Category: Biking

Farris Creek TR and CO conditions update

Posted by Frank – May 17, 2012

For the second time this week, I found myself back on two wheels rather than two skis. I tend to struggle mightily with my biking motivation in the springtime, and this year has been no exception, especially since the spring ski season has been so uniformly good to great this year. On Monday, I rode the Buffalo Creek section (segment 3) of the Colorado Trail with Adam and his father, Jeff- which means I’m at 4/27 rideable sections of the CT. The last time I rode this area, my riding partner was having trouble with his Onza clipless pedals, which a small percentage of you might actually place as about 1994 or so. Conditions there were nearly perfect after some recent snow and rain, since the gravelly soil there is best right after rainfall. Buffalo Creek is a great day trip from Denver or as a quick stop between Crested Butte and Denver (located off 285 between Bailey and Conifer). Gunnison riders will feel right at home, as it is somewhat similar to Hartman’s Rocks but with trees). Check it out if you get the chance.

Today’s ride was upper-402-fourohFred-Farris-Canal-upper, and it was likewise in terrific condition.

Good as it was, I was struck by some things. Primarily, of course, is that it is dry. Even the marshy areas were bone dry- not surprising when the snowpack in the area is at 5% of average, but still eye opening. A fire ban will soon take effect here in Gunnison county, and water restrictions might not be far behind. Riding right now feels much more like fall than spring- the trails are open so early that many of the aspen trees haven’t even budded yet. In any case, here’s some photos of Pete Sowar on Farris:

Quite a few trails are already open- check out the CBMBA page as well as the 14erskiers guide. For those of you looking for some ideas which aren’t on the CBMBA page, here’s a few suggestions: lower 401, 401 as an out and back, Roaring Judy from Jack’s Cabin, or even Texas ridge as an out and back. The sage grouse closures at Hartman’s are done for the year, and Doctor’s Park will be open in a few days as well (closed for sheep currently).

All that said, we’d rather be skiing. Those of you who hung them up long ago might have trouble believing this, but this spring has been excellent- and surprisingly better than last spring in some ways. CO seems to be getting a storm once a week or so, and these small storms have been keeping the snow consistently smooth unlike last season when we kept getting hammered with big storms that would slide out as soon as the sun came out. The best bets right now are high northerly aspects, which doesn’t leave a lot of choices here in Crested Butte other than perhaps Copper Creek. Better choices include San Juan classics like Yankee Boy basin, American Basin, and Cinnamon/Engineer passes, all of which are plowed and open. Independence Pass is open now as well, although the terrain there leaves a bit to be desired. This spring’s MVC (most valuable couloir) might be Mt Hope’s Hopeful Couloir, which has been cranking out great reports all spring. The venerable Dead Dog couloir on Torrey’s has been excellent as well, including last weekend when Brittany skied it with several inches of fresh snow (TR coming soon).

Mark dropping into Dead Dog:
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The final conditions report for this area is Cottonwood Pass- yes it’s open but the construction between Jack’s Cabin Cutoff and Taylor Reservoir is pretty substantial- Monarch is a better choice currently.

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Crested Butte Ski and Bike conditions update 5.2.12

Posted by Frank – May 2, 2012

Well, it’s that time of year again. Bikers and hikers are eagerly asking, “Is X open yet? Is Y open yet?” Skiers, meanwhile, are lamenting the lack of snow asking “How much of a pain in the butt is it to get to Z now?” Generally speaking, this season is 4-6 weeks ahead of schedule for snowmelt- which is of course great for the MTB crowd and horrible for skiers. In any case, I thought I’d pass on what I know- additional comments are always welcome.

Ski: The Crested Butte zone lacks good high trailheads and high peaks (most peaks in this area fall just short of 13,000′), making things difficult in late spring. The Irwin zone is currently a good choice, with the road through the townsite plowed and decent access (skins on at the car) to peaks like Owen. Snowmobiles are no longer warranted, unless we get a big dump. Kebler is closed but plowed at the “Y”- some work is being done on it and it won’t be open for a couple more weeks. Slate is open to Pittsburg and beyond, though you’ll be walking at first. The snowpack still looks good up at Paradise divide (despite the low snowpack, the remaining snow is actually quite good- not too runneled or dusty yet). Gothic road is now open to the bridge just before Rustler’s Gulch. Again, you’ll be walking. Those are currently the best access points around here. That said, we may take advantage of higher traiheads in the San Juans next weekend.

Bike: Hartman’s Rocks in Gunnison has been open for a while, with conditions reportedly “very dry and dusty”. The bigger rides South of the powerline, like Aberdeen, will be closed for another 2 weeks for Sage Grouse habitat. Open rides in Crested Butte include Upper, Upper Upper, Whetstone Vista, Lupine, and the Caves loop in CB south. 409 has seen tire tracks as well. Reports from Strand are of a muddy trail that isn’t quite ready. Snodgrass hopefully won’t be long. Trail conditions can also be found HERE.

