Phil, been watching you for a while and appreciating your contributions, I know I am a better rider because of your videos. But this FB post from my MA MTB Group says it all: I met Skills with Phil at the bike park today. It was really cool seeing one of my favorite content creators! As I approached him and his crew he was taking photos with a couple kids. He was visually out of breath. Probably just finished absolutely sending Hawleywood. After the photo was snagged he grabbed his water bottle but before he could take a sip he was quickly greeted by a few others and snapped photos. I got to say what’s up and take a photo myself and chat for a quick second. When I was walking away I saw him chugging from the water bottle and I immediately thought “man, he’s probably wanted to do that for the past eight minutes. This guy threw down his water bottle in 95 degree weather still catching his breath and took his time to take pictures and make conversation with his fans. His energy is unmatchable and the mountain bike community is lucky to have him. I thought to myself… “this guy probably goes through this after every run.” It is very exciting seeing people who inspire us but we have to remember they are human too. Everyone is there to have fun and ride bikes and I’m sure Phil doesn’t mind and he loves interacting with his fans, but I think we have to be more mindful that these guys work really hard to give us entertainment and teach us lessons, not only valuable on bicycles but in general life as well. We need to respect them and everyone on the mountain equally. Thanks for all your inspiration and passion! You have helped more than you probably know.
Phil, please. We all want a series of you taking on a pro race again. That would be so sweet. Like a 4 part video about training and getting prepped for another pro race. Would be sweet to see your shred at the ESC at Powder Ridge or Mountain Creek.
It's insane how fast he is through the sketch ... I recorded myself for the first time last weekend. Was pleasantly surprised how much air I get, but man do I ride slow. Feels like I'm flying but I'm probably going half Phil's speed at my fastest ... Maybe slower. And how he handles steeper, tight berms. That's by far my biggest shortcoming, especially my left turns. No clue how Phil and a lotta these guys fly through em pretty much not touching their brakes. I'm on mine at least 40-50% of the time through those sections.
I don't even ride mountain bikes, never have, probably never will, but for whatever reason I can't stop watching your videos. Something about your wholesome and humble attitude and story telling paired with your mind-boggling skill is addicting and binge-worthy. Thanks for doing it, man. Two down.
I haven't been there in about 5 years and it looks exactly as I remember it. Broken shale everywhere, feeling super sketchy even in huge berms. Still fun to ride though once you get used to the feeling.
Not me. Loose shale terrifies me. Had 2 really bad crashes in the last couple years, both on loose shale. Now it's in my head and I ride scared. I don't mind rocks or sketch, in PA so ride it all the time. Not the loose stuff though. Like Phil said "It's got grip until it doesn't. It's dangerous." Not to mention it's a nice way to crack a carbon frame. Not much I don't ride, pro lines like Banana Peel at Trestle or Ft Hill at Thunder, and loose shale are pretty much the only things I'm afraid to ride.
I bought a cheap dh bike just to use up there, the rocks are brutal. Anything I am able to ride up there, I can ride on my trail bike. Howerver that place is rough and its nice peace of mind to not thrash my nice trail bike. Dh casing tires, old tire on the downtube, double crown forks and a lot less fucks given make for a lot of fun. Im faster on my trail bike through a lot of the park but its worth it while smashing through the rocks.
16:43 HOLY SHIT LMAO. "Wait was that a foot!?" bahaha I was literally wondering early in the vid like how you handle little mishaps cause you were flying so fast on what sounded like new-ish terrain to you. And wow you handle them like a champ literally DIRT SURFING sideways... that was insane man great save! lmao
Good safety reminder on checking bolts for being loose. I rode a long trail last week and when I put my bike on the rack afterward, I noticed the rear axle bolt was sticking out half an inch. 😳
I just dug out the old Trek 3900 disc to get back into shape after a "cardiac event" ( it sucks getting old)! Found your channel and I think that I've binge watched most of your videos. Thanks for the great content and keep up the good work! P.S. The down side is now I want a new bike! lol
Neat to see you riding trails I know fairly well. Yeah... Shakedown Street is a trail I did once and have no desire to do again. The sad part is it really has the potential to be an amazing jump trail a la Blue Magic or Gronk. Cool to see Upper Empire is now open. It was still under construction the last time I was there. I think most of us have over-shot at least one of the jumps on Ewok Village.
