Raven Enduro Vs Moonshiners Enduro

I'm not familiar with the Moonshiners Enduro at all. And it's hard to say not knowing anything about you either, haha. 

I am familiar with Raven as it's effectively in my back yard. It's actually the only race I've ever done so I can't really speak to or compare to anything else. But it's pretty cool. I love the vibe. Very wide array of riders, skills, ages, bikes, etc. It's on private land in the middle of the mountain about 20min east of State College on the Bald Eagle State Forest side of route 322. The trails are tight, technical, rooty, rocky. On the timed stages, there are some pretty annoying uphill sections and flat rock gardens that people often get off and simply push/carry the bike through. I actually love the trails, there's a top flow section that is unique for around here, and the then below that are a series of pretty steep chutes and rock gardens on the various trails. But if you're not used to it, it can feel a bit sketchy when you come into some of it. 

You effectively do the same climb every single time back to the top. All the trails start from roughly the same spot. (I don't particularly like climbing but ya gotta climb to get to the descents and all that. I'm usually in okay enough shape, my usual rides are 8-10 miles with 1600ft of climbing a couple times a week and i'll occasionally do a 12-15 mile with 2000+ft, lots of climbing gravel roads). The climb at Raven is kind of an old logging road double track situation that is usually wet and slow rolling and pretty steep. Start at the bottom, five stages, climb 5 times. I can't recall exactly but the total race is something like 26-2700ft. Again, I forget exactly, but it's something like 500ish feet each lap in a mile or less, depending which stage you're going to. It's pretty steep and I found it to be pretty brutal. You'll see a ton of people walking up the climb by the 3rd lap. 

But, I really like the vibe. I love these mountains and all these trails I call home. I think it's all super underrated. Met lots of cool people last year. The land owner was on the grill all afternoon and evening of practice day making food, telling stories, beers were being shared and traded all day, music was playing, the vibe was high. It's super laid back, people are friendly and helpful. 

Edit to add: I think it's a fun one to sign up for and hang out and see how it goes and see cool trails in a unique setting. There's no pressure to finish everything and no shame if you don't. You can do a few stages and call it and hang out and cheer people on. Experiences may vary. 🤷‍♀️