Casey’s right, dogs love winter!  DJ & AJ on a Powder Day in Utah’s Wasatch!  November 28, 2016.  Fresh tracks rock no matter how!

Lucas Robinson started filming for an edit last fall, but when you work nearly full-time, are enrolled in school full-time, and are also an intern at a big-boy job it can be difficult to juggle filming a full edit amidst all the responsibilities. Whether it’s school or his bike, Lucas is always on his grind and it’s apparent in this short, but sweet edit. Hopefully this year clears up and we get to see even more of his dialed and technical riding. Big ups to Lenny’s Bike Shop for keeping Luke’s ride nice and dialed.

From the outside people just see Hong Kong as a big city with no space, high-rise buildings and millions of people. Well yes, it has all that but what people don’t see is the other side of Hong Kong and it’s beautiful country side. This road biking video is about escaping the city life and getting outdoors and back to nature. Sponsored by Lucho Dillitos, an all natural sports nutrition and energy snack wrapped in a bio-degradable leaf! Perfect.

 Just a quick post; had a fantastic time visiting the Coast Gravity Park in Sechelt, British Columbia this past weekend. Video and Picture are from a portion of the trail “Flight Deck,” which truly lives up to its name. Full of lofty mandatory jumps and a fun berm at the bottom, it’s a great way to finish a lap from “Coastal Cruise,” the more technical but still flowy upper pro line that feeds directly into the fast, floaty line of doubles that make up Flight Deck. Spent the evening celebrating my good friend Michael’s recent birthday around the campfire in Porpoise Bay Provincial park. Whiskey and a rowdy day on bikes made for a wonderful weekend.

Flight Deck Quick Clip

 

The warmth of spring is slipping through the weather patterns more and more each week . The trails are starting to dry out and the beckoning call from your mountain bike starts pulling at your heart strings, urging you to lose yourself on the rolling mountain trails no longer blanketed with white sheets of snow. You heed it’s call, wiping away the light layer of dust she’s collected, exchanging it for a fresh offering of grease, lube, and TLC. You look down and next to you is your best friend: wide eyed, silly grin, and wagging tail. He knows that it’s bike season, and the stoke is high! He looks at you with those big eager eyes and you remember that there is no greater joy than sharing the trail with your favorite pooch.

We completely agree! There is no one better to share the trails with than your furry friend. With singletrack and puppies on the brain, we are super excited to introduce you to Kira, our newest Spread Stoke family member. She’s a 4 month old Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix who makes us laugh and enjoy the outdoors on a daily basis. With the approaching bike season upon us, the anticipation of hitting the trails with our new 4 legged friend is invading our every thought. While Kira still has a lot of growing up to do before she’s ready to bike with us, she’s really enjoying watching other dogs hit the trails! To help you get stoked for mountain bike season, Kira would like to share her favorite selection of “Trail Dog” videos with you. Cheers to an epic bike season full of dirty paws and keepin’ it rubber side down.

Need some mtb accessories for your bestie? Here are Kira’s top picks for mountain accessories. 

Wolfgang Man & Beast:

Wolfgang was created to celebrate the unique relationship between a dog and his people. We offer American-made leashes and collars for your pup using only the finest American leathers and textiles, plus a distinctive collection of wallets, belts, t-shirts and hoodies for you. We build our products locally, transport them minimally, and they’ll be replaced rarely. SHOP HERE FOR WOLFGANG GEAR.

Ruffwear:

Ruffwear’s mission is to build performance dog gear to enhance and inspire exploration for outdoor adventures and their human companions. Save Up to 40% off Ruffwear outdoor dog gear! SHOP HERE.

In February of 2014, Sasha Yakovleff decided to mix things up and leave the comforts of his New Hampshire hometown to make a cross-country move for a job opportunity in Salt Lake City, Utah. The decision wasn’t too hard since he knew Utah was a world-class biking destination and the new surroundings would offer plenty of choices to fuel his two-wheel addiction.

“You’re only young once, might as well travel around a bit and explore,” says Sasha. “Utah has opened my eyes and put things into perspective. I miss New Hampshire dearly and I’ll be back home permanently at some point, but until then I’m not sure where life will take me. However, I know I’ll be aboard a bike wherever I go.”

Moving your life can be tough. Making new friends and getting familiar with a new neighborhood can be a daunting experience and humbling to some, but Sasha sought to make it a quick process. His love for bikes and an incredible motivation to challenge himself have helped him settle into his new home and explore the limitless riding options waiting out the backdoor.