I'm guessing it's just all the shale, but it really is a shame Blue doesn't spend the money or have the resources to make a good park. It's a lot closer for me than Creek, but I never go cause it's just not fun ... Plus I don't feel like cracking a frame on all those rocks. I'll usually just grab an Airbnb and head up to Thunder or Killington, but it'd be so nice if Blue was on that level. And I don't get why Camelback or anywhere in the Poconos doesn't build a legit park. They barely get any snow so the season would be 5 months, and you have guys from DC, Philly, NY and everywhere in between who would go if it was worth it.
@@topspot4834 Camelback did make an attempt many years ago in the late 90's. I rode there a couple times, but they didn't really have any single track and the idea of jump/flow trails were still in their infancy. But the issue is the return on investment. While mtn biking is popular, there is still a limited percentage willing to pay to ride at a bike park.
Just got back in to biking again at 43 … lucky for me blue mountain is an hour away .. once I get riding again on a regular basis I will have to hit these trails
Your vids are getting me through COVID bro. I'm in lockdown here in Victoria, Australia. Nearest DH track is outside my go-zone. Man, it's killing me. Keep being the nicest guy in MTB bro.
This is really cool because blue mountain is my home ski resort(had season passes through high school). I was always interested in the mountain biking but I stick to snow
Local to blue Mountain Bike Park. Sick place. You should really hit up Mt. Penn which is also in the area. By the way, Dave King from Dirt Sculpt LLC built the Gentle Giant Jump trail at Powder Ridge and builds lots of Trails in the area surrounding Blue Mountain.
Me: enters burly rock garden of doom, takes bad line, grabs a mitt full of front brake, sends it otb, nurses wounds for the remainder of the summer… Phil: enters burly rock garden of doom, takes bad line, LOL’s!
Glad you guys got to ride BM. I was riding on that Friday. Phil seen you checking out the new upper jump. Riding my new YT Tues. Like all of your videos !!
I was also riding at Blue that Friday and remember seeing......Halle ! She caught my eye because she had no gear on only a tank top. I thought it might have been her first time riding ! Later I realized she got down the mountain faster then I did. I saw she was with someone (Phil), they were casually chatting with some other people. I saw her at the top and bottom near the lift, not riding.
Nice vid. Loved those jump lines near the end. The correct rubber on those dry loose enduro trails would be crucial for the racers to drop good times. I’d give a Maxxis MaxxGrip Assegai a go up front.
About 45 minutes away from blue is closed down bike park that you can petal to the top of that’s 10x as sketchy. It’s call spring mount it’s a5 minute drive from me.
I use to live in Schwenskville and never rode that place. I wasnt really into mountain biking when i lived there but while riding the rails trails i stoped there while they were open, it looked like fun
I need to know the GoPro settings you used because I swear I'm using the same settings but my footage has a little grain/noise and it DRIVES ME INSANE lol
Downhill casing tires are a must there. Personally I grew up racing with minion DHFs for everything so that would be my pick but I've become quite fond of thr assagais. Ideally I'd want some kind of stickier rubber, probably maxxterra or something.
@@SkillsWithPhil I've used Continental tires successfully at Blue for the last 3 years (season Pass), with few failures. I like the Baron-Kaiser combo and Mountain kings. I'll try the Minions again too soon !
I live in PA and wanted to go here. I don’t see the point in paying to go there now. If I want to ride over jagged rocks, I can ride any of our local PA trails. Trexler is much better maintained and free!
I'm a year late on your comment.. lol..Have you gone there yet? I've been thinking of it.. I've never rode Trexler but I been thinking of that too. I'm a little south of there. I ride Evansburg, Nocamixon, Mt Penn, Spring Mt a couple times, a few more places. It's all about that lift to the top. I went skiing at Blue Mt a bunch of times when I was younger.. it's pretty big. I've never rode a lift at a bike park... Spring Mt is still a bike park but they don't run the lift anymore... I need an E-bike!!!! I need to start going to blue Mt and stop thinking about it.... downhill is the best part.. All downhill/All day🤙
I finally figured it out. Phil's cadence of speech reminds me of Blair Conklin (Skid Kids youTube/professional skim boarder). Spent a month trying to figure out who he reminds me of and why...
