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/yeti-trans-nz-enduro/ http://spreadstoke.com/bike/yeti-trans-nz-enduro/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:59:06 +0000 http://spreadstoke.com/?p=5078 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]]>

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

Battling the major identity crisis that is Winter 2015 it’s hard not to get down over here on the drier side of the continent. While all those East Coasters revel in deep snow and frigid temps, we’re all walking around in t-shirts and sandals out West. It’s a good old reminder to appreciate the deep days and perhaps a sobering sneak peak at winters to come if we don’t assault that beast, global warming. My good buddy Mike and I were musing about all the warm,  springlike temps here in Utah and thinking about the triple-sport days we usually log in late April or May.  While these usually consist of climbing-skiing-biking, or perhaps skiing-biking-running, we thought we could attempt something a bit more unusual. Why not add PADDLE to the triple-sport roster, mix it up a little. So we did. With an alpine start we managed to paddle and pedal out at Antelope Island before heading higher to Snowbird for a few runs. It wasn’t exactly ‘powdery’ up at Snowbird but the title ‘Paddle, Pedal, Slide Down Ice At Low Tide” just didn’t have the same ring to it.

This is a quick peek at our TRIPLE DIP.

I originally created this story for the app Steller Stories, but wanted to share it here on Spread Stoke too! This is a visual journey of the trails I rode this summer while impatiently waiting for the big dumps of winter.  And…well, we’re still waiting here in Utah.  I’m going to bust out my bike tomorrow in hopes that it helps to switch up some storm karma.

Click on the photo below to start rolling!

Who couldn’t resist getting first tracks of the season?

The route looked like: Guardsman – Crest – Pinecone – Mid Mountain – Jenny’s – Ski School

The air is becoming crisper and the wind is transitioning from welcomed relief to the bringer of chills and goose bumps. Winter is upon us and if I have learned one thing from my time in Utah is that winter can sneak up on you like a gangster doing a drive-by in a Prius. These coming signs of winter combined with a recently announced contest by Go Pro gave me enough motivation to make the trek down south to Green River.

This trip would mark my 9^th trip down to the River of Green but I’ve always stuck close to the car and if I ventured out far, it was only to ride a line with enough time to head back. I’ve always wanted to pack out, set up camp and spend the night out which would allow me more time to explore and travel out further than previously possible. Recently, I acquired a legitimate backpack for long backpacking excursions and decided to give it a whirl.

Between my normal job and doing the odd job for my landlord, I was able to sneak away for two days. After completing some early morning work, I packed up and ventured south. Driving as far as the BLM roads would allow, I ended up parking my Subaru into the general area where I wanted to explore and packing in from there. This was a learn-as-you-go process for me and it was an unusual sensation walking a bike out with 60lbs of camping and riding equipment on my back.

While I’m not sure how far out I hiked out, this gives some perspective

About an hour into my journey to Mordor, I found myself walking through a gully that dumped into a riverbed. This seemed like a cool way to finish off a line so I set up camp on the edge of the dry riverbed and begun my hike up the hills to see if a line could connect into the gully. To make a long story short, I found one. After a couple hours of hiking about, the sun began to set (approx. 5:45 PM) and the temperature dropped dramatically so I decided to return to camp and hunker down for the night.

The camp spot at dusk with the full moon rising in the back

Awaken by the ambient light of the sun reflecting off the orange and tan rocks at the base of the next mesa over, I began the morning ritual of kratom, granola bars and water. Eventually the sun crested and bathed my tent in its comforting warmth equivalent to an embracing hug from a loved one. It was time to mount the iron steed and to attempt to ride the line I scoped out from yesterday.

The top of the line starts out steep and loose with shale rocks peppering the landscape. With no discernable line, I had to aim towards recognizable areas with hopes I wouldn’t run into a rock poking out at an odd angle. Afterwards, the line dumps you onto the classic Green River spines where you eventually were dumped into the gully. Mini-wallrides to be had, the gully was the icing on the cake.

An overview of the line

When hiking this far out by yourself, being safe is a top priority and in this case, there was only enough time for one attempt. This one attempt was further rushed by the fact that due to my location, the sun had already begun to set behind the mesa at a rapid pace at about 1:30 PM. After reaching the top, I took about 5 minutes to get my gear on before dropping in.

View from the top of the line

My ride down wasn’t near clean as I had to dab my foot/dismount my bike in the top section and in a lower portion during an awkward climb up to a narrow traverse across. These dabbles disqualified my footage from being included in the Go Pro contest so I’ve included it in this bastard child of a trip report.  Hopefully next time I’ll be able to clean this line which I’ve dubbed the Gutter Slut. Thanks for the name inspiration Stan (Dan) Brown!

Editor’s Note: Check out Scott’s other bike edits on his Vimeo channel.

Had a nice Fall weekend in Moab, Utah and wanted to share some pictures from the trip.  Started things off with the Intrepid Trails at Dead Horse Point State Park!

