Heading for untouched snow

After a lovely day celebrating Telefest at Powderhorn Ski Resort
we headed up to Mesa Creek to check out some backcountry ski runs.  Back before Powderhorn was created, Mesa Creek, or "Old Powderhorn" was the Mesa's only ski resort.  There were tow lines and a warming hut...but people wanted more, so the whole works moved down to the current location and Powderhorn Resort was born.  What was left were some awesome runs that just required a little more work to get to.

This link was quite helpful to us in helping us to see where the runs were, which way we should head, etc.  We got to the parking lot around 10:40 or so, got all our gear together (backpacks, skins on skis, helmet, water, snacks, cameras, map, etc.) and headed across the sled hill around 11.  At this point there were no kids on the sled hill at all!

It took us a few minutes, but we eventually located the bridge across Mesa Creek and carefully began our ascent.  Never having skied UP anything before, I wasn't sure how the skins would grip the snow or how much effort it would take to glide up.  Turns out it was fairly easy! 

Several times I had to stop and rest.  Each time I thought to myself, "This is just like backpacking...all the hard work is rewarded with a great campsite...or in this case, skiing DOWN!"  Or I would think about biking and how sometimes you have to work really hard on the uphill to get some awesome downhill bike time.  Mostly what I kept thinking was just how beautiful it all was.  The sun was shining, trees were snow covered, and the only sounds were us breathing and the occasional "whoop" of joy from the sledders now busily traipsing up and down the sled hill.

Finally we reached the top.  What a beautiful view!  There were no other ski tracks around that day...we could see old ones, but it was clear we were the first ones to the top of the hill Sunday.  We'd skinned up Pruess, one of the old blue runs, and as you can hear from the video, skiing down was well worth the trip up!  We made one more hike to the top and then called it a day.  We will definitely be back!

Back Country Skiing Virgin

This weekend I will take my first foray into the world of Back Country skiing.  We'll head up to Mesa Creek, or Old Powderhorn as some call it, and check some easy runs on our new backcountry skis.  These are my first ones, the Atomic Centuries.  As the picture states, they are specifically made for women.  They also have a length that is perfect for me.  These skis come right up to my nose when they are held vertically.  Add to those some super cool bindings that allow me to climb uphill with my heels free, then click them down to ski down the hill, and I'm all set!

Hopefully we'll get some awesome footage with our new flip cam and I can post a video for you guys.  But for now, this video gives you an idea of some of the terrain.  There are a few wide open slopes, Pruess, for example, that will be perfect for my first attempt. 

Happy weekend!

8 days of skiing down, 22 to go...

Well ski season is in full swing out here in Colorado and my goal this year is to ski 30 days.  That's pretty tough when I can really only go on weekends, but right now I'm on track to get it done before Powderhorn (our local resort) closes in April.

Some of those days will be spent at Snowmass and a few others elsewhere in the state.  Still, I don't really care where I'm skiing as long as I'm skiing and improving!  So far this year I've skied a few new black runs from last year and am getting much better at skiing around moguls.

For Christmas I got new bindings for backcountry skiing, and then the BF, awesome guy that he is, ordered me new backcountry skis too!  It will be fun to go skiing somewhere out in the middle of nowhere--away from resorts, but I think I'll always be spoiled by having a lift take me up the mountain.

Here are a few shots from our adventures at Powderhorn so far this year.  One is of the BF on a run called "Cow Camp" and the other is one I took from about half-way down a run called "Hooker."  Love love love the snow!

Moab--the Mountain Biking Mecca Part One

Ok, ok.  I get it now.  For all these years I kept thinking, "Moab can't have better biking than Grand Junction!  We rock!"  But after finally, finally getting to ride there this past weekend, I can honestly tell you that Moab has one thing we never will:  miles and miles of slickrock.

Unlike the name implies, slickrock is super grippy.  So much so that you can bike down it with no fear of a tire slipping.  See?

This picture was taken on the Circle O trail, which is part of the Moab Brand Trails right off of Hwy 191 by the "Chuckwagon" Bar M entertainment area.   Starting on the Bar M trail (which is really a dirt road for the most part) you head counterclockwise out to the Bar B trail.  The Bar B is more technical than the description claims.  It's quite rocky in places, with lots of possible tire traps!  Be careful!  From the Bar B you join back with the Bar M briefly, and then down to the Rockin' A on your right.

The Rockin A is all slickrock.  So super cool to ride!  You follow the concrete stain and stick to it.  Don't veer off because you'll end up running over cryptobiotic soil!  It's alive and you will kill it if you get off the trail.  The stain is there for a reason.

The Rockin A had some techincal moments, but was a lot of fun.  Just up and over and around rocky sections, down a few ledges, up some steep stuff.  Finally you run into the Circle O, which adds 3 more miles of slickrock riding.  In all this time we saw 1 other person out on the trails.  Crazy!