I grew up Dirt jumping on a BMX. Those types of dirt jumps are built in such a way that each jump sets you up with the perfect amount of speed for the next. A good rider can hit most jump lines blind. As long as they clear each jump, they know they have the right speed. If the tag a jump, that means you need to pull off. Now MTB jumps can be way scarier because of how inconsistent the jumps are. Just because you cased one jumps doesn't mean you won't overshoot the next jump by a mile. It's this inconsistency that can get you into trouble. There's also fewer setup jumps that help check your speed. I've had a lot of bad experience with bad jumps and I have some residual PTSD from those moments.
do you ever have to replace your cushcore? I've noticed that mine have stretched out significantly over time, making them almost loose on the rim. Have you ran into this before? What did you do?
You should have put that hand full of dirt back to do your part in trail Maintenace. You totally did that destruction there and could have fixed it easy.
Phil, been watching you for a while and appreciating your contributions, I know I am a better rider because of your videos. But this FB post from my MA MTB Group says it all:
I met Skills with Phil at the bike park today. It was really cool seeing one of my favorite content creators! As I approached him and his crew he was taking photos with a couple kids. He was visually out of breath. Probably just finished absolutely sending Hawleywood. After the photo was snagged he grabbed his water bottle but before he could take a sip he was quickly greeted by a few others and snapped photos. I got to say what’s up and take a photo myself and chat for a quick second. When I was walking away I saw him chugging from the water bottle and I immediately thought “man, he’s probably wanted to do that for the past eight minutes. This guy threw down his water bottle in 95 degree weather still catching his breath and took his time to take pictures and make conversation with his fans. His energy is unmatchable and the mountain bike community is lucky to have him.
I thought to myself… “this guy probably goes through this after every run.” It is very exciting seeing people who inspire us but we have to remember they are human too. Everyone is there to have fun and ride bikes and I’m sure Phil doesn’t mind and he loves interacting with his fans, but I think we have to be more mindful that these guys work really hard to give us entertainment and teach us lessons, not only valuable on bicycles but in general life as well. We need to respect them and everyone on the mountain equally.
Thanks for all your inspiration and passion! You have helped more than you probably know.
Hey Phil I was the kid on the trek hard tail was a great time riding with you. Best mtb UA-camr !
Marlin?
Phil, please. We all want a series of you taking on a pro race again. That would be so sweet. Like a 4 part video about training and getting prepped for another pro race. Would be sweet to see your shred at the ESC at Powder Ridge or Mountain Creek.
I love watching you ride Phil! It’s the closest I will ever get to enjoying trails the way they were meant to be enjoyed!
It's insane how fast he is through the sketch ... I recorded myself for the first time last weekend. Was pleasantly surprised how much air I get, but man do I ride slow. Feels like I'm flying but I'm probably going half Phil's speed at my fastest ... Maybe slower.
And how he handles steeper, tight berms. That's by far my biggest shortcoming, especially my left turns. No clue how Phil and a lotta these guys fly through em pretty much not touching their brakes. I'm on mine at least 40-50% of the time through those sections.
Regular Phil uploads? Heck yes dude, keep em coming!
I don't even ride mountain bikes, never have, probably never will, but for whatever reason I can't stop watching your videos. Something about your wholesome and humble attitude and story telling paired with your mind-boggling skill is addicting and binge-worthy. Thanks for doing it, man. Two down.
I haven't been there in about 5 years and it looks exactly as I remember it. Broken shale everywhere, feeling super sketchy even in huge berms. Still fun to ride though once you get used to the feeling.
Not me. Loose shale terrifies me. Had 2 really bad crashes in the last couple years, both on loose shale. Now it's in my head and I ride scared. I don't mind rocks or sketch, in PA so ride it all the time. Not the loose stuff though. Like Phil said "It's got grip until it doesn't. It's dangerous."
Not to mention it's a nice way to crack a carbon frame. Not much I don't ride, pro lines like Banana Peel at Trestle or Ft Hill at Thunder, and loose shale are pretty much the only things I'm afraid to ride.