Mountain Bike Adventures in Moab, Utah

After a good warm up day we were ready to tackle the Whole Enchilada. Probably one of the most epic mountain bike rides in the USA!  26 miles of downhill starting at 11, 200ft Burro Pass and ending at 4,000ft at the Colorado River.  Even though it is mainly downhill, you still pedal a ton!  I have been riding in Moab, Utah since 1994, however I have never been able to do the Whole Enchilada until this past October.  In Spring there is too much snow, come summer I am off to other adventures and I avoid the desert heat.  Come fall there is usually an early snowstorm shutting down the starting point on Burro Pass.  This year things aligned for me.

Ended the weekend with a Mag 7 ride!

This is a been a year of ‘firsts’ for me. This Summer I took up mountain biking, originally to humor my boyfriend and his passion for adrenaline, but as the summer progressed biking became an escape that forced me to confront my fears and learn what I’m truly capable of.

Hands-down, my favorite trail is the Pinecone Ridge Trail.  It begins at the top of Guardsman’s Pass and takes you up the infamous “Puke Hill,” but then propels you downhill through a incredible canopy of orange, red, and yellow (the colors popping during the fall).

Just this weekend, I noticed how much better I got at the switchbacks. I skidded through the turns with my back tire, caught myself, and kept going. That was such a rush for me, I nailed what my boyfriend had been trying to articulate for so long and I just wasn’t getting it before. But this time I felt the turn, I felt the catch back to the trail, and I felt empowered. I’m addicted to this feeling now. It wasn’t about keeping up with my boyfriend or humoring him because it’s something he likes to do, it was about me and how comfortable and capable I feel on my bike. I’m addicted.

When I first came to Brule, Alberta, I was profoundly excited at all the mountain biking potential it so quietly held.  I imagined there was a world of trails waiting, wanting to be discovered. Sitting in the yard, I would look at the mountain for hours. It was a strange combination of hoping and knowing there was an epic trail on her, waiting to see the love of a mountain bike.

Slowly, bit by bit, I am familiarizing myself with this place. Talking with locals and neighbors to get every little bit of information on what exists out here. However, with so much high quality riding in Hinton, Jasper and just outside of Brule, it has taken me a few years to find the riding right here in town. Knowing that if it didn’t already exist, this place was ripe, and perfect for building it… or maybe just restoring it. Brule sits right on the Jasper National Park boundary, and the area is full of nearly 100 year old mining roads, old prospect trails, and ruins.

Yesterday was a throwback. I ventured out and up to the Brule graveyard. A final resting place for many of the Groat family, among others, who helped make this region, and this province what it is today. I only meant to ride up there to see it, as I had not previously taken the opportunity.  Too busy riding the well known trails around our community pasture, nordic centre and Hinton, I began falling into the belief that nothing lay on that mountain but bramble and bear shit. I longed for single track.

I wasn’t prepared for a big ride. There was a half litre of water in my pack, 15% battery in my phone, and I had no idea what I was about to find. No camera, no tracking the ride, a raglan t-shit, no knowledge of what lay in front of me. I only knew these three things.

1. There were trails leading off the road.
2. When the mountain was on my right, I was headed toward Ogre canyon,  and when on the left back towards Brule.
3. All my hopes were about to be confirmed. The best feeling ever!

The bugs were bad. There was bear shit on the trail. It was over grown in many places. I ran out of water and filled up at the creek. I have no idea how far I went, or how much vertical I covered.  I kept riding this old single track as it wandered up and down and back up along the hillside below the mountain. Flowing S turns took me from a climb into a descent,  switching back into a climb. Every time I thought it petered out, I would come across an intersection.

This was the throwback. It was like falling in love with this sport all over again.

I couldn’t ride every trail I saw. I never rode the same trail twice, and I was able to do a complete loop back to the graveyard road (which is 52 st. oddly enough, in a town with only three streets!). This region has so much hidden potential to be a world class destination for our beloved sport. In many ways it already is. But I can’t help feeling there is a piece of that puzzle, waiting to be dusted off and joined with the rest.

I was in full pursuit of a dream, atop a bicycle, our noblest invention (thank you Stance films for “Life Cycles”).

It felt like a quest, a noble cause.

This summer, pursue your dreams and fly by the seat of your pants once in a while. Seek out the adventurer within.

Spread stoke, go far, and BE in the Mountains.

Whether you’re shuttling up or making the climb, the Pinecone Ridge trail atop Park City Mountain Resort is simply a shit-eating-grin-of-good-time kind of trail. It’s fast, flowy, and smooth. Here’s a quickie edit of Kevin enjoying some of Park City’s finest single track …

Yesterday was good, here is a quick little clip from our first activity for the day.  The fishing has been pretty good for this time of year here in Utah.  Hope everyone has been getting out.

This time of year, Utah opens itself up to multi-sport adventure days.  You can ski, bike, climb, fish, golf or whatever you can do outside all in the same day.  This is the premise on which MtnRanks is built upon.  From the mountains to the streams and everything in between. 

Our second adventure of the day took us down to the avenues in Salt Lake City.  We loaded up the big bikes and went to hit the trails.  Usually this time of year, the famous DH trail Bob Sled, off the Bonneville shoreline trail, is a river with no lack of mud and usually some snow still tucked into a few turns.  Prepared for the worst and ready to get muddy, we found that the trail is prime and in the best condition it has been in years.  All the rain we have had has melted all the snow and left prefect tacky dirt.

So get outside share your mountain life and spread the stoke.