“Riding a bike is the ultimate sense of freedom for me. It doesn’t really matter where I am or what mood I’m in, riding always makes me happy and I have to thank my sponsors for helping me with that – Scott Bikes, Deity Components, Kenda Tires, Mavic, G-Form, Bern Unlimited, TRP Brakes, Five Ten, Darn Tough Vermont. My motivation though is pretty simple – keep myself challenged physically and mentally. There is always something new to learn or ride, whether at the dirt jumps or way out in the woods on some remote mountainside.” – Sasha

The constant desire for something new is a driving force behind Sasha’s creativity. He’s a nine-to-fiver who doesn’t understand the term “weekend warrior.” Everyday provides if you’re motivated to take advantage, and the Wasatch is a big backyard with more to offer than most seek to realize. The abundance of pleasures is almost overwhelming, and even after a good soak, you can easily be satisfied with just the tip.

“When I moved to Utah, my first thought was damn this place is dry, I hope we get a ton of rain. New Hampshire has variable weather which you learn to love, but Utah is much more sunny and dry. When it rains here I get really stoked and head to the woods to build. The nice thing about the Wasatch is the variety. You can ride whatever you want. Dirt jumps down low, alpine riding up high, DH or all-mountain trails in between.” – Sasha

Over the past few seasons, I’ve had the opportunity to tag along with Sasha as he familiarized himself with his new backyard. Being on the bike or shoveling dirt seem to be the only two things he thinks about, and soon I started to expect a call or text from him every couple of days to go shoot a new feature he had been secretly building over the weekend or scout something he spotted from the road on his drive to work that looked fun to ride. We got together at the end of this season to recount a few of the fun adventures and build projects we had photographed together.

“This was shot early in the morning in March. I Street is a winter staple in Salt Lake City as it is usually rideable year-round. In fact, the dirt there is much better in the winter when it’s actually wet and malleable. The funny thing about I Street is that things are always changing. Lots of people build there, so the place has tons of personality. I don’t know who built this jump but it’s awesome; you can just pull for days.” – Sasha

There had been a couple wildfires this past summer just outside of Park City. Sasha and I scouted this area after he spotted the burn zone on a cross-country ride and thought the ashy dirt would make for some good turns. Besides being covered in soot when we got back to the car, it was a fun new experience for both of us.

“I had driven by this spot a million times, or taken the bus up past it with my DH bike to go ride other trails. I thought about riding it before but was too lazy and forgetful to check it out until it rained one time this past spring. The dirt was perfect and it was really fun to ride. There are a few sections of different pitches where you can alternate your speed and push out a brown pow turn or two. Plus, first descents are hard to beat.” – Sasha

“Evil Empire is a Park City classic DH freeride trail that never gets old. It starts at Jupiter Peak and descends over 2200’ vertical feet back into Old Town Park City via Daly Canyon. This jump is rad and on one of my favorite sections of the trail near the bottom in the Black Forest of Empire Canyon. The pines thin out a bit as you jump through aspens before dipping back into the darkness.” – Sasha

“Raspberry Lane is one of my favorite pirate trails and sits just above the top of Old Town in Park City. We were actually scouting out another shot on an overcast day and noticed the fall colors in this berm. Funny how things work out when you’re looking for something else – always keep your eyes open I guess.” – Sasha

I think Sasha’s least favorite time of the year is after Daylight Savings when it gets dark super quick in the afternoon. For someone who works all day but lives to shred, it’s frustrating to only have an hour or so to ride after work in the later part of the fall. Luckily the Park City Dirt Jumps are easy to get to and the street lamps at the fire station next door help illuminate the open field of jumps for a few laps before dinner.

The Oakley Skatepark is located right next to one of the biggest rodeo venues in Utah. The town population is about 1,000, but the new $3 million rodeo arena seats 6,000. It can be windy a lot of times, but if you wait it out, the Kamas Valley sunsets are usually incredible.

Eric Porter has one of the sickest backyard setups, stacked with stunt ramps, a pump track and a water slide snake run connected to another pump track in the neighbor’s yard. Fall BBQ sessions at Porter’s are some of the funnest days during late season.

