Author:

Frank

Thoughts On Early Season

Posted by Frank – November 17, 2011

I hate early season. There, I said it. Sure, I’m sometimes accused of being a hater in general, but hear me out.

Take today, which consisted of an aborted attempt to go skiing. As is often the case during early season, we were making our way up a sketchy snow covered road trying to get close enough to the deeper snowpack area to make it worthwhile. My “past their prime” tires failed me and next thing I know, we’ve got a junkshow of the first order trying to turn around the truck and the trailer on a hill. I didn’t even get any GNAR points by getting stuck over a cliff or sliding uncontrollably backwards, two things which I’ve done in the past. At least my back hurts from muscling trailers around.

Another fun game to play during early season is “thrash your snowmobile”. Nothing like breaking an A arm hitting a rock under a few inches of snow. Or driving on prolonged stretches of dirt until your sled overheats, as a friend of mine recently did. Good times.

Then there’s the early season hazards. Another friend of mine had an entirely too close for comfort run-in with a buried log down at Wolf Creek a couple of weeks ago. Twenty-something stitches later and a brand new pair of Flylow pants cut off by the medics, and he’s still waiting for his next chance to ski.

Finally, let’s talk about avalanches. Take a little bit of snow in October, let it rot out, then add some storms in November and you’ve got some of the worst conditions you’re likely to see all year long. And for the most part, the places you can actually ski are the ones with the biggest consequences. Known trigger points like rocks and shrubs are barely covered up, meaning a skier can trigger them quite easily- much more so than later in the year when they’re under a few feet of snow. If you do get caught by a slide, you’re going to get dragged through rocks and stumps since there simply isn’t much snow covering up those hazards.

Yep, I’d like to be on a beach every year in November. And I hate beaches. ‘Cause I’m a hater…

Paonia Riding 10.29.11

Posted by Frank – November 7, 2011

On Halloween weekend, Brittany and I headed over Kebler Pass to check out the riding around Paonia, CO. We’d been hearing good things and with snow on the Crested Butte trails, we had to get out of town to get our last bit of riding in before winter truly sets in and we get to ski. We made it to the trailhead in under an hour and a half, so for Crested Butte riders looking to mix it up during Hartman’s Rocks’ season, it isn’t that much farther.

First, some background on the riding in Paonia. A dozen years ago, while returning from a trip to Fruita via Kebler Pass, I looked around the Paonia area and wondered “Why isn’t there any riding here?”. Then I proposed a business idea- why not charge a local chamber of commerce/ town to build new trails/ clear out abandoned ones/ and get the word out via internet and print to transform these towns into the next MTB Mecca. Fruita is a great example of a town that mountain biking has greatly helped, as anyone visiting over the last 15-20 years can certainly attest. I never really looked into it, but maybe someone should. Meanwhile, the handful of riders in Paonia 10 years ago are probably lamenting the loss of their well-kept secret riding area. But that’s a different story.

We met our friends Jason Trimm and Alison Gannett, who recently made the move from Crested Butte to Paonia (a move that a number of Buttians have made in the last few years). After riding from their farm to the trailhead at the end of Pan American Ave, we got on our first singletrack of the day, a roller coaster of a ride aptly named Elitch’s, followed by a nice climb up Slant’n'dickular.
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Gear Review: Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek IV MTB Shoes

Posted by Frank – October 26, 2011

Posting a bike shoe review right after one of the first big snow storms of the year may seem a bit odd, but on the other hand it’s hard to do a review until you’ve thoroughly tested out a product. So, to that end we bring you a review of the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek shoes, which both Brittany and I purchased last fall around the same time of year. Many of our favorite rides require at least some amount of hike-a-bike, and while many folks would just as soon poke their eyes out with a rusty spoon as hike with their bike, we realize that sometimes it’s worth it.

The problem, of course, with hike-a-bike is that it’s rather unpleasant with stiff bike shoes that often have slick plastic treads. My Lake shoes at least have a Vibram sole, but they are still stiff as can be, so hiking in them tends to be best suited for a ballerina, which I am not. The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek shoes, however, have quite a bit of flexibility in front of the cleat, as well as a nice grippy rubber sole. They seemed like the perfect answer to rides when we knew we would be hiking, but how did they perform…

The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek shoes:
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The answer is that they performed every bit as well as could be expected. While hiking, they were just as comfortable as any other hiking shoe I have, despite the cleat on the sole. You can walk on a tile floor with these shoes without the clickity-clack of most bike shoes. Their hiking abilities didn’t surprise us. What did surprise us was how well they rode. Despite just being lace-ups, and obviously much less stiff than most bike shoes, they actually transfer power admirably well. they aren’t the shoe of choice for a NORBA race, perhaps, but for every day riding few will notice their shortcomings.

