Absaroka Mountain Range as viewed from the East side of Chestnut Mountain
Gallatin National Forest, Montana, USA
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Snowbiking Chestnut Mountain Trail
Quality Bicycle Products supplied my favorite local shop, Bangtail Bikes with a couple demo snowbikes recently. Mike and I have taken them out on three separate occasions and put roughly fifteen miles on them.
The first rig is a Surly Pugsley:
The second rig is the newly released Salsa Mukluk:
Both rides are equipped with Surly tires. These tires are inflated to an amazingly low six p.s.i. of pressure and are sized at 3.8 in. (9.65 cm) wide. The flotation from these things is spectacular for riding on snow or sand.
It's no doubt that a number of the readers of this blog are familiar with the Pugsley snowbike; probably having heard either directly or offhandedly in their use along "The Lost Coast", Iditabike, or the Arrowhead 135. The Salsa Mukluk frameset is new and doesn't yet have the same badass reputation as the Pugsley. Cyclists are stoked about it however because it differs from the Pugsley in that the wheels aren't offset from center making for a slightly smoother turning action. Personally I don't mind the offset because most of the usage of these bikes are at relatively slow speeds on highly-diverse terrain not making the offset as noticeable as it would be at speed on asphalt.
I first rode a Pugsley in 2009 while visiting family in Minnesota. My brother and I took them out for a trail ride in the popular mountain biking destination, Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. The riding on a packed snow trail is excellent and rivals summertime singletrack riding. That evening after the trail riding we sessioned the bikes for a couple hours jibbing on snowbanks for a few hours.
This past weekend Mike and I took the Pugsley and Mukluk to the Chestnut Mountain trailhead near Bozeman and were able to ride them about 1.5 miles up the trail before the amount of foot traffic had lessened enough to not provide an adequate riding surface. Riding back down the 1.5 miles was exhilarating. There's little scarier than having both front and rear disc brakes locked up as you and your bike slide left and right along a steep switchback section of trail.
The first rig is a Surly Pugsley:
The second rig is the newly released Salsa Mukluk:
Both rides are equipped with Surly tires. These tires are inflated to an amazingly low six p.s.i. of pressure and are sized at 3.8 in. (9.65 cm) wide. The flotation from these things is spectacular for riding on snow or sand.
I first rode a Pugsley in 2009 while visiting family in Minnesota. My brother and I took them out for a trail ride in the popular mountain biking destination, Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. The riding on a packed snow trail is excellent and rivals summertime singletrack riding. That evening after the trail riding we sessioned the bikes for a couple hours jibbing on snowbanks for a few hours.
This past weekend Mike and I took the Pugsley and Mukluk to the Chestnut Mountain trailhead near Bozeman and were able to ride them about 1.5 miles up the trail before the amount of foot traffic had lessened enough to not provide an adequate riding surface. Riding back down the 1.5 miles was exhilarating. There's little scarier than having both front and rear disc brakes locked up as you and your bike slide left and right along a steep switchback section of trail.
View an interactive map of our route on Chestnut Mountain at Everytrail.com.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Backcountry Forays along Ketchum, Idaho's Titus Ridge
Ketchum, Idaho is a small, swanky town that is home to Sun Valley Ski Resort. Many of the skiers here are rich fashionistas that never leave the smoothness of the groomed runs and comfort of the ski lifts. There are definitely some badasses that live there also however and for those willing to head only a few miles out their own backdoor a nearly endless sea of peaks and ridges awaits.
Ketchum lies comfortably nestled in a pocket formed by the Challis and Sawtooth National Forests of Idaho with State Highway 75 the artery supplying fresh tourist dollars and backcountry dirtbags alike to the town. Mike and I are of the latter category although we did buy some groceries, burgers, and beer while we visited. The highway passes through downtown and heads North into the National Forest. On it's way it switchbacks up and over Titus Ridge, topping out on what is called the Galena Summit at 8700' (2652 m). A road that goes to nearly 9,000 feet simply screams, "Come ski me!"
The views of the peaks along the drive north from Ketchum are peppered with skin tracks and descent lines but the quantity of terrain combined with the lack of users means plenty of freshies lie in wait for the motivated (and even the not-so-motivated) backcountry skiier or splitboarder. Driving to Galena Summit and skinning from the trailhead for even just 30 minutes will provide you with enough snow and hillside for a dozen turns through myriad terrain types ranging from steep rocky chutes to open bowls to tight trees.
Ketchum lies comfortably nestled in a pocket formed by the Challis and Sawtooth National Forests of Idaho with State Highway 75 the artery supplying fresh tourist dollars and backcountry dirtbags alike to the town. Mike and I are of the latter category although we did buy some groceries, burgers, and beer while we visited. The highway passes through downtown and heads North into the National Forest. On it's way it switchbacks up and over Titus Ridge, topping out on what is called the Galena Summit at 8700' (2652 m). A road that goes to nearly 9,000 feet simply screams, "Come ski me!"
Sam skinning along Titus Ridge away from Galena Summit
The views of the peaks along the drive north from Ketchum are peppered with skin tracks and descent lines but the quantity of terrain combined with the lack of users means plenty of freshies lie in wait for the motivated (and even the not-so-motivated) backcountry skiier or splitboarder. Driving to Galena Summit and skinning from the trailhead for even just 30 minutes will provide you with enough snow and hillside for a dozen turns through myriad terrain types ranging from steep rocky chutes to open bowls to tight trees.
Usage may be low but I'm a powder snob and let's face it, I like to walk so after our first day of checking out the zone immediately adjacent to the highway it was time to top out at our previous days high point and then continue onward into the next bowl. It was here that we found a true backcountry destination consisting of a big face with lots of options from couloirs to spines to gladed trees.
Our destination for day two and three.
This is the kind of face I like to ride. I'm relatively conservative in my choice of terrain not so much because I'm held back by my abilities but because I'm held back by my confidence. It was good riding with my friend Loid whom I don't ride with often (he lives in Ketchum) because he pushed me a little outside my comfort zone, got my adrenaline rushing, and reminded me that I am a pretty good snowboarder.
We sessioned the face in the photo above on day two, following it up with a repeat of our exit line from day one. I wasn't ready to be done so upon arriving back in town I stayed suited up in my ski gear and set my splitboard to walking my way to the top of Sun Valley Ski Resort. This made for another seven miles of walking another few thousand vertical feet. The views from the top were delightful but I was tired and cold so I took no photos to share with you my blog readers.
Day three Loid was required to be at work selling ski and snowboard gear but Mike and I were amped to get a half day in before the drive back to Montana. We opted to head to the same zone as day two and considered hiking farther out to yet another peak. It would have been nice to hit another face but time was of the essence as many hours of driving were in front of us. We filed it away for future plans and proceeded to kill a line parallel to the previous day.
A face filed away for next time we visit
The riding was spectacular all three days. We were successful in finding snow of superb quality on North-facing aspects and in all stability tests we performed we could not get an extended column to break (I managed to pound one column to a 45 count before my hand started hurting). The company of Loid who I don't see all that often as well as Mike with whom I share an apartment was great. To put it simply this is the kind of out of town trip that will stick in my memory for a long time to come.
Loid
Mike
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