“After moving to Utah, it took me about a year to scout out a few spots I wanted to build and learn my way around the place a bit. I knew I wanted to build a large wallride in the middle of the woods, and what better place to put it than in an Aspen grove? This thing is tucked up on a hillside in Park City. We built it, painted it and sessioned it a few times before the snow started to fall. The aspen leaves died early this year due to a fungus, so hopefully we can catch a golden frame next autumn when the grove goes off.” – Sasha

Adventures in any backyard can be endless if you use your creativity. Even when it seems like there’s nothing new left to discover, building and riding have endless possibilities. When you’re passionate about riding your bike and always looking for something new to shred, you’ll find a way to satisfy your cravings but also stay thirsty for more. He might be settled into his new home now, but Sasha’s quest for new fun outside his doorstep will never stop regardless of how long he stays anywhere.

A bike edit I made this fall for one of my Senior film classes at Northern Michigan Univ.  Featuring the riding of Jack Johnson and Connor Ryan.   Filmed on the South Trails of Marquette Michigan.  Music is “Atomic Man” by Portugal The Man.  It’s my first serious attempt at making a bike edit so let me know what worked and what could be done better.

With great success comes great responsibility and no where does that come into play more than the recently announced GoPro of the World contest series. Different facets of action sports have already held these type of events for example; freeriding: Race Face Ultimate Freeride Series, skiing: Super Unknown,, snowboarding: Real Snow Backfunktry, Skating:  I don’t know… something like Real X-Street Games Bladez Xtremes  Houston or something I imagine.

Regardless, here is an awesome entry by Fabio Wibmer who arguably should have won last year’s event. Rumor has it he had a higher consensus than the number of climatologists who believe in man-made climate change. With this entry, it would be quite a surprise if he didn’t win this time around. #cowspiracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka3ZA5XRq8Q

Fall is my favorite time to visit Moab and the desert!  Go out and ride!

]]> http://spreadstoke.com/bike/mountain-biking-in-moab-utah/feed/ 0 http://spreadstoke.com/bike/great-utah-mountain-biking-trails-for-toddlers-on-balance-bikes/ http://spreadstoke.com/bike/great-utah-mountain-biking-trails-for-toddlers-on-balance-bikes/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:42:26 +0000 http://spreadstoke.com/?p=5596 There’s a new trail system in Draper, Utah, that is perfect for families or anyone new to mountain biking that’s looking for beginner friendly trails. I took my toddler, who wasn’t even 2 years old at the time, to explore it on his balance bike. There’s a main path that goes to the top of the hills which he typically walked (sometimes he pushed his bike, sometimes he rode it up and sometimes we carried him). From the top of the Little Valley Trail System there are 4 options to go down (A, B, C, and D). A is the easiest and the path we stuck to. It’s a very mellow decline so he didn’t need to drag his toes too much and each loop is pretty short (which is great in case of a temper tantrum so you don’t have far to go). It definitely seems to be my toddler’s favorite place to ride so far.]]>

There’s a new trail system in Draper, Utah, that is perfect for families or anyone new to mountain biking that’s looking for beginner friendly trails. I took my toddler, who wasn’t even 2 years old at the time, to explore it on his balance bike. There’s a main path that goes to the top of the hills which he typically walked (sometimes he pushed his bike, sometimes he rode it up and sometimes we carried him).

From the top of the Little Valley Trail System there are 4 options to go down (A, B, C, and D). A is the easiest and the path we stuck to. It’s a very mellow decline so he didn’t need to drag his toes too much and each loop is pretty short (which is great in case of a temper tantrum so you don’t have far to go). It definitely seems to be my toddler’s favorite place to ride so far.

Who says the time between summer and ski season doesn’t have much to offer here in Utah’s Wasatch mountains? Perfect mountain biking conditions and weather gave us some good time in late October/early November.

Some footage from July up in Jackson, Wyoming. Riding Lithium and Fuzzy Bunny off Teton Pass with some buddies!!

I  lived in Colorado for 4 years before the winters of Utah drew me away permanently.  I had the best summer of my life and the worst winter of my life in Crested Butte.  I am a Utah powder snob after all.  But seriously, Crested Butte in summer is one of the most amazing places to ride a mountain bike and I try to go back when I can.  I have mountain biked some incredible places, but for me nothing compares to the Butte!

Upper Upper Loop and Snodgrass

Lush singletrack, yes please!

Sometimes the ride to the ride isn’t all that bad.

Don’t be fooled, the buff is always followed by some technical.  That is one of the reasons I love the trails here!

Just a typical view while riding.

Did I mention Crested Butte is world famous for its wildflowers?

Trail 401

Trail 401 is probably the most popular trail in the Butte.  After a long slog up to Schofield Pass and then another mile or two up some steep singletrack at treeline you are blessed with one of the most scenic descents around in the world, for real, in the world.  High alpine riding with wildflowers and some real technical sections thrown in make this ride unforgettable.  It is a must do classic for anyone who rides!