Durability? As you can see in the photos above, taken after at least 200 miles, the shoes are holding up nicely. Most MTB shoes fail in the toe area, but these haven’t shown any wear and tear there.

Our only complaint- the mesh uppers, while being very breathable, also soak through very easily- much more so compared to shoes with leather uppers.

In short, 14erskiers gives these shoes 2 thumbs up- way up!

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Perfect Conditions: Doctor’s Park 10.16.11

Posted by Frank – October 24, 2011

First things first: I’ve been working a ton. That’s why this is the first entry in quite some time. Thankfully I was able to get out for one day last weekend, and even more thankfully conditions were exceptional. While the early season snows largely melted away, Doctor’s Park was left in a state of tacky perfection with rustling leaves covering the trail. Perfection.

‘Tis a beautiful sight to see:
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Brittany killing it:
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Our regular camera died pretty quickly, so most of those shots were with the GoPro, which I actually think takes pretty good photos of the fisheye variety. I shot video on the descent, and it was pretty hard to edit out much of it. Doctor’s Park is so good from top to bottom, so which part of the descent would you eliminate- the top fast section?, the techy middle?, the Ewok descent through the forest?, or the tech finish? So I left it all in- perhaps too long, but a good reference for the bike guide for those who have yet to ride it. Enjoy:

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Another Colorado Trail TR: Copper Mountain to Kokomo Pass 9.25.11

Posted by Frank – October 3, 2011

Brittany and I once again found ourselves on the front range, this time for the premiere of AE films’ movie, “Facets of Winter“. We wanted to get in another quality alpine ride before the snow falls somewhere on the way back, and we chose yet another stretch of the CT in Summit County, this time taking off from Copper Mountain. This stretch is sometimes done as a shuttle between Copper and Camp Hale of 10th Mountain Division fame, but we got the impression that the ride was better as an out and back anyway, not to mention we would be able to avoid a lengthy shuttle. My buddy Mark Walter drove up from Denver to ride with us as well.

We started our ride just past the Conoco gas station at a parking area on the paved Summit-Vail bike path. From there we got on a two-track heading South until it intersected the Colorado Trail, which then skirted the Copper Mountain Parking lots and finally crossed Highway 91 near the East side of the ski area. This section was entirely unnecessary, since the trail climbs and then descends to the ski area base, but it was a pretty good section of trail in this direction and I’d probably do it again (although Brittany had the right idea on the way back- going straight to the parking lot through the base area).
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As with most other sections of the Colorado Trail, the trail was well-marked and well-maintained and the climbing was fairly gradual. This section (closest to Copper) is notorious for heavy horse traffic, but it sounds like the horseback riding tours are generally routed away from the CT these days.

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Timberline Trail to Texas Ridge 9.18.11

Posted by Frank – September 27, 2011

After nearly a week of rain leading up to September 18th, we were all racking our brains trying to figure out a ride that might be dry. Taylor Park tends to be a touch drier than Crested Butte, plus the soil is more rocky and Texas Ridge is mostly spongy pine needles, so that became the goal. The last time we rode it, we went up Texas Creek, but this time we decided to access the Timberline trail off of Cottonwood Pass instead.
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While accessing Timberline from Cottonwood adds almost 5 miles and 20 minutes of riding, it’s totally worth it since the Timberline trail is a rockin’ downhill from Cottonwood down to Texas Creek. Unless I expect Cottonwood to be extra busy, this is probably the way I will usually go to get to Texas Ridge. One of the Texas Lakes near the junction of the Timberline Trail and Texas Creek road:
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Sydney:
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From Texas Creek, the Timberline trail climbs steeply- very steeply before the downhill starts again. Still, most of the trail is barely rideable and a good challenge if you’re up for it. A couple shots of the climb:
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Once the descent on Timberline, and then Texas Ridge starts, the fun levels spike on what at least one member of our party openly wondered “might just be Gunnison County’s best ride”. High praise indeed, and completely warranted. I was shooting video with my GoPro, but unfortunately the lens got splashed early on and it wasn’t worth using any of the footage. So, just a couple shots of the descent:
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Colorado Trail- Tiger Run Loop 9.11.11

