Snodgrass-403-401 7.21.07

Posted by Frank – September 1, 2011

This is an old bike TR from TGR that I thought I would resurrect here on the blog (mostly as a reference TR on my Crested Butte Mountain Bike guide)…

Since the weather looked iffy at best, we chose a ride with lots of options in case things went bad. Here’s the town of Mt Crested Butte, where my condo is located, taken from Snodgrass.

More Snodgrass:

After Snodgrass, we headed up Washington Gulch to get to 403. The ski area is getting smaller ;) Notice how the flowers compliment Brittany’s pink jersey

Backcountry rail session, anyone??

Brittany nearing the top of 403…

It might not look like it, but 403 is about as steep and techy as we tend to get here in the Crested butte area.

… But it has its’ share of smooth singletrack as well

The weather kept cooperating, so we headed up Schofield pass for more fun on 401.

Brittany, Avery in the background, and you can see 401 way off in the distance if you look closely.

Brittany:

Where’s Waldo, (Frank):

It’s a jungle out there

Frank:

I’ve been in CB so long, I think I’m a bit dismissive of 401, given its’ most favored tourist ride status, but I’d have to say it is in really good shape right now and was really tacky and really fun. A couple of hours after we got back, the skies let loose with one of the most entertaining lightning storms I can remember, which kind of put a damper on my buddies’ birthday BBQ, but we need the moisture, so we’ll take it. Anyway, hopefully the next TR I do is a skiing one, and it comes really soon :)

Doubletop to 409 And A Half

Posted by Frank – August 28, 2011

Once upon a time in the early 1990′s, a Crested Butte guidebook proclaimed Doubletop to be the very best ride in the area, above now well-known classics like 401, Doctor’s Park, as well as now-closed due to Wilderness expansion rides like Oh-Be-Joyful. So it was during my first summer here in Crested Butte in 1997 that I quickly made my way to Doubletop. My main memory of that ride was a frightening lightning storm amidst the rolling terrain near timberline on this trail. I rode it a few other times over the next few years, but what I quickly realized was that whatever the trail once was, it was that trail no longer. The combination of steep grades, soft soil, shady tree sections that take a long time to dry out, and increased usage by dirtbikes doomed this trail in short order.

These days, Doubletop is a poster child for the dirtbike destruction that has befallen so many local trails, rather than a local classic. The vast majority of local riders have never bothered with it, let alone any visiting riders. During the summer of 2010, the forest service took extraordinary measures, dropping pallets of cinder blocks along the trail in an attempt to armor it and save it from further erosion. Trail reroutes and a closure to dirtbikes would have been a much more successful option, though Doubletop’s extreme popularity with the moto crowd would likely make that a difficult choice to make by the Forest Service. In any case, I was hopeful the trail work would make a return trip to Doubletop worthwhile, and I convinced Tom Runcie to join me.

Sadly, all the trailwork was only in the first mile after the Block and Tackle intersection, with the rest of the trail worse than ever. Thankfully, the scenery and a few good sections of trail remain. Tom:
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US Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 1 Pics/Video/Results

Posted by Frank – August 24, 2011

When it was announced that Crested Butte would host Stage One of the inaugural US Pro Cycling Challenge, the excitement level in town went through the roof. After all, Crested Butte is a town that loves their bikes whether they are of the mountain, road, or townie variety. The stoke level was unbelievably high, and we certainly hope we can host this event again. Crested Butte hasn’t hosted an event of this magnitude since the X games were held here in the late 90′s.

We spent the day roughly 1km below the finish, at one of the steepest parts of the road leading to the finish in Mount Crested Butte. The key to the situation was having TV access- thanks to some friends who were streaming the event onto a TV outside under a tent. This meant that we were able to see the event as it made its way towards Gunnison as well as the sprint points down in town.
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Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′

Posted by Frank – August 16, 2011

Our first glimpse of the Azores from the plane was that of Montanha Do Pico (or just plain Pico), peaking out above the clouds:
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Needless to say, climbing this stately mountain quickly became one of my goals for our time on the islands. The desire to climb the mountain only increased during our time on the Azores, since the peak is almost always within sight, always beckoning an adventurous climber. Sure, at 7,713′ it sits well below the elevation where I now write this TR here in Crested Butte, but then again the Atlantic ocean isn’t exactly a couple of miles away, either. While it’s generally easy to get around on the islands with nothing more than your feet or a bicycle, the easiest way to climb Pico utilizes a car to get to the trailhead. Since we had a car reserved for July 10th, that became our summit day and thankfully the weather was perfect. Brittany decided the downclimb would be too tough on her knees, but she urged me to go anyway, knowing I was pretty excited about it.

Climbing Pico is a bit of a different affair than most other mountains. The trailhead is also a visitor’s center; where climbers must sign in, watch a safety video, and obtain a GPS/radio unit, all of which is free. With that out of the way, it was time to start climbing the steep, loose, and eroded trail, and start counting trail markers- all 45 of them to the crater rim:
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Clouds came in and out, as they always seemed to on Pico, which at times provided some surreal views as if I were back on the airplane, or climbing the “Mountains of the Moon” in Africa.
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Five Hours in Lisbon

Posted by Frank – August 3, 2011

After a stressful drive from Cardona to Barcelona, thanks to an accident that nearly made us miss our flight, Brittany and I found ourselves in Lisbon, Portugal. With five hours to kill before our connecting flight to Horta in the Azores, we decided to do a quick tour of the city rather than sit in the airport for half the day. Whether or not we can claim to have “been to” Lisbon is a question that is open to debate, but we liked what we did see. What we saw was a clean, history-filled city with lots to do and a bit of Moorish influence.