Can you see the singletrack going across that mountain?

Don’t crash enjoying the views through wildflowers!

The climb up was scenic but lung busting at this elevation!

My wife enjoys the down more than the up, don’t blame her!

Mt Crested Butte

Monarch Crest Trail/Silver Creek/Rainbow

This is an absolute must classic up there with the Whole Enchilada in Moab.  This is high alpine riding at its finest.  You get dropped off at the top of Monarch pass, riding over 35 miles with most of it singletrack and downhill.  This is not an easy ride though, there is some lung busting climbing at close to 12,000ft  and some wicked long descents that will push even the best.  The Silver Creek section is a personal favorite piece of trail I have ever done. It is all downhill  and every type of riding mixed in, plus it just keeps giving, it is unreal!  Be ready to be self sufficient though since you are deep in the backcountry and it is a long day in the saddle. No bike mechanicals wanted out here. Sorry I don’t have more pictures of Silver Creek my mind and body were to preoccupied with flowing down the trail.  Rainbow section is up and down but super flowy and ends with a steep and rowdy downhill.  This is an epic ride on so many levels.

Just riding some singletrack above treeline.

Yes I am stoked to be here and away from my windowless office!

My wife probably has more fun than me.

Doctor’s Park 

Another Classic.  Really long climb up but super scenic.  I think it is like 12 miles of climbing for 7.5 miles of descending.  But truth is that descent might rank as one of the best pieces of singleltrack around. Once again no real pictures of the rowdy downhills, kinda preoccupied from not crashing.

River crossing at the top of the dirt road climb crossing  to the doubletrack climb.  I am tenderfooted so I thew some flip flops in my pack.  Not a bad idea since a lot of rides in the Butte have real river crossings.

You are looking at a small portion of the doubletrack climb after the river.  Be ready to go up at the Butte to go down.

After the ride hang a hammock next to the river and forget all about your cell phone and tv!

Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadmans Loop

I think this is the most XC loop in the Butte.  Probably the only ride you may come across people on hardtail 29rs people seem to love so much in Utah.  Most of the trails in the Butte warrant a full suspension rig, preferably a true trail bike with 5 plus inches of travel.  But you do a lot of climbing out here and you need something that can go up as well as go down some real terrain.  This trail has some super flow and is super scenic like all the trails.  3 climbs up with 3 downs.   The last downhill is technical and rooty.  Real mountainbiking!

Did I mention how flowy this trail can be?

Miles of flow, yes please!!

Town Trails

After riding almost 200 miles in a week it was time to head out.  Ended the trip with the trails right out of town.  Not bad views from town!

Singletrack in flowers with a view never gets old.

Kebler Pass

If your drive home can take you over Kebler Pass I highly recommend it.  Some of the best camping and aspens forests.

A chill after-work session with Lucas and Nick in Bellingham, Washington. Music by the homie Grayling Skyy. If you like what you see follow the links below for more music and media. Enjoy!

Music: 
Grayling Skyy – City Dreams
soundcloud.com/grayling-skyy
Riders:
Nick Ward & Lucas Robinson
pegly.tumblr.com 
@pegly_nw

It was eight years ago when I first tasted Maui’s red earth on two wheels. It has been a fairly pivotal memory in terms of my riding experiences. Quite a lot has changed in that time. There is an ever growing, ever evolving mountain bike scene on the island. Hawaii’s Maui Island offers a variety of constantly shifting weather, fantastic après spots, heaps of rental opportunities, beautiful scenery, and really great riding. All this within an hour drive of Kahului airport. Let’s begin to break it down.

West Maui

Widely known for it’s overwhelming tourist scene, expensive but equally beautiful golf courses, annual surf comps and crazy winter swells,  Maui is also host to the Xterra Triathlon Championships. My friend and riding host Tony set me up with a sweet rental from West Maui Cycles and we set off to Kapalua to sample the mountain bike course. Most of the course is nestled in what was once one of the islands most beautiful and premiere golf courses. Fifteen years of over growth and going to seed has taken it’s toll on the old village course however.

