Syncrofest 7: May 4-7, 2017

[danfromsyr]

Jon, you need to update your Signature here.
add Syncrofest to your soapboxes
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[djkeev]

You all go and have fun, I was only putting in my 2 cents on how to deal with the "problems". Too many events are suffering serious problems because of their success these days.

We all have opinions, it is worth exactly as much as you were billed for it.

I too abhor crowds of people........ honestly, I'll never be at one of these events, so do as you wish.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[WestyBob]

I think this whole post SF chat has been pretty good, a little therapeutic for some, an opportunity to share ideas and perspectives for others. For those who are always screaming for lock it up, just don't read it, go to another thread, stop being a nanny and get some help.

The hosts just don't have the time nor people to deal with a lot of what's been discussed, and they want to enjoy the event too rather than chasing miscreants. Like a few others mentioned, I also love motorbikes of all sizes and ditto for dogs, but why can some people simply not grasp the rules ?

The matter between 2wd/4wd folks is old and a non-issue really. In fact as an owner of both I find by far the 2wd folks being more imaginative and antagonistic. I don't personally recall a syncroist ever mentioning to me they don't like 2wd people or their rides.

The reason why some people don't sign up early or right away is pretty obvious -- they can't for a variety of reasons ranging from simply not knowing if they can get off from work to other impeding matters.

The reason why *some* syncroists don't take their rides up into the Hollister hills is because they don't want to break anything. Some have a long way to go home, others just don't have the finances or resources to fix, some have syncros to manage highway and road weather, not off-roading, and some just enjoy the camp ambience. We get into a dark area by pointing fingers, taking notes and names.

Also, some are just intimidated and unfamiliar with the trails and degree of difficulty, not wanting to get into a mess on the trail, their off-raod skills not quite as developed as the old timers and those who live nearby who can run those trails all year around. Most syncroists including non-trail riders enjoy seeing what others have done to their rides, have a more focused interest on that plus camping with syncro friends.

Out of all the issues I've heard about for SF '17 (which I didn't attend) none of it seems to be major in the sense it can be handled through cooperation, volunteering, and I'm sure the hosts will make a few favorable tweaks for next year. To me it sounded more like 95% a great time !!!

[onslowb]

I was there and thought it was great. The organizers did a fantastic job again.
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1987 Weekender 2.4GW manual
1970 Vw Bug SP 1600

[16CVs]

Overall fun factor for 4 days for $50.00, way off the scale. My only real gripe is that I lost my $5.00 Garage sale chair. That chairs brother was lost in Mexico on a beach in Mulege so "Adios Muchacho"
I've been wanting to upgrade to a quality set of chairs and now is the time.

Oh, by the way what are the dates for SF next year I want to get my ticket early.

Stacy
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[Bills85Westy]

[TequilaSunSet]

It was def' less crowded this year than years past... way too many dogs not on a leash, and some who are way to casual about their dog taking a crap and picking up just some of it and laughing about it.

The motorcycles were a pain in the azz... I had to dodge two of them who seemed liked they were playing a game of chicken.

Overall I enjoyed it like always... in my 2WD... which when I asked about it 4 years ago I was told I was welcomed. So for those who were whining about not being able to get tickets this year, not everyone gets a trophy or is entitled to go... you had the same opportunity that I did, so I don't get the all the anger over it. I enjoy any event that involves VW's , doesn't matter which kind... it's the elitist attitude that always ruins things.

WAVE to Abel, nice meeting ya... I was with Tom and Randy, the other white meat
_________________
Don't harsh my mellow...
1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
1967 Bug- Gone
1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
1975 Brazilian Bug in the Philippines 🇵🇭- New to me

[Sodo]

Funny this discussion. Why question an organizer's rules?? The rules get added not because some guy wants to be an azzle, but because of genuine problems from the year before. And a desire to make the event better the next time. Rules are no fun at all and nobody likes adding them OR enforcing them. The simple matter that they become necessary, is what sucks.

