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:

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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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.

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:

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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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:

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.

This reaches a high point under Jumbo Mountain where most of the riding can be seen. Both ridges in this photo have trails descending them, and some trails descend the valley as well. If any of this reminds you of 18 road in Fruita, you’re right- it is a lot like that area.

The Paonia folks have it going on- want to chill in a hammock and stare at Lamborn and Lands End mountains- no problem, they’ve got it covered. The trails are largely on BLM land, which tends to be pretty open to trail networks. Similar mountain bike trail netowrks on BLM land include Hartman’s Rocks near Gunnison and Fruita’s 18 road trail system.

We descended Jumbo Ridge, which is the left-hand ridge in the photo above. While technically easy, it did have some exposure and was a ton of fun.

From the bottom of Jumbo Ridge, we rode a number of other trails whose names I cannot remember (nothing is marked here), but eventually we made it to a trail named for a local dentist who built many of the trails here. This trail was probably the highlight for me.

Final thoughts on the riding in Paonia… It’s good here, and it’s definitely worth the trip, possibly in conjunction with Fruita and Grand Junction. The riding is really easy from a technical standpoint, but that doesn’t make it that easy as there is quite a bit of climbing and the navigation isn’t straightforward right now. We’ll probably be making it into an annual fall ride, since it’s pretty close for us. Keep in mind that the dirt here is clay- if it’s wet, it isn’t rideable. Inquire with Galaxy Bikes for current conditions and maps of the area. For the ladies, consider checking out Alison’s bike camps: Rippin Chix.

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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:

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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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.

Susan approaching the end of the road.

The gang- Frank, Ralph, Susan.

Ralph making his way through the stark forest.

Me.

Frank making his way through the gnar.

I like steep trails

Frank likes a bit of air time on the bike.

Me.

Ralph.

Frank.

Frank also caught a bit of video from his chestie Go-Pro. I edited it here. Hope you enjoy!

Though biking season is winding down, I was psyched to find myself on this fantastic fall ride with fun friends! Thanks y’all

‘Tis a beautiful sight to see:

Brittany killing it:

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

Kriste.

Changing trees.

The geological dike for which the Dyke is named after.

The majestic Raggeds in the distance.

Frank.