I was told a crew of around two dozen trail workers with saws and tools head out a couple of weeks before the big event to prep and restore the 32km loop. It offers 3300 vertical feet of up and down, spectacular views, and is sure to make you sweat. Lots of water is essential here as temps can sustain at a very humid 30°C (86°F) or even more on hotter days, as it tends to be on this side of the island if it isn’t raining. Another thing to remember is that this loop is part of one of the most difficult triathlons out there, the climb is a real punch! Tony and I were only able to ride some of the trail, as much of it was still quite overgrown. It was also the first trail riding I had done in several months, so the 15km we did get to ride had me worked. We ended the ride by cruising back down the double track, past the lower parking lot at the Ritz near the beach for a very welcome swim in the tepid, but heavy surf. I must say, swimming in the ocean after a ride is sure to get anyone’s stoke on! However, the real highlight of the day for me was our après session at Miso Phat Sushi.

We were hosted by the owner Shawn and his business partner Dove (who also happens to be Tony’s girlfriend) to the finest sushi I have ever had in my life. Also note worthy was the Lilikoi ice cream Dove made, my God it was like Hawaii in your mouth! Their secret to success is some magical combination of a small place, magnetic personality, their own boat named ‘Shiso Phat’, relationships with some of the locals who can supply them with fresh catch other restaurants just can’t get, and an A+ executive chef. If you find yourself in Kapalua/Kahana it is a must visit! Check them out here www.misophatsushi.com and on facebook or instagram. If you’re interested in learning more about the Maui Xterra Championships you can do that here at www.xterraplanet.com.

UP COUNTRY & MAKAWAO

Lush rain forest of tropical ash, cook pine, eucalyptus, and a sea of ferns beckon you through the cool air and steezy vibes of Makawao and the forest reserve. Strolls through the gallery rich village, Maui-Mex and cerveza beckon you after your ride. These are the things I fell in love with my first time riding here in 2007. Don’t take my word for it though. You see Makawao is host not only to a plethora of  galleries and artists, but a few heavy hitters in mountain biking who’ve come to call it home for their families and businesses.

Krank Cycles is one helluva bike shop. Owner Aaron Reichert (AKA Moose) started up the shop a couple of years ago. Nestled in this wonderfully sleepy and arty village, they are a huge part of the mountain bike community and it’s initiatives to show what Maui has to offer the sport. Their rental fleet is top notch with the latest superbikes, dirt jumpers, XC rippers and DH rigs. The staff truly shine here, offering friendly advice and directions to all the riding around the area. Be sure to check out the Krank facebook page for sick shred pics and daily trail report updates.

Makawao Forest Reserve

This Mecca is a short ten minute drive from the shop, or a good 45 minute pedal (be prepared to climb!). It is home to red-pow Valhalla. The state, and county have gotten behind the community and a local trail association to elevate this multi-use recreation area and transform it into a world class mountain bike destination. What would you like? Flow trails, juicy winding single track, full on DH, berms, dirt jumps and table tops, wall rides, or skills areas? You name it, they’ve build it. All very sturdy, very professionally built and maintained.

These trails rail, the locals are a very friendly and stoked bunch, and the red dirt of Maui is sure to leave some souvenir stains on your kit. After a session in the forest you simply must go to Polli’s. It is a local institution, has been in business since the beginning of time, and is quite simply the best Mexican food on the island, hands down!

BIKE PARK MAUI & SKYLINE TRAIL

While I was there for two weeks I didn’t get an opportunity to ride the bike park. Not for lack of trying though. On occasion it will close due to rain or high winds. If not from the weather, they are probably hard at work building and improving the various trails and features in the park. I missed out on two planned days to ride the park due to both the above mentioned variables, so I can’t personally comment on the riding. However it does look amazing.

Bike Park Maui caters to groms and intermediate riders, but seems to have everything a shredder would want all wrapped up in a super progressive, professional and buffed out package. Founder of RockShox, Paul Turner, owns and operates this beauty of a park on his own land just a five minute drive down Baldwin Ave. north of Makawao. Cost is $15 dollars per day.

Another area I have lusted to ride (for years now) is the infamous Skyline trail starting at 10 000 ft. atop Mt.Haleakalaa National Park. Littered with desert fauna and prehistoric plants, the trail descends some 7000 ft. into Poli Poli State Park in the Kula Forest Reserve. It requires a shuttle run to ride, so you’ll need a couple of vehicles and some early planning to make it work. An inquiry with the fellas at Krank could find you shredding with the locals on one of their shuttle missions.