At the end of the Circle O you once again join the Bar M and head down some fun whoop-de-whoos.  A few miles of pedaling take you back to your car and (hopefully) the beer that awaits you.

The Brand Trails offer something for everyone--the Circle O would be fine for someone as an introduction to slickrock.  They wouldn't be able to ride it all, but they could get a feel for it in a relatively safe environment.  The Bar M is great for beginners, and the Rockin' A and Bar B offer something for the intermediate/expert.  There is even another one called the Killer B that is EXPERTS ONLY!  We didn't venture to it!

A month of no blogs...but a lot of training

Wow...i didn't realize it had been a month since I'd posted anything.  I guess I've been too busy biking and running to think of writing.  This weekend is the weekend of the Moab Other Half Marathon.  It's a 13.1 mile run along the Colorado River in Moab, UT.  The red rock formations and cliffs, along with the river, should give us plenty of awesome views as 2500 of us runners trudge down the road to Sorrel River Ranch and every runner's favorite prize:  beer.

I never thought I would be a runner.  Seriously.  Running was not one of those things I ever planned to do.  I wasn't good at it the one time I had to do it in college (just ask my roommate!).  I loved mountain biking, hiking and skiing and thought those would suffice.

Last fall I was looking for something that I could do in the winter.  Skiing was fine, but it was only 1 or 2 days a week.  I had to find something to combat the winter laziness.  My friend L, at work, asked if I would run the Moab Winter Sun 10K (6.2 miles) race with her in December 09.  I thought, well, I could walk that if I had to...  So I agreed.  The date that she asked me was about 1 year ago today.  Maybe a bit longer.

I started running 2 miles...then I went a little further.  Then L tricked me and took me on a four mile run that I thought was only 3 miles!  We ran our first race together (not L's first, but my first and her first with me), the Harbert Lumber Girls on the Run 5K.  Girls on the Run is a fabulous organization that works with young girls to get them interested in running, good health, and postive body image and self esteem.

Here we are at the finish:  Not so bad huh?  My face isn't flushed, we're color coordinated...we look great!  Time to keep training...soon I was running 4 miles with no problem, then 4.5...then 5.  Near Thanksgiving we ran a local prediction race.  These are awesome races because the fastest person doesn't win!  You predict, ahead of time, your race time and whoever's actual time is closest to their prediction wins!  (No watches allowed on the race course).

Finally it was time for the Winter/Sun 10K.  We goofed around with Lynn's fiance, posing for pics before the race:

It was cold out!  Still, those warm-up pants were tried and true and I knew I could race just fine with that hat and gloves tucked in my sports bra ;)

Lynn hopped up around the "10 minute mile pace" marker while I stayed back at the "12 minute mile pace" marker.  Everyone around me was laughing and joking.  The atmosphere was so relaxing!  We took off, jostling for space, watching for baby jogger strollers, and heading downhill towards the town of Moab.

The Winter/Sun was an amazing race.  The views around were of red rock, the sun peeking in through the clouds, and a wave of people in front of me.  I ran all but about 20 yards (up a really steep hill) and made it to the finish in 70 minutes--2 minutes faster than I expected!  You can tell though, that that race wasn't so easy towards the end:

I was tired!  The last .2 miles, around the track, I tried to speed up to beat 70 minutes, but I ran out of steam.  Still, we did it, and it was so much fun.

This past week has been a bundle of emotions.  I haven't slept well, L has been missing her son (he just left for college) and we have both been agitated and grumpy.  Finally though, the weekend is here!  We are leaving tomorrow afternoon to head to Moab to pick up race packets, check in to our hotels, and eat our pre-race Mexican dinner.  (that's really L's superstition, but I'm happy to oblige).

I am still anxious.  Everyone keeps saying, "It's just a run."  But it's not just a run.  I've spent the past six months working towards this goal.  I got to 8 miles and stopped to rest for a backpacking trip.  I came back, got to 8 again and sprained my ankle.  Now I've made it to 11.5 trail miles which, to me, has to equal 13.1 road miles.  Most of this I've run by myself.  Even when L and I run together she is usually a football field ahead of me.  Running is a solitary sport and the thoughts in your head will either propel you foward or push you to the ground.

I've learned a lot while training for this race:  Biking is still the most amazing sport ever.  It's a recovery sport, a low-impact sport, a confidence building sport, and a sport that is made better by long runs that make you even more confident!  My biking has improved 100% this year.  Just ask my friends who haven't seen bloody legs from me this year!

I've learned that I am capable of things I never thought possible.  Last week I ran a route that, 2 years ago, I had trouble biking without being absolutely exhausted.  I've learned that I am not the same person I was in 2007.  Then I was a smoking, junk-food-eating, maybe-once-a-week-yoga-doing girl.  Now I am a mountain biking, trail running athlete!

