I mentioned in my last newsletter how I finally got a chance to get the tires of my new Yeti ASR-7 dirty. We got the call from our sources over in Moab saying that things had thawed out enough to open up a few trails, including Amasa Back. Amasa Back is one of my favorite trails in Moab and is a very challenging trail full of rocky obstacles.

I even hit the step up jump on the way up – after two months of no riding and being on a new bike I thought I’d probably skip it. However, one of the guys I was riding with decided to step it up and hit it so I went for it too. Here are some pics and a video I took of the trip.

My new Yeti rode awesome. I was super impressed with its ability to climb and found myself looking for the trickiest ledges and routes to test it out. However, the 7 inches really stood out on the way down. The fact that I could hit a jump I haven’t hit in over a year after two months off any bike should tell you how stable and natural it feels to ride it.

I’ve got to get the rear shock dialed in a bit better – while it felt great plowing through rock gardens I like it to be a bit snappier so I can more easily bunny hop and stuff it into corners. I’ll be posting more videos and pics as I get out more but over all the first ride was very promising and while I’ll miss my old Turner I’m sure I’ll get over it quickly.

-James Wilson-