This is pretty much the DH trail we all dream of. Views from the top are nothing short of spectacular (on a clear day you can faintly make out the curvature of the earth), and the trail itself descends through several different climate zones. Pads and full face helmets are recommended. It has been prone, over the years, to getting worked over by rain and the occasional tropical storm. This is mainly the reason I’ve missed out on riding it. One year (2012 I believe) the trail was completely wiped off the map by rain and wind fall. That year even the crater trails in the dormant volcano of Haleakala were destroyed. The passion the locals and trail workers have just won’t let them die though. Actually, for the hiker in you, the crater trail system is a once in a lifetime trek through the Mars-like environment of cinder cones and lava rock. There is a network of trails and backcountry huts which you can book, but be warned it is some very heavy hiking I’m told, so be well seasoned! There are also some super fun zip line operations, galleries, and local farms (including a lavender farm) to check out on your down days when you’re not riding, surfing, golfing or doing what ever else you’ve traveled to this one of a kind island to enjoy.

Maui is not just a surfers paradise anymore.

Music:
Black Devil Disco Club – Bee Boop
Blue Hawaii – Lilac

Video:
Jay Sanders
Tony Crisologo

Editing:
Jay Sanders

This glacier downhill mountain bike derby on the slopes of the Allalin Glacier near the Allalinhorn in the canton of Valais in Switzerland is amazing. With peaks at over 3500m in altitude and speeds over 120km/hr, this makes for one of the fastest and most unique mountain bike events we’ve ever seen. Experience the atmosphere and competitors impressions.

Video and rider POV: Thomas Di Litta

Video Thank You  Credit to Joash and Pirmin Tourist Saas Fee, Hotel Walderush, Big Bike Magazine and partners: MAGMAbike, Ion, Julbo, Kali Protectives.

Early starts are a part of any day long backcountry mission. It was around 4:50am as my alarm roused me out of my minimal but adequate five hours of sleep. At that time I was very grateful for all the prep done before nodding off. Preperation is paramount to a successful day, and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. March 11th marks the beginning of my 36th trip around our Sun, and on my birthday I kept one thing keenly in mind.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet” 

KNOCK, KNOCK…

“When opportunity knocks, answer the door”

This is advice often given by elder, more experienced folks. Who knows what you may miss out on if you let it slip by without inviting it in. The chance to ring in riding season during this early spring seemed a right of passage. To take our fat bikes up the Tonquin Valley Trail and in toward Amethyst Lake was our goal. The 60km round trip from the Edith Cavell parking lot and up the Astoria River is one few people have attempted by fat bike. The trail we would follow is used by the outfitters who run supplies by snow mobile up to the Tonquin Valley Back Country Lodge and Tonquin Valley Adventures‘ cabins.

It’s sort of amusing how similar to ski touring this whole winter fat biking truly is. Gear, preparation, lead times, and changing weather all play big roles. Our main objective was of course to just have a great day in the mountains. Our goal to reach the lake would depend on the condition of the trail, which if temps held around freezing, would be doable. The day would dictate though, and we were happy to accept the fate of it. We were well prepared, well stocked, stoked, and well aware of how backcountry goals sometimes do and must change, often like the wind. When you and your companions are all on the same page, you know you’re winning at least part of the back country “game”, and that can be of great comfort and enjoyment.

Photo Credit: Elaine Hutchings

Photo Credit: Elaine Hutchings

THE DECISION

Like ski touring, you slowly gather beta all the way in. Temps, trail conditions, forethought and prior experience all play important roles. Decisions, unless deemed obvious and immediately necessary (like an injury for example), are usually arrived at slowly while gathering as much info along the way as possible. All this is done in an effort to maximize gains, minimize risk and give the group a good chance to accomplish their goals.

Ultimately we all decided we weren’t going to make it to the lake. The mercury was rising and the trail deteriorating in places. It became obvious that if we started back too late we may well be walking and pushing the fat bikes out, instead of riding out. Postholing and punching through the trail due to the most aggressive spring in recent memory would have it’s own consequences, besides spoiling an other wise marvelous day. Mike knew we did’t want to be riding out after 1:00 pm, as it was almost a guarantee of a miserable push. We stopped at the lunch spot about 20km in and roughly 10km short of the lake. Here we sat on the narrow foot bridge over the Astoria River, donned our jackets to keep warm, and had our lunch of various Lärabars and fruit snacks. Elaine even brought a birthday cupcake in Tupperware for me, which was so damn sweet I can’t even begin to put it to words. Bring on the sugar rush!

Photo Credit: Elaine Hutchings

THE TRAIL, THE RIDING

There was a couple of times we were passed by snowmobiles running supplies out to the cabins. The smell of the two strokes always brings on a sweet reminiscence for Mike and I, this was however lost on Elaine who didn’t much care for it. Who can blame her, we were there for fresh air! What was not lost on any of us, however, was how much better the trail would ride after being freshly packed down by the two snowmobiles and their heavy sleds. We were grateful for this, especially on the climb back out of the valley toward the ACC hostel nestled off the top of the Cavell Road. It very well may have made all the difference actually. There was about a half dozen places on the way down into the valley which we had to negotiate by foot after breaking through the snow tread.