@@topspot4834 I slam through all of it with no worries but only cause I rent their bikes 😂
I bought a cheap dh bike just to use up there, the rocks are brutal. Anything I am able to ride up there, I can ride on my trail bike. Howerver that place is rough and its nice peace of mind to not thrash my nice trail bike. Dh casing tires, old tire on the downtube, double crown forks and a lot less fucks given make for a lot of fun. Im faster on my trail bike through a lot of the park but its worth it while smashing through the rocks.
6:39 Phil: you might end up passing me. Phil's mind "I don't think so "🤣
Phil is looking like Ben Stiller's character in Happy Gilmore. "Well now your backs gonna hurt cuz you just pulled landscaping duty"
Would love to see Phil do some more “landscaping duty”
I dont know how long his hair has been short but he looks good with short hair
Nice to see you riding Blue Mountain Resort ! Thanks for visiting Phil !
Great job Phil! I love seeing you be accessible to the next generation and being so open to your fans!
You mean not seeing him while he's being accessible.. the blur is kind of annoying
16:43 HOLY SHIT LMAO. "Wait was that a foot!?" bahaha I was literally wondering early in the vid like how you handle little mishaps cause you were flying so fast on what sounded like new-ish terrain to you. And wow you handle them like a champ literally DIRT SURFING sideways... that was insane man great save! lmao
I definitely didn't think i was recovering from that one. Thats was one of the closest calls I've had in a while
Love you Phil. A certified swag god
Blue mountain rocks! Rocks EVERYWHERE! Lol it’s my home mountain, I like it a lot
Good safety reminder on checking bolts for being loose. I rode a long trail last week and when I put my bike on the rack afterward, I noticed the rear axle bolt was sticking out half an inch. 😳
Yeah Phil, loved meeting you at blue mountain.
After watching your vids this afternoon I'm tossing the Specialized on the stand and getting it ready. So inspirational.
Nice to see you at my local mountain i mostly ski here but the mtb is okay too. Good PA dirt is hard to find...
Phil, you are such a great role model for all groms, and all old farts like me who still love to go shred. Thank you for doing what you do!!!
4:06 "i like rubbed my tire on a rock and i was like FU-" best cut ever. had a good laugh
I just dug out the old Trek 3900 disc to get back into shape after a "cardiac event" ( it sucks getting old)! Found your channel and I think that I've binge watched most of your videos. Thanks for the great content and keep up the good work!
P.S.
The down side is now I want a new bike! lol
More sick Phil POV. Love it. Motivates me so much to go ride 🚴♂️
Neat to see you riding trails I know fairly well. Yeah... Shakedown Street is a trail I did once and have no desire to do again. The sad part is it really has the potential to be an amazing jump trail a la Blue Magic or Gronk. Cool to see Upper Empire is now open. It was still under construction the last time I was there. I think most of us have over-shot at least one of the jumps on Ewok Village.
I'm guessing it's just all the shale, but it really is a shame Blue doesn't spend the money or have the resources to make a good park. It's a lot closer for me than Creek, but I never go cause it's just not fun ... Plus I don't feel like cracking a frame on all those rocks. I'll usually just grab an Airbnb and head up to Thunder or Killington, but it'd be so nice if Blue was on that level. And I don't get why Camelback or anywhere in the Poconos doesn't build a legit park. They barely get any snow so the season would be 5 months, and you have guys from DC, Philly, NY and everywhere in between who would go if it was worth it.
@@topspot4834 Camelback did make an attempt many years ago in the late 90's. I rode there a couple times, but they didn't really have any single track and the idea of jump/flow trails were still in their infancy.
But the issue is the return on investment. While mtn biking is popular, there is still a limited percentage willing to pay to ride at a bike park.
Def a enduro style place and few cool jumps
Phil, I like your riding style!! I always enjoy watching! Thanks man!
Always a good day when Phil posts up a new vid 🔥🤙
cant tell you how many times i sing out "THATS NOT THE LIIIIIINE" on every single ride LOL
Just got back in to biking again at 43 … lucky for me blue mountain is an hour away .. once I get riding again on a regular basis I will have to hit these trails
Your vids are getting me through COVID bro. I'm in lockdown here in Victoria, Australia. Nearest DH track is outside my go-zone. Man, it's killing me. Keep being the nicest guy in MTB bro.
