Another Weekend in Moab

We headed to Moab again for the weekend. The weather looked like it might be questionable but Moab trails generally are far better for rain.

We really wanted to do Porcupine from Hazard but got a pretty late start and decided to self shuttle. Amber to the first drop starting at Hazard.

We were met by a cover of snow. Amber was still psyched to do a run for at least the Hazard section but wasn't sure about Kokopelli down as the mud there was likely brutal.

Bishop go to do the section as well and was super happy as well.

View from the top of the Hazard drop in.

Happy smiles at the end of the run for Amber. She had a great time slipping and sliding her way down with as little brake use as possible.

Happy tired dog as well!

I opted to take a Kokopelli run to the river. The start was pretty muddy but turned to hero dirt as soon as you reached UPS. The sand was wet and made for tacky perfect conditions.

No photos on the way down as it was simply to much fun to even bother to try and take a photo other than at one rest spot. It took 2hrs 20mins from Kokopelli with one pretty significant mechanical (chain ring bolt working loose and getting stuck against the chain guide). I passed 69 people along the way which is a personal best, luckily most all of them were easy passes that didn't slow things down. A great ride that was a perfect kick-off to the weekend.

Saturday night in camp was pretty exciting as a storm passed over with torrential rain and light strikes all around. Some were very close on the light/sound measurement. The dogs decided it was best if they joined us in our tent while the storm was passing by.

Sunday we decided that Amasa Back out to Rockstacker was a great option that we had never done before.

Bishop trying to convince us that she was ready to go  as well. Unfortunately it is a pretty long ride that covers a lot of slick rock and we forgot to bring doggy paws for her so she had to stay at the vehicle and keep Moab company.

Moab looking happy with some impressive cliffs in the background.

Climbing up Amasa.

More climbing, Amber tackling a much steeper than it looks in a photo section as we climb.

Amasa received some maintenance a couple of years ago by the owner of the gas line that runs up over the plateau. This move is a steep roller that is one of the cruxes for the Jeeps and after the maintenance was a smooth section of dirt. Now it is back to it steepest and technical best on the edge of a cliff. Amber cruises it!

We have not ridden Amasa for a couple of years and a lot of great trail work has occurred since we were last here. There is a new single track section that goes out towards Pothole Arch that you use to get to Rock Stacker. It used to be that you rode some old Jeep trail and then single track that was very underground. Now the single track is signed and awesome riding.

Rock Stacker is an old previously underground trail that we had always meant to get out and do but had never made the time. Luckily that poor choice was corrected today. The trail starts at a high level of difficulty with a number of ledge drops and a very steep move

It drops down just out of sight past Amber

A friend of ours who happened along as we were checking out the section. He just rails down the steep section of slick rock like it was flat! It is much steeper than the photo would indicate.

Amber taking her turn

Another steeper than it looks move by Amber with some impressive background.

You can't tell from this but it is one of the moves that are common in this section of Rock Stacker. You come around switchbacks and have to make a steep move and then control the exit because if you don't you are going over an edge to a drop that will very hurt you. Amber tried this one a few times before nailing it! I didn't even try it.

Another of the moves. This one has a sharp right turn to a drop.

Single track! Rock Stacker is an amazing trail section that is must do. It has a lot of moves that most of us will walk but it has lots of sections that you can do better and better each time you go back.

We went down Amasa proper rather than taking Jackson's Trail as I really prefer the high speed romp that is the Amasa descent over the technical descent of Jackson's. No photos as stopping on the Amasa descent is against the rules.

An awesome weekend of riding.

Whole Enichilada - Moab, UT

We headed over to Moab for the first time since spring as the weather good and the temperatures cool enough. On the Agenda was the Whole Enchilada - a route that only has a short season to do it it's entirety due to the fact you start up above the tree line at around 11,500' and end in the desert. I have done it once before two years ago and thought it about the best ride I had ever done, but physically really tough with hard climbs at altitude and lots of mileage over technical terrain. All in all - a mega classic.

We convince our friends Jason and Lana that it would be good times and that they should come as well so they joined us for the fun. Here is the camp site to start the day.

Unloading the bikes at the trail head up in the mountains. We had two vehicles so we left our here and would return (much) later in Jason's truck. Self Shuttling saves a bunch of money but does add some overhead on a ride like this with nearly a 30 mile shuttle involved.

The ride starts with a brutal climb up to Burro Pass. Steep (really steep) grades see pretty much every but the strongest walking many sections of this part of the ride. This section is one of the flatter sections where you can actually sit down and pedal.

The ride starts above tree line and then descends steeply into an evergreen section for a few miles before exiting into an Aspen section.

There are a few creek crossings that really make you forget that you are out in Moab and will soon be down in open desert terrain.

We didn't get any photos of the Hazard or Kokopelli sections as they are simply too much fun to stop and bust out a camera. High speed flow with turns, berms and hops are par for the course.

Once you enter the UPS section you have a selection of fun technical sections that again are pretty hard to stop and take photos on. This is one move in a sequence of great flow and fun.

Lana pedaling along the rim. By this point we had been in the saddles for close to 3 hours so fatigue was definitely a consideration. Luckily as the ride goes on the last part gets fun and fast again which has a tendency to wash away fatigue.

Cruising across Porcupine proper. The variety of terrain you will encounter is non-stop smile inducing.

Excellent views and excellent weather!

Steeper than it looks.

Have I mentioned how scenic it is on this trail? In one of the last sections of the lower single track portion of the ride.

Almost finished!

We wrapped the ride up in just over 6 hours with only 2 flat tires in the group and close to 30miles of terrain covered. Physical and on the must do rides on the planet.

The next day did a much shorter version of it and dropped in at Kokopelli and turn out down the Porcupine climb to end at the water tanks for a great 85minute blast of some of the best parts of the Whole Enchilada.

Sadly driving home pointed out that the window to enjoy the higher trails at Moab was fast coming to a close with the Colorado Rockies getting snow again.

Closing weekend at Winter Park

Closing weekend at Winter Park. After a long season of racing we had taken a couple of weeks of from big bikes and rode at Crested Butte on our Trail Bikes. We had intended on doing Monarch Crest this weekend but everything conspired to encourage us to do one last lift weekend and head to Winter Park for Closing weekend. Really glad we did!


On Saturday the lift lines were reminiscent of Whistler. It was actually kinda fun for closing weekend to have long lines as you got to chat with people between runs instead of just jump straight back on the lift for another run. Even Ollie lift had lift lines which is never the case!


Amber had and awesome weekend and hit a bunch of features for the first time, getting better and better as the weekend went on. This is the first drop on No Quarter.


She also had one last race to do just for fun. It was the Conference Collegiate Championships. The collegiate series is super laid back but surprisingly well attended for the women with Amber's category (A) having 10 competitors.


The trail crew continues to work on and improve this mountain. The really tough rock double to exit Trestle DH has been upgraded to an elevated step down that you can hit almost as fast as humanly possible or hit at a more comfortable speed. Amber hits it here.


The first rock blob up on Trestle.


On Sunday we did some runs with friends who had never DH'd before. This is Meatball doing the Rock Garden on Double Jeopardy. We also rode with Mike Glicksman who was enjoying the evils of a bike not intended for uphill peddling as a break from his Cross Country and Cyclecross racing endeavors. They both had a blast!


A great weekend to close out an excellent summer! We will be on trail bikes for a while now until winter arrives in it's fullness.