With regard to exclusivity, I think it would be far better for those who think they can "produce and event better or more inclusive etc." to DO IT! Can there really be too many Vanagon events? Make your event "anything goes" and see how popular it gets. Lay too many demands on an event organizer, and do you know what happens? He quits organizing.

It's like IPAs (beer). It is kind of a natural product cycle. IPAs got popular and everyone wanted to say they "prefer IPA". Then lots of people who don't like IPAs want to say they do, so breweries made regular beer and just labeled it "IPA". Problem solved.

It's not elitist to have a Syncro-only event. Its just a focused enthusiast gathering. Exclusivity, and common interest is WHAT MADE THE EVENT POPULAR. Think about it.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Jon_slider]

Ive had Zero response to my offer to help organize an event for the 2wd crowd.

otoh, Ive had Two requests from people interested in a driving tour to learn the trails and operation of a syncro by people who are unfamiliar with offroading at Hollister.

I will be happy to organize a trip to Hollister to share trail and driving tips. PM me if you can't wait till next SyncroFest and want to go back to Hollister sooner. Disclaimer, I no longer have a Syncro, but I do have a 2wd Westy that can drive green trails to the obstacle courses and Quarry, where syncros can practice.

And, next time someone at SycroFest wants a driving tour or beginner intro to syncro use on dirt, stop by Stoner Hill and we can make that happen.

Syncro University used to be taught by an expert, it still might if I get enough interest to coordinate an instructor. I am forever grateful to Tom Lengyel for my Syncro University learning. Major thanks also to syncrodoka for helping me learn more about how to choose a line to drive Offroad, as well as parking brake strategies used to get up the concrete stairs at the obstacle course in a Syncro with a VC..

There is a wealth of experience at SyncroFest, I'm happy to help newcomers brainstorm, and make connections with knowledgeable people, in various aspects of Offroad driving technique, gearing, tires, etc..
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco

[BCE56]

^^ Count me in.
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=BCE56=

'86 Syncro tintop
EJ22, OBD II early SC adapter plate conversion

Side project: '69 Frankenbug "It's alive!"

[0to60in6min]

Lost and found at Syncrofest 2017

found these keys at Syncrofest near the kids playground/tie-dye pad

please pm me so I can send them to you, unless you already have duplicates

[unclebrad]

I was too late getting a reservation, and that is totally on me, but since it is only a two hour drive, I ended up talking a buddy into going for the day. We had a nice time meeting other enthusiasts and looking at all the customizations that everyone came up with. Good stuff.

If I attend next year, and if there is an off-road class, I would love to get in on that.
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'89 Syncro Tintop Weekender

[0to60in6min]

my son and me we are interested in off-road class too...count on us for next year

[newfisher]

[Jon_slider]

[canasync]

I just want to shed some light on the discussion about event rules from the perspective of someone with experience in the event space. I know two people myself that are attending Syncro Solstice this year instead of having gone to Syncrofest due to some of the same things others are complaining about.

Over the years I have organized and/or helped organize a variety of events both in Canada and Germany, my most relevant experience to Syncrofest would be my experience from running 3 Provincial Parks over the last few years, one of which is a campground. With a few years of this under my belt I have examples and stories of all kinds of occurrences.

The campground had been let go for many years and rules not enforced which resulted in it getting a reputation as a party campground. Our crew tried to keep everyone happy while enforcing the rules and making exceptions here and there but this was not effective so we started cracking down hard on everything from parking and noise violations to dog of leash violations. No more grey areas, just black and white. Over and over the offenders told us that due to all of the rules that we were now enforcing they will no longer patron the park, we will have less campers, we'll get backlash, blablabla.

This has not been the case at all, some of the previous offenders have come back and now seem to be following the rules. Better than that, word has spread about the enforcement at the park and former campers that hadn't been to the park in years have also returned praising the enforcement that has been done.