We had a quick lunch in this square. Prices were fairly reasonable, much like Spain, despite the awful exchange rate.
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Lisbon is famous for its trollies, but from what we understand they are becoming rare in this city.
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Portugal, and Spain to a smaller extent, is also known for its black and white decorative paving which adds a touch of flair to the ground you’re walking on.
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That’s about it for our whirlwind tour of Lisbon. Here’s our other honeymoon TR’s:
Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

Montserrat

Posted by Frank – August 1, 2011

Montserrat is an impressive looking mountain chain just North of Barcelona, but it’s perhaps best known as the site of a Benedictine abbey, not to mention the home of the Holy Grail, if you believe some myths. Brittany and I visited it on our last day in Spain before heading off to the Azores Islands. Like Machu Pichu, many Buddhist Temples, or even Mesa Verde here in Colorado, the first question a visitor asks is “Why would you want to build in such a difficult location?”
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A Pyrenees Summit: Tosa d’Alp and Andorra

Posted by Frank – July 22, 2011

On our final day in the Pyrenees, Brittany and I set our sights on an easy summit that would still allow us time to visit the tiny country of Andorra. From Baga, we headed up the road to the Coll de Pal at 6,800′. Like almost every road we drove on in this area, I couldn’t help but think of how fun it would be on a road bike. The weather was a bit threatening, but we decided to at least check it out.
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Check out our rental car behind me- a Skoda Fabia. Due to its’ sub-100hp engine, I started calling it the “Skadita”.
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We started hiking up the beautiful grassy slopes in a light rain, but I had a good feeling it would burn off as the day wore on (which it did).
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It’s a pretty straightforward hike, but we were treated to some sights we don’t see back home inColorado, like these Chamois:
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As well as this vulture, which this area is particularly well-known for:
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The views were pretty amazing:
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Barcelona: The works of Antoni Gaudi

Posted by Frank – July 19, 2011

Much of our time in Barcelona was spent visiting the architectural marvels of Antoni Gaudi, not surprising given how inextricably linked Gaudi and Barcelona are. Seven of his works are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, no small feat for an architect, let alone one whose works are only 100 years old or so. As someone who works in the trades and has an appreciation for the art form that is architecture, I found Gaudi’s work to be beautiful, interesting, and definitely the work of a genius.

Our first stop was Casa Batllo, a residential unit right on the Rambla, and probably my favorite.
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Barcelona: Days 1-3

Posted by Frank – July 17, 2011

Our first stop on our honeymoon adventure was Barcelona. Though Brittany had been here only 2 years ago, this was all a new experience for me. We jumped right into things, getting directly on the Metro from the airport. I always find those first moments of travel in foreign countries, from the airport to the first hotel, to be the most surreal of any trip. The jet lag and the sudden immersion into something totally new and different combine and lead to a state of heightened awareness, not unlike that of a good ski mountaineering trip. It is probably the main reasons I love to travel, it’s just another way to get out of the comfort zone.

Despite being quite tired, we had a lot of daylight left, so we started off by walking the streets of Barcelona. While I don’t consider myself to be a city person, I do enjoy their feverish pace and mass of humanity from time to time. Brittany has done quite a bit of traveling in Europe, and Barcelona ranks as her second-favorite city, right behind Paris and it was easy to find reasons why. The narrow crowded streets, some of them dating back to Roman times…
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The details…
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Forget A-Frame, Forget Diagonal- Pull Those Skis

Posted by Frank – June 28, 2011

On our recent “day before the wedding” ski of Whiterock Mountain, one of the things I was most excited about was trying a different carrying method for my skis. My friend Jon Johnston has long been using this method, and since he was down from Canada for the wedding, it was the perfect time for him to show me how it’s done. A-Frame has always been my least favorite method, as it is time-consuming to set up and I always seem to hit my calves on the tails. Diagonal is a bit better for me, though it really depends on the backpack and it’s still easy to catch your tips when climbing steep terrain. Pulling the skis avoids both of these problems.
Jon showing the technique:
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Jon gave credit to Peter Ressmann for developing the technique while they were on Mount Saint Elias along with Axel Naglich, filming the movie of the same name. It makes a ton of sense to pull skis on a huge expedition-style ascent like Mount Saint Elias, when you’d already be carrying massive loads from camp to camp. I kept seeing Jon using the method over the past few years, so it looked like it must be a viable method even on a more standard day trip. Conditions in Canada this past winter prevented me from ever trying the technique- we were too busy stepping off the snowmobiles and shredding powder spines- so I was glad Jon joined us on Whiterock for another try.

It’s pretty simple to set up. Drill a hole in each ski- I used a 3/16″ bit. Some epoxy is probably a good idea as well. Grab a few feet of cord, tie a couple of stopper knots in one end, and thread the cord through the skis. Rotate the dynafits so the brakes are up, orleave the Fritchis in the high bar so their brakes don’t drag. Tie a figure 8 into your ice axe loop on your pack and start hiking. Close-up:
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So, how did it work? I’m not 100% sold, but it’s something I’m definitely putting in my bag of tricks. On flatter ground, it works really well- you don’t even know the skis are there. Steeper terrain really works well, too- once the backpack and the skis are more or less parallel, the skis again seem to disappear. It’s on the moderate terrain of say 30-40 degrees that I’d just assume have the skis on my pack. There’s simply something in the angle that makes the skis pull strangely on moderate slopes. One thing I was worried about was how it would pull through mixed ground, or even on the suncups of summer. It’s pretty amazing, actually- the skis simply find their way and you don’t even have to worry about them. All in all, I would recommend the technique, it’s definitely worth a try. A long, steep face climb would be the ultimate proving ground.
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A clip from St Elias. Check it out around :20seconds…

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