I’m not new to mountain biking, but I am new to winter fat biking this year. I’ve discovered there is a whole world of technique which is unique to these fat tire beasts. Here are just a couple of points I’ve learned.

1. Core Strength is your friend 
Slow riding techniques and micro balance play critical roles in all bike handling, but on a fat bike, on snow, they become quite crucial. Mike always loves to trumpet the effects this kind of riding has on you once you toss a leg over your trail bike come spring/summer: Better balance, more accurate bike handling, sharper focus just to name a few.

2. Power and torque management
Often it can be easy to break loose, even while running lower pressures. To avoid this it’s super important to crawl and manage your pedal strokes, keeping an even cadence and varying your pressure on the climbs. I find it really comes down to a ‘feel’. You could find yourself, as I did, coaching yourself to just crawl. You may also find yourself shifting gears a lot less and slowly, steadily, carefully powering through when you sense a loss in traction. This is very useful when the snow temps get warmer.

Birthday cake, beautiful scenery, fantastic partners, fresh mountain air, rollin fatties (as I like to call it), and so much more made this the most memorable birthday I’ve ever had. Grateful for the outdoor life of sport, adventure and companionship. Despite not making it all the way to Amethyst Lake, we had a marvelous time. Sometimes that’s just how backcountry travel goes. Often enjoyable, seldomly regrettable, even when you have to change your goals.

Last week, I had the privilege of being involved with the media team for the first Yeti Trans NZ Enduro. It was a 5 day multi-stage, multi-location Enduro race across the South Island of New Zealand.

It started up in the Craigieburn Range, traveled to Mt. Hutt, Coronet Peak, Alexandra, and finished off near the Skyline bike park in Queenstown. Below is a video re-cap of each day that I put together. Day 1 has no riding in it, but shows the amazing atmosphere of the group of 100+ riders, and 30+ volunteers that were involved in the race. For more info and to join us next year, check out the Tranz NZ Enduro Facebook page.

For more info and to join us next year, check out the Tranz NZ Enduro Facebook page or visit the Trans NZ Site.

Video:
Jason Beacham
Ronan Dugan
Matt Wood

Edit:
Jason Beacham
208 Media
facebook.com/208medianz

Drone footage:
Ronan Dugan
SRD Photography
facebook.com/ronanduganphotography?ref=hl

Moab, Utah is home to the greatest mountain biking on the planet! The Moab Mountain Bike Association recently tested out the newest network of singletrack called Navajo Rocks.

Socializing with the Monitor and the Merrimac in the background.

Shot upon the Ramblin’ Trail.

Happy peddlers

Navajo Rocks trail is about 4.4 miles long and is considered “a solid intermediate ride” with an average 6% grade. Short steep climbs exceed a 15% grade with the high point of the trail being about 5,300 feet and the low point about 5000 feet. Fun and Flowy! For full trail information, click here.

The Moab Travel Council also printed this newest map: Moab Area Mountain Biking and Road Cycling Map. It is also available free at the Moab Information Center in the heart of downtown Moab or print it from the link.

Images from the Moab Chapter ride of IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association)

FEBRUARY 21, 2015 – HINTON, ALBERTA, CANADA

Winter Magic was a day reserved far ahead of time in my calendar. I believe it was actually November when my friend Mike told me about it during our final ride of the season on our fat bikes’ skinnier tired brethren.

“You’ve gotta come out to my fat bike race bro, it’s gonna be sweet!”

That’s what he said… or something like that. I’m probably misquoting him, but the important thing is that it was going to be sweet, and who doesn’t want to support their friend’s event, right?

Fat bikes are the newest segment of the mountain bike market, yes. However, I am not here to argue their merits. Neither am I going to try and convince you that you need one (you do!). If you love to ride and you want to ride all year, fat bikes could be the answer, as they are for most of the riders in Hinton and Jasper, Alberta.

For you see, folks in these parts ride trail all year long, despite the snow, ice and chill of winter. A handful of the trails in the network get ridden over and over, groomed by tire, snowshoe, and general stubbornness. Like skiing and snowboarding, fat biking is very conditions dependent. We often get chinooks and big dumps, sometimes in the same month or even the same week. Luckily enough, last Friday Ullr blessed us with a fresh dump of wet, bondable snow to tame the icy trails just in time for this magical day of love on two fat tires.