Noise violations, I belonged to a good sized off road club in Germany that has even hosted the European Off Road Championships. Our club was based out of the Rhineland area of Germany which is the countries wine capital so you can imagine the amount of alcohol we used to have on site Being that we had lots of alcohol that needed to be consumed we would have one night at each event where there would be a scheduled party that went past the 11pm quiet time. That being said, we did cut the music off by 11pm out of respect to those with little kids. Due to the scheduled driving events the following day we did set a time limit of 1am or 2am and scheduled the first driving activities a little later than normal the following day.

As for dogs, it seems to me that many dog owners forget that dogs are animals that are instinctual creatures even if domesticated. Over and over we had people telling us that their dogs are good dogs and have never bitten anyone. What so many people don't think of is that bites are not the only hazard that a dog can present. Two examples of this involve little kids, one was a little boy who was attacked by a dog at a very young age and was quite traumatized by this, when another campers dog ran up to him(in a friendly manner according to others) he got a panic attack due to his fear of dogs. Another was a little girl who had just started riding her bike without training wheels, a park goer was on the beach with their dog off leash and spotted the girl on the main trail, he ran up to her startling her and she fell off of the bicycle hitting her head on the gravel. Luckily she was wearing a helmet and other than a few scratches had no serious injuries.

With people riding motorcycles too fast without helmets and dogs off leash this kind of thing can easily result in everything from personal injury to damaged property.


I am not trying to stir up anymore stuff here, just share some knowledge from personal experiences gathered while having been involved in many events over the years. I have no doubt that if the organizers did choose to be very black and white about the rules with no noise after 11pm , no dogs, no motorbikes the event attendance would not suffer. If it were to be down one year it'll be back up the next, and with the size and strength of the Vanagon community I think that for every guy that complains about not being able to bring their dog or ride their motorbike how they please there will be another two that will appreciate the rules and take his place.
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1987 Syncro
3 knobs
PumpeDüse TDI (17mm Garret Turbo, bigger injectors, stage 4 malone tune, intercooled)
Cruise Control
Remote Start/locks
Custom Lift
Custom Bumpers with receivers
Coast Mountain Hightop - Comming Soon

1985 2wd Vanagon Pre-runner in the making
soon to be powered by 2.5L Subaru
Custom Lift

[Jon_slider]

What would NATO do?

Suggestion:

a SyncroFest Volunteer Hospitality Team
made up of Camp Hosts at each Fire Ring.

Give a Blue Beret or Scarf to each FireRing Host
http://www.rongreer.net/product/11-inch-28cm-basque-beret-in-nato_blue/
https://dakiniland.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/scarf-bombs1.jpg?w=1400&h=
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco

[kryptkat]

Syncrofest Driver's Cup Challenge 2018.


Link

[Sodo]

Those folks back east know how to dirtbike in their towns!
Perhaps it would be fair and inclusive invite them to SyncroFest.

Actually I hate the "excluding part" of any GTG and feel sorry for whoever has to do so. Also sorry those who are excluded. In the Syncro case, it's not that the Syncro owners look down n the 2WD, it's just that they are among the nuttiest Vanagon enthusiasts and may feel more comfortable in the presence of other nuts.

I like vehicle-specific enthusiast GTGs. it creates a certain vitality, which makes the event better, and think the organizer's wishes should not be challenged. Agreed that once it's "challenged" thats like a genie that won't go back in the bottle. It's all good UNTIL it's challenged then the event is doomed. Mogfest has some trouble with this. Mogfest is something like 75% Vanagon now (and is a fun Vanagon event!) but has a strange name.

Event organizing is an extremely difficult job and not very well-paid for the hundreds of hours, worry, etc..
If we want good events I think you just have to encourage an organizer's dedication by honoring their decisions.

It's like telling an artist how he has to paint (in the future).
If he paints at all he might just decline to show it to you next time.

Create your own event before forcing someone to change theirs. Nothing wrong with more events!
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[djkeev]