I've learned that good shoes, good surfaces, and ice make all the difference.  Then again...if you have good shoes and a good surface (Not asphalt and concrete) you don't need ice ;)

I've learned what fuels my body best at 7 a.m. and when to refuel with PowerBar powerbites and electrolyte tablets.  I've learned that it IS possible to run in 100 degree weather in the desert.

If I can do this, you can too!  Or not this, but any goal you have.  You can do it!

Joe's Ridge: I conquered it!

There it is...and there I am, terrified, yet making my way down, Joe's Ridge.  This trail out at 18 Road in Fruita (ok, probably not really in the city limits, but you get the point) has terrified me for probably 2 years now.  From this perspective it doesn't seem overly steep or loose, but when you are riding down it it seems like the steepest trail ever built.

Let me back up a bit.  The 18 Road trails combine some desert single track, like that seen here, with little patches of single track through tiny junipers and pinyon pines (you can see some in the background).  There are some great intermediate trails like Prime Cut, Kessel, and parts of Joe's.  There are longer more difficult trails like Chutes and Ladders and there are mind-blowing terrifying to even think of Expert Only trails like Zippity-Do-Da.  It's a great place to ride if you have the time to get out there.

After a nice ride up Prime Cut (it's the most fun way to get to the top unless you want to ride up the gravel road) we crossed the gravel road and followed the single-track to the intersection.  Here we took the right fork, crossed a campground road, and headed towards Joe's Ridge.  There is only one other intersection you need to remember:  After crossing a wash the trail will start to climb.  One portion will go straight ahead, but there will be another portion of trail turning sharply up and left.  Follow that one.  Eventually you com to a very nice overlook.  From here, if you've never ridden the trail, you might want to walk down and check out what's ahead (see photo above).

There isn't anything technical to this portion of the trail.  There are no rocks to really get in your way, no ledges to worry about...there is just a very narrow steep trail.

Once you conquer that portion, the rest is fun!  Still narrow, but not quite as steep, you cruise over more hills and make one more climb, then head back down to the campground road.  From here you can turn left and ride back up about a mile through the campground.  This will take you to the place where you originally crossed the campground road and headed down Joe's.  Turn right, then right again and you'll be on Kessel Run, the most fun portion of single track at 18 Road.  You bomb down this for about 3 miles, then turn left and make one tiny climb back to the parking lot.  What a fabulous afternoon ride!  (about 1.5-2 hrs)

Here's a view, after the final climb on Joe's, of the whole roller coaster ride:

Delightfully Exhausting Labor Day

As all long weekend should be, Labor Day weekend was thoroughly exhausting.  We left GJ fairly early Friday morning (and by fairly early I mean 10:30) and headed up and over to Snowmass Village for the JAS Festival.  More specifically we were there to see Wilco, a fabulous band lead by Jeff Tweedy.  Since the concert didn't start til 8 that evening, we had plenty of time to take a gondola ride up the Elk Camp lift with our bikes.  You know us--we don't go anywhere without the mountain bikes--especially not to a mountain without them!  We tackled the Government Trail which, even with the gondola ride, still involved some climbing, and then rode up a second time on the gondola to bomb down another trail--Snowmass Way.  It was dusty, dirty work but hey, someone had to do it.

Me with dirty legs after our Snowmass ride.

Of course the concert was fabulous.  We danced around for several hours to Wilco's crazy lyrics, fast beats and occasional purposeful discord.  The next morning we headed up to Aspen and over Independence Pass to Leadville and on to Frisco--one of our favorite towns to visit in the fall.  The views going up and over the pass were amazing!

Heading down Independence Pass

Frisco for us means visiting friends and biking some fabulous woodsy trails.  I love GJ biking with all its rocks and dust, but there is nothing quite like the smell of a great forest when you're biking.  I love the shadows, the trees towering over head and the thrill of whipping around switchbacks just barely wide enough for you to turn through without hitting your handlebars.  We biked our favorite Frisco trail--the Peninsula trail around Lake Dillon.

 and then the next day got up and biked a three hour lollipop with our friends that put us high on the Colorado Trail near Breckenridge.  Last year that ride almost did me in...this time I was much faster and was smiling almost the whole way!  (Except for the dreaded long slow ascent from the ranch...ugh.)  What I can tell you about this trail is that it starts off of Tiger Road by the Dredge.  Parts of it are called:  The Power line, Blair Witch, the Trench, and then there's of course the Colorado Trail itself.

all in all a fabulous weekend!  Oh right, as if all that biking wasn't enough, on Monday my friend Alice and I headed out for one last trail run before the BF and I headed home....4 days of fun...for some :)