Tech trails are their own type of fun, but the grass is always greener for sure. The closest mountains for me are generally a 4-6 hour drive minimum, but I make the best out of it!
Yeah it's pretty easy, I'd just start with riding the lower set of boards at the more shallow angle to get a feel for it. Do that a few times and then go a bit quicker and try to get your tires a bit on the steeper boards. Don't just go as high as possible on your first go and you should be okay
It doesn't take too long, maybe 10-15 minutes max? I'm not in the best shape and I don't often climb much so it took me a bit longer and gassed me out more than it probably would for most lol. You can definitely run like 3-4 laps and have a good time for a couple/few hours