Idaho’s Largest Motorcycle Event Returns This Weekend!
The 8th annual Chaos Energy, Big Nasty Hillclimb is set for this coming weekend, September 17-19, 2010, and will once again be held on the 1,000 acre Pence Ranch, in an area known locally as the White Cliffs, 4 ½ miles north of New Plymouth, Idaho, about 40 miles from Boise, take exit 13 off of I-84). It is Idaho’s largest motorcycle event, and will pull in over 13,000 spectators, and over 600 amateur and professional entries from across the Western United States, as it is the only professional motorcycle hillclimb in the entire Northwest.
The Big Nasty Weekend is a unique, eclectic event, sort of a Burning Man meets NASCAR kind of thing, but first and foremost, it is one of the premier motorcycle hillclimbs in the world, and many have referred to it as "The toughest hillclimb on earth." In 2009, almost 600 entries ran throughout the weekend, and the best riders and machines from across the U.S. will return again in 2010, from the 250-horsepower, nitro Harley’s, to the stretched-out, fuel-injected Yamaha’s, these are wild, noisy, exotic machines that you can’t see anywhere else in the Northwest.
Expect to see a few daring riders claw their way over the top, and many more stall out or flip over, as brave men with big ropes and hooks, called catchers, try to grab bikes and riders before they flip and tumble toward the bottom of the hill.
Over 600 camping passes were sold last year, and the gates open to campers at 9am on Friday morning. Amateur competition then begins at noon on Friday and runs continuously until about 11pm on Friday evening, finishing under lights. Pro qualifying starts at 9am on Saturday, with a combination of pro, semi-pro and amateur competition running all day until ending at about 11pm, when the Big Nasty fireworks show will take center stage on Saturday night. The pro finals start at 9:30 on Sunday morning and will wrap up at about 4pm.
Hillclimbing is just part of the adventure at the Big Nasty. Other entertainment includes ATV Adventure rides and mud bog competition, live music, pumpkin shooting, freestyle shows, helicopter rides, a new, motorcycle dual sport ride, a kids bouncy, air boat rides in the river, a Sunday morning service, and overnight camping in the surrounding hay fields. As always, all kinds of food and beverages will be available on site, from funnel cakes to breakfast burritos.
Ticket prices range from $12 per day (advance) to $14 per day at the gate, children ages 6-12 are $5 per day, and kids 5-under are free. Discount coupons are available at all 25 Treasure Valley Stinker Stores, and all 24 Southern Idaho Les Schwab Tire Stores and NAPA Parts Stores are selling tickets, as are Edge Performance Sports in Ontario, Cycle City of Mountain Home, and the Double Diamond and EZ-Mart in New Plymouth. For more information please contact Ron Dillon at (208) 573-4255, or visit the website at: www.bignastyhillclimb.com.