That’s about it- if anyone has more info, please leave a comment.

New Page: The Colorado Trail Mountain Bike Guide!

Posted by Frank – May 1, 2012

Last year, while riding Cataract Ridge, we met a rider from New Mexico who was nearing completion of his goal to ride each section of the Colorado Trail (CT). His project planted a seed in my head and I decided it was a project that I too would like to someday complete. On the one hand, this project offers a lot of leeway, since sections can be ridden in multiple parts in either direction. On the other hand, I plan on being a stickler and riding every legal part of the trail, so there are a number of small sections that thru-bikers skip on the Wilderness detours. The CT mountain bike guide can be found HERE- or on the right hand side with the other 14erskiers’ pages.

The Colorado Trail guidebook lists 28 sections, although 2 of them are entirely in Wilderness and therefore aren’t part of this guidebook. Of the remaining 26 sections, I have completed 3, ridden some or most of another 11, and not an inch of the remaining 12 (as of today, 5-1-12). While I’m not making it a goal to finish this summer, it’s certainly a possibility given how long the summer riding season will be after the lackluster winter of 2012.

The value of this page will be greatly enhanced by comments from 14erskiers’ readers. For instance, I’m going under the assumption that ALL of the non-Wilderness miles are open to bikes, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case. So if you know that a section isn’t open to bikes, please leave a comment here so I can edit the page. Likewise, one of the draws of this project for me is that I get to pour over maps and attempt to discover the best way of riding a section- whether it’s an out and back, a shuttle, or a loop with other trails and roads. So if our readers know that a route I have proposed isn’t feasible or the best route available, please let me know by leaving a comment here.

A few shots to get you stoked on the CT:

An Absurd Mission for an Absurd Season

Posted by Frank – April 11, 2012

I like doing weird things, especially things that make me laugh. So on my most recent ski tour, I couldn’t help but notice that there was a sizeable stretch of dry singletrack at 12,000′ on Scarp’s Ridge. Last year, this area was buried under roughly 900″ of snow by the start of June. This season, we’re about 675″ shy of that. So, rather than lament how much dirt is already showing at the start of April, why not take advantage of these weird conditions and ride a bike?

Not surprisingly, I found no willing partners. This was probably a better solo mission anyway. I took both wheels off and strapped them onto my snowmobile, and strapped the frame onto my backpack. Bike shorts were worn under my ski pants (maybe this should be a new style for me- it was comfy!), and bike shoes and helmet were both packed away in my backpack. The only bummer was the wind- it was really cranking up there so I had to call it a day after just one lap. Good times! Enjoy the video:

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14erskiers’ shoe of choice for biking adventures, check them out:

Making the Best of No Snow: Hartman’s Rocks 1.5.12

Posted by Frank – January 10, 2012

Last week, the phrase “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” translated into “When life gives you bare ground in the middle of winter, make tire tracks.” This was doubly true last week when temps in Gunnison Colorado, which usually struggle to reach single digits in January, were in the upper 40′s last week. I’d rather ski, but with ski conditions this bad, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ride my bike in shorts, in one of the coldest places in the lower 48. It’s kind of like Bodie’s 50 year storm in “Point Break”, but it’s a 50 year winter of the kind skiers don’t even want to think about.

The parking lot was busy, filled with like-minded mountain bikers, trail runners, and dirtbikers. If someone told me it was October, it wouldn’t be hard to believe. Conditions were incredible- every trail is rideable and the short sections of snow have been ridden enough that they’re barely noticeable. If this winter stays like this, I’ll be back. Here’s a short video, with a few photos mixed in as well:

Biking was fun and everything, but I’ll still be thinking snow:

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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Fall ride on TR 402 (22 Oct 2011)

Posted by Brittany – October 25, 2011

Mountain biking in Crested Butte is synonymous with TR 401. Many locals and tourists alike may also ride 403 on the way to 401. But, 402 is a lesser known sister of the Crested Butte 4-0 trails. While 402 doesn’t boast the scenery of 403 or 401, it’s still a good trail worth checking out. Lower in the valley, it makes for an excellent fall ride. Frank and I were joined by our friend Susan Mol and also by our once-local-friend-turned-Alaskan, Ralph.

It was a beautiful fall day. Even with the leaves gone, the land was basking in beauty. Susan and I making our way up the road.
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Susan approaching the end of the road.
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The gang- Frank, Ralph, Susan.
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Ralph making his way through the stark forest.
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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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TR: Dyke Trail (2 Oct 2011)

Posted by Brittany – October 6, 2011

I write this blog post as the snow flies out my window. As our fall is likely transitioning to early winter, the Dyke Trail might have been one of my last worthy rides here this season in Crested Butte. But, then again, when this stormy weather leaves, Indian Summer could settle upon us again. It’s all up to the whims of Mother Nature.

So, here’s a few pictures from our colorful day on the Dyke.

Kriste.
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Changing trees.
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The geological dike for which the Dyke is named after.
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The majestic Raggeds in the distance.
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Frank.
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