SO, WHAT IS WINTER MAGIC?

The Hinton Mountain Bike Association (HMBA), like most other cycling associations, wanted to draw people out to the community and show them that:

1. Yes indeed, we do have winter trails!
2. Yes, we would love to show you!
3. Hey, let’s just all get together and have some fun, OK?

Enter Mike Mahoney; a Jasper Paramedic, and Hinton resident. Mike also happens to be the most passionate cyclist I have ever known. In terms of fat biking he and his co-worker, Rob Prinz (the other Jasper Paramedic), have logged thousands upon thousands of kilometers on their co-owned Surly Pugsley over the past four years.

“That bike literally gets ridden eight days a week.”

Rob told me this over beers after the successful day. Long story short, that Pug gets ridden every day they have off, and on shift change days it gets ridden twice. Mike had the idea of stepping up winter trail management to make the riding less dependent on the conditions, more consistent, safer, and a whole lot more fun. He and his neighbor, fellow super stoked cyclist and co-groomer Mike Langford, had bought an old snowmobile that they would use to pack the trails and get them railing.

However, trail grooming for winter fat biking is a “newish” and evolving art. With the dogged determination to do it right in mind, and faith it would all work out, Mahoney personally sought out and bought a custom 28” wide groomer to tow behind the sled.

This tow groomer, next to their remarkable unrelenting drive and hard work, would quite possibly be the most important reason Winter Magic and the winter trail project didn’t just happen, but succeeded so remarkably. Also, Praise Ullr!

At the beginning of fat bike season, or as I like to call it, ski season, Mahoney gave me the low down for the proposed event. The race/festival/demo day would take place on Maxwell Lake, home to the Beaver boardwalk. It is a series of elevated wooden walkways winding in and out of the forest, and around the marshy ring of the lake.

THE LOCATION

Maxwell Lake flanks most of the towns trails, and serves as a jump point for many local riders to hit the town’s large network of purpose built mountain bike trails. These trails are cared for and maintained by HMBA volunteers. Local businesses and industries who donate the capital, and Norco Factory pro rider Jay Hoots’ trail building company “HOOTS”, all play heavy hitter roles in the on-going maintenance, creation, and upgrading of the trail network. The town itself also plays a huge role, as they set aside the land and development access for all this to happen. But I digress, because all of that is really an entire post on its own.

This would be the first year for machine-assisted trail grooming in Hinton, and if it was done right, with few ruffled feathers perhaps, we could look forward to many more.  Mike really took that to heart. Now, it wouldn’t be fair to give him all the credit and he would be the first to say so. This was a great big community initiative, hosted by the HMBA, whose volunteer staff and members furiously planned, gathered sponsors and promoted the day months and weeks in advance.

Our local bike shops Freewheel Cycle, Vicious Cycle, and Source for Sports brought out a heaping fleet of demo fat bikes. There was every variety from Ice Cream Trucks to a few carbon Beargreases, as well as a whole lot of booty. Boston Pizza was dolling out 15% discounts to anyone who “Rolled a fatty and had the munchies”, as our epic race announcer Chris informed us. Tim Horton’s brought out the hot chocolate to keep us fueled and keep the groms stoked. The entire event was free to enter, and run by our passionate and loving HMBA members.

RACE TIME

It went down like this: We had ten riders who would be randomly paired into teams. Then, do as many laps in relay fashion as your team could muster in a 30 minute period. The race course, planned and designed by Mike Langford, was a 1.5 km loop around the lake. It weaved into the town trails and the forest a few times, over the boardwalk, had a climb about two thirds of the way through, and ended with a blitz downhill to the finish, keeping you interested as you tagged your partner off.

It was a very smoothly run event and obviously not everyone’s first rodeo. Corinna Mahoney handled the timing, keeping everything buttoned down and fair. Our announcer Chris did a fantastic job keeping everybody smiling, laughing, and totally stoked. We had photographers, demo bikes, door prizes, draw prizes, a trophy, and one helluva great time! This event truly showed me just what a strong community can accomplish in the spirit of advocacy, fun, and the value of sport.

Perhaps the only thing better than the race was the après ride up ‘The J’ to the view point and down ‘Just Giver’ with the boys. Plus, our massive carb loading dinner at Boston Pizza. Being fat bike drunk does come with a hang over though. Nothing another beer, another ride, and the pure stoke of friendship by bike couldn’t fix.