Since my first outing, I've learned the key is to have fun and not die trying. You can still get an adrenalin rush without going 100% up the hill. The hill is far from running a maintained road course as it lacks safe run off zones. There isn't a lot of room for error up there not to mention other potential hazards like rocks and dirt kicked onto the road and potentially significant drops in road temps if the weather isn't ideal. Other things that have caught drivers off guard and into trouble include, running too fast on cold tires the first time up the hill, a loss of concentration and as Dean said a big ego. Another not so obvious factor that can nip a driver in the ass with little experience up the hill is the gradual change in camber over the course of the run. The first section of the climb has several banked turns, but as you approach the final 1/3 rd of the course the road begins to flatten out and this change can catch a driver "sleeping" at the wheel.
Many guys are plain nuts and run under 4 minutes with only a helmet. Even with all the safety measures in the world, there is still the potential of getting hurt if all goes wrong, but the likelihood of surviving and walking away from the ordeal is greatly enhanced. I prefer having a "reserve" chute!
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