This is really cool because blue mountain is my home ski resort(had season passes through high school). I was always interested in the mountain biking but I stick to snow
phil is like a kid in a candy shop when hes flying down the trails
Your bike sounds amazing! Great runs!!
Local to blue Mountain Bike Park. Sick place. You should really hit up Mt. Penn which is also in the area. By the way, Dave King from Dirt Sculpt LLC built the Gentle Giant Jump trail at Powder Ridge and builds lots of Trails in the area surrounding Blue Mountain.
And he is building more trails at Blue Marsh with BAMBA. No shortage of great trails in and around Berks.
Mt. Penn is awesome
I like your riding style, so smooth. 👏
Hope you’re doing well Phil. You seem like a genuinely nice person.
Me: enters burly rock garden of doom, takes bad line, grabs a mitt full of front brake, sends it otb, nurses wounds for the remainder of the summer…
Phil: enters burly rock garden of doom, takes bad line, LOL’s!
Incredible, I can completly relate to this xD happened a week ago, not too bad of an injury but the front rim got F'ed in the A. ;(
Was thinking the same thing that line scare the shit out of me and he sent it so fast and laughs
Glad you guys got to ride BM. I was riding on that Friday. Phil seen you checking out the new upper jump. Riding my new YT Tues. Like all of your videos !!
I was also riding at Blue that Friday and remember seeing......Halle ! She caught my eye because she had no gear on only a tank top. I thought it might have been her first time riding ! Later I realized she got down the mountain faster then I did. I saw she was with someone (Phil), they were casually chatting with some other people. I saw her at the top and bottom near the lift, not riding.
Nice Phil good to see you uploading again big dog
Phil!! Love the trail preview videos, hope to one day roll down as fast as you do!
Love the videos Phil. Please bring back the massive mustache!
Welcome to PA, where even the flow trails have rocks everywhere
Trexler is nice! Very well maintained flow trails with minimal rocks
Love your regular uploads
Nice vid. Loved those jump lines near the end. The correct rubber on those dry loose enduro trails would be crucial for the racers to drop good times. I’d give a Maxxis MaxxGrip Assegai a go up front.
Ahhh yes blue mountain home to all my injuries including an torn alc lol
Phil really is skillful.
Love your videos awesome shredding 👌👌👌
Really like your videos keep up the good work
Every time I skip the drop features it’s because I’m trying to go fast just like Phil. Has nothing to do with me being scared. Lol
Been snowboarding there, pretty nice mountain for us in MD
Thanks for the bday gift phil
You need to do Snowshoe, WV again. You can do the UCI Downhill course that they'll be doing in September
No way! That’s my home towns bike park. I wish i would have been able to meet you. I hope you liked it!
That’s my home bike park and I’d rather ride there than anywhere else. Including highland and mountain creek.
Excellent video dude 🔥🤟
About 45 minutes away from blue is closed down bike park that you can petal to the top of that’s 10x as sketchy. It’s call spring mount it’s a5 minute drive from me.
I use to live in Schwenskville and never rode that place. I wasnt really into mountain biking when i lived there but while riding the rails trails i stoped there while they were open, it looked like fun
Woah I’m really early I love your videos too and I hope to ride like you
Will you be attending the fox us open race at snow summit this yr?
Hi Phil love your videos, I’m saving up for a dj mtb very soon, you are the reason I started mountain biking
DJ? DH?
@@mrsmartypants_1 dj, dirt jumper
@@PraiseToTheLordGodAlmighty Gotcha. Thx.
I need to know the GoPro settings you used because I swear I'm using the same settings but my footage has a little grain/noise and it DRIVES ME INSANE lol
Great video content as always. What Fox jerseys are you wearing. I like them both. Good look.
Dang! I think i saw the goggles! Lol
I was there that Friday you were there. I didnt see you but I did see your wife talking on the phone in the parking lot.