Posted by Frank – September 17, 2011

After our day on the front range, Brittany and I wanted to check out some riding on the way home. With a late start out of Denver and threatening clouds, our original plan to ride some more alpine terrain at Searle Pass went out the window. Plan B was another section of the CT which neither of us had yet ridden outside Breckenridge, often referred to as Tiger Run. Just North of Breckenridge is Tiger Run road, and this is basically the trailhead.
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As you can see, there are a lot of options in this area besides the Colorado Trail, perhaps some of our Summit county readers can chime in on some of their favorites in the area. It appears that there’s an interesting discussion going on regarding the gray area in the middle of the map as well. The trail here really reminded me of the local riding in Taylor Park- but blissfully free of the moto damage that the Taylor Park area generally has. Not to mention it’s the Colorado Trail- so it gets plenty of trailwork.
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Nostalgic Day at Berthoud Pass and Genesee 9.10.11

Posted by Frank – September 16, 2011

Last weekend, we headed down to Denver to spend some time in the areas of my youth. The occasion was to spread my dad’s ashes, who passed away last December, with my family. While sad on some levels, it was also a good opportunity to reflect on all the things that my dad did while I was growing up that helped shape me into the person I am today. The first stop was Berthoud Pass, a pass that my dad must have driven me over a few hundred times, as we headed up to ski racing practice nearly every day of the winter that I wasn’t in school.
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I decided to head up to the summit of Colorado Mines Peak (the one with all the buildings on it on the East side of the pass), since that seemed like it would have some good views of the area. It did, particularly of snowy Greys and Torreys.
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The next stop was Genesee, the foothills community that I moved to halfway through elementary school. Before that, we lived in a typical Denver suburb. Without a doubt, that move is the reason why I live in the mountains and spend all my time playing in the outdoors. There was no 7-11 down the street to cruise over to and play video games and drink slurpees. There was a forest that needed to be explored, and singletrack that needed to be ridden, and hillsides that needed to be sledded (and every once in a while, skied). So that’s what we did. And I loved it, so I still do it to this day.

This is the tiny cliff that my buddy Mark and I first started rappelling off of. Can I even call it a cliff? But hey, it was a 10 minute walk from my house.
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We weren’t really allowed to ride the trails in Genesee, but considering that we weren’t old enough to drive elsewhere, and the trails were this good, we went anyway:
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Same trail, circa ’92?:
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Didn’t need no stinking helmet back then. Here’s a couple more, even older photos, maybe about 1986. Probably Rollins Pass or Summit County. We liked water back in the day.
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Anyway, it was a good day and a good way to honor my dad. Thanks for reading.

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Return to Cataract Ridge 9.3.11

Posted by Frank – September 12, 2011

Late summer and fall is the time to ride the alpine rides, so we headed down to the Rio Grande Reservoir to ride my favorite of them all, the Cataract Ridge section of the Colorado Trail. Joining Brittany and I were Chris Webster, Sydney Dickinson, Hana Fiserova, and Ondrej Hejduk. For a lot more detail on this ride, as well as the possible Wilderness threat in this area, please check out my original Cataract post. So, on with the pictures of the stunning San Juans and Cataract Ridge…

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This area is well known for its wildlife, usually in the form of large herds of Elk. This time it was a monster Moose.
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Crested Butte Mountain Bike Guide: Now more User-Friendly

Posted by Frank – September 6, 2011

I wanted everyone to know that I have done some work on the web’s best Crested Butte Mountain Bike Guide by adding an alphabetized page. The original guide was grouped by proximity as well as similar ride lengths (i.e. Strand and Farris would be grouped together), but it was admittedly unwieldy if you were just looking for info on a specific ride. So, I added some code to the original page and added another so you can now quickly get to the ride you’re seeking. It is also on the 14erskier pages on the right sidebar.

Here’s the link: Crested Butte Mountain Bike Guide A-Z

I’ve done my best to doublecheck for broken links, but please let me know if I’ve missed anything or if you have any other suggestions. Happy riding!