Since riding it around the trails by my house, I can say that it'll do fine on that hill. I'm taking it on the 22nd for that ride and we may end up in Phelan so I'll know for sure then. I like it alot so far, not near the top end hit like the RM but it has nice low end torque and mid range power. It feels lighter than the RM and it turns on a dime. I then throttle out of the turn and it works great, usually in 2nd gear. I can see if you were racing up the sand hill, you'd be at a disadvantage but for the most part, it'll hang just fine throught the rest of the tight single tracks. There's a good write up in the Dirtrider issue I just reveived, it does a 24 hour test on it at Gorman. I'll post a ride report after that ride on the 22nd and let you know.
Elk