My local park can't wait to take my new nuckproof mega 290 there
I was there mid June and when I went to look at the one wooden drop I got stung by bees
Haha same. There is a big yellow jacket nest right under it. Not making that mistake again
What tires would you recommend for the loose conditions at Blue Mountain?
Downhill casing tires are a must there. Personally I grew up racing with minion DHFs for everything so that would be my pick but I've become quite fond of thr assagais. Ideally I'd want some kind of stickier rubber, probably maxxterra or something.
@@SkillsWithPhil I've used Continental tires successfully at Blue for the last 3 years (season Pass), with few failures. I like the Baron-Kaiser combo and Mountain kings.
I'll try the Minions again too soon !
I live in PA and wanted to go here. I don’t see the point in paying to go there now. If I want to ride over jagged rocks, I can ride any of our local PA trails. Trexler is much better maintained and free!
I'm a year late on your comment.. lol..Have you gone there yet? I've been thinking of it.. I've never rode Trexler but I been thinking of that too. I'm a little south of there. I ride Evansburg, Nocamixon, Mt Penn, Spring Mt a couple times, a few more places.
It's all about that lift to the top. I went skiing at Blue Mt a bunch of times when I was younger.. it's pretty big. I've never rode a lift at a bike park... Spring Mt is still a bike park but they don't run the lift anymore... I need an E-bike!!!!
I need to start going to blue Mt and stop thinking about it.... downhill is the best part.. All downhill/All day🤙
I finally figured it out. Phil's cadence of speech reminds me of Blair Conklin (Skid Kids youTube/professional skim boarder). Spent a month trying to figure out who he reminds me of and why...
All the jumps and stuff at blue mountain are super easy to take to flat
I swear PA is one large shale field. The stuff sent for a tumble on a dirt bike more than once.
Most bikers wonder if a jump is too large. Phil wonders if they are too small for when he flies over them.
I grew up Dirt jumping on a BMX. Those types of dirt jumps are built in such a way that each jump sets you up with the perfect amount of speed for the next. A good rider can hit most jump lines blind. As long as they clear each jump, they know they have the right speed. If the tag a jump, that means you need to pull off.
Now MTB jumps can be way scarier because of how inconsistent the jumps are. Just because you cased one jumps doesn't mean you won't overshoot the next jump by a mile. It's this inconsistency that can get you into trouble. There's also fewer setup jumps that help check your speed. I've had a lot of bad experience with bad jumps and I have some residual PTSD from those moments.
Great shreddin'...
DD with inserts there always
The (lack of) sound of that bike... ♥
Another great video!
The new bike hucks to flat so smoothly it seems.
Mint video keep up the grind
20 mins in I don't know how ur going thus fast without a flat skills
do you ever have to replace your cushcore? I've noticed that mine have stretched out significantly over time, making them almost loose on the rim. Have you ran into this before? What did you do?
Yes they wear out eventually and need to be replaced. Your best bet is to ask cushcore how often they recommend.
16:43 On the Limit 😂
Sick
I was there and you took a picture with me you were a really nice guy and I’m so glad I met ylu
5:57 was that the goggles right between Hayley and Phil's feet?
i was in stowe mountain bike academy with Dylan Conte!
My home mountain!
Nice... greating 🇮🇩
Phill do you ride with clip in pedals?
Yayy new video
Rocksylvania!
Excellent 👍
This is my local bike park!!
Blue is like 2.5 -3hrs from me. You think it’s worth it?
I think you can see the goggles the kids were looking for in the middle of the screen at 5:56
I talked to them later and it turns out they were actually looking for an orange squirt gun but maybe thought they'd get in trouble or something 😂
IF YOU EVER COME TO PORTUGAL YOU GOT TO TRY THE ANTENAS IN sETÚBAL PORTUGAL
could you please do another thundermoantain video
i remeber asking dylan to ride with you a while back at kanuga
Yay phill cut his hair
Damn I’ve always wondered about blue mountain. I’m 30 minutes from there
You should go shred mountain creek while u down there
You should have put that hand full of dirt back to do your part in trail Maintenace. You totally did that destruction there and could have fixed it easy.
I sure hope this comment is laced with deep sarcasm.
Was this vid from the first esc race in June or the second one there this week.
The weekend of August 15th