Hmmm…seems like Phin has been busy uploading tracks, which means I got a few reviews to crank out, and in short order. Nevertheless, I won’t cut corners, however, I will forego some of the “non essential” stuff I often times find myself drifting into. Hehe—often times I find myself thinking, “people have just got to hear this!” Well, such is not the case 9 times out of 10…at least that’s what my wife keeps telling me.
Mountain High was made two years ago, and it kinda shows it…at least it does when u compare it to what he’s doing nowadays. Still, some of the classic Finne-like characteristics that was predominant in the stuff he was putting out two years ago still exist today; he’s just…well, better.
This one’s fairly straightforward. It’s got the trademark Finne pace, but at the same time, the sense of speed is almost negated entirely by the turns and hills you have to negotiate throughout. For those who crave “air time”, one thing that may get your attention is the sudden drop-off right after checkpoint (cp)1. You could almost run to the fridge for a refill of your favorite beverage in the time it takes you to fall to the shallow body of water below. Hehe-ok maybe not, but it is rather steep, and it’s not something you see often in tracks these days.
The layout is such that it doesn’t offer you much in the way of shortcuts, but there is one to cp 1 that’s risky because of the presence of the fence he’s put there to stop people like me from chopping off a significant portion of his track. The problem is he left juuuuust enough of an opening to allow the daring at heart to sneak by, register cp 1 by partially going through it, then circumvent the drop off and ensuing hill climb by making use of the flat mountain top. When it all adds up you can whack off about 20 seconds of track! Finne also has his trees set to non-collide, which “can” be good thing because it gives you that much more room to work with when making turns at high speeds and passing attempts.
The only risk you’ll take in this one is trying to perfect the short to, and thru cp 1. The track itself doesn’t offer much of a challenge to pro racers, but at the same time, I firmly believe tracks of this type are great because they afford aspiring pros an opportunity to learn without all the complexity you find in tracks such as “Valley of the Kings” or say, “Sandstone Mountain”. Both are great tracks, but definitely not for beginners.
In summation I won’t say this is a bad track, but if you’re looking for a challenge, something to get the blood flowing, my recommendation would be to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if the goal is to improve your skills on a track with a fairly basic layout, decent pace, and a few jumps, then check it out!
I gave this one a “Copey Rating” of 7.5 out of 10 possible points. Mind you, if you run this track and find yourself saying “That Cope guy is nuts; this is an awesome track”, then that’s perfectly a-ok. I’m just one guy with an opinion, and I’m fully aware that everyone has different taste. DO judge for yourself, and hopefully you’ll come back here and post your thoughts…whatever they may be. Heck, I’m curious what other people think about every track I review, and I’m sure the authors are too, so by all means, let’s hear what you have to say! : )
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