take it REAL nice and easy. We call this one la cueva ditch, and i believe that is the official name as well. I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccommend this run. and if your up to it, do the tunnel 4.8 out of 5. Best of luck! when i get a chance ill post my google earth maps up here too. We have extensively mapped the entire east side of albuquerque, and ridden every ditch we can find. This summer we hope to start on the West side, where i hear the ditchs are pretty sweet.

TEAM SAFE SKATE!