Evidence

Evidence
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

3 inches of fresh snow on hardpack (no, not Vail). It was good enough for two laps, though. And to loosely paraphrase Sean, "it's always good when you don't see any snowboarders!"

Approach

Approach
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

After much tedious skinning, the top of the couloir comes into view. We have dropped the old couple for good.

Contemplation

Contemplation
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

We decided that the couloir to the left of the big buttress merited further investigation. Then the old couple passed us.

Sean Demonstrating How It's Done

Sean Demonstrating How It's Done
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

This photo reminds me of someone. Wait - he's not bending over far enough. Anyway, Sean had to put the hammer down in order to drop the old couple that kept hounding us.

Sean & Betty

Sean & Betty
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

So we loaded Betty into the truck and sped off to Berthoud Pass (again, this time to Second Creek).
Sean did some Betty-curls to warm up for the day...

Go long! Go deep!

Couple races of interest for those Cyclonauts out there looking for a good day (and I mean the whole day) on the bike. July 16th there is a 100 miler going down in Breck. Looks like three big loops, flower-petal style (ie no out-n-back) thru town. With all the great trails up there that should be a good one. Then Aug 28-29 is something ominously called the Vapour Trail 125 happening in Salida...your guess is as good as mine but I bet a good chunk of that 125 is the Monarch Crest trail! With the Tickler going down on June 18th you should have just enough recovery time... Well maybe. I'm off to OR for the weekend so further the cause (havoc-wreaking, keg-draining, devirginization...you know all the standard stuff from your orientation pamphlet) while I'm AWOL.

The summit comes into view. We hiked up and around to the back side and descended the left skyline into the shaded gully. Old windblown for the most part but pockets of fluff lower down in the trees. Snowboards of course rocked it all while the kneedroppers dealt with the crustiness. Uno seemed to do fine on the fresh AT gear with his patented Mid-West style!

Crampon equipped snowshoes come into their own on the bulletproof slab of the headwall. Uno closely examines snow crystal formations while Chainsaw motors up.

Uno topping out on the headwall.

A few more pics from Berthoud outing Sunday...the knuckledraggers bringing up the rear.

Berthoud Pass!

Footsoldiers! Chainsaw and Highroller pulled in another great week-end hanging up in CCC in the Foothills of Lore and topped it off with an excellent journey up the 1st Creek basin at Berthoud Pass with Dash, Cheese-O and Uno under bluebird skies. Rose at the crack 'o dawn and pretty much had the mountain to ourselves which was good since I don't think Uno and Dash would have wanted any more spectators to their struggle up the headwall. Those new-fangled skin things do seem a bit finicky! Course I'm way past burnt out on 'shoeing in so will have to join the World 'o Tele sooner or later myself. Started our run out among the impressive broken debris of one of the many cornices and had decent, if variable, snow all the way back to the trailhead. Cheese-O, Dash and Uno stayed for another lap or two while Chainsaw and Highroller retreated for the cold dog and warm Chalet...good times, good times. We'll be heading back to this spot often!

Captain Orange-Boots and the rest of the assualt-squad prepare for battle!

Chainsaw gets robbed! Robbed I tell ya by, what Cheese-O would call, a "flying rat".

Advanced base camp in the safe area where the avy debris collects...doh! Beautiful conditions and the whole mountain to ourselves.

Stylish turns by Cheese-O thru the debris field. Still a bitter, bitter man though. Thanks for taking point on a great tour Matt!

Chainsaw pops a pom-pom dropping into the trees!

8' of snow buries downtown CB last weekend...yes, there's a sidewalk over there somewhere.

Crossbowmaker, Dub and Chainsaw waiting for the shuttle up to Mount CB...frosty!

Days are getting longer in the Foothills of Lore troops! Last night the Gollum Gallop invitational saw 5 Swift Cycling adventurers join up with Dash, Uno, Highroller and Cheese-O for a great night spin out Wanker way. We had 4 singlespeeds in the mix and great conditions though somehow Uno managed to head on a closed cattle gate at speed (apparently sparks were shooting up from his cleats during a panicked Flintstone braking maneuver!) and he tweaked his cross wheels fore and aft. Sadly no photographic record exists...he emerged relatively unscathed however and all returned to Pete's for hard-earned grub and there was much rejoicing! Climbing tonight at BRC at 5:30-? then cocktails! Join us!

Wake up Dash! It's time for a Night Ride!! 6pm tomorrow (Thursday Jan 20th) Illegal Pete's...be there and roll the single brethren!

Oh yeah, work it baby!

One thousand and first self-photo? Own blog with endless run on stories about whatever that no one else ever reads? Self-indulgent pet-name-laden grammatical style? Talks about himself in 3rd person? Could be a rampant case of Giant-Ego me thinks? ...Nah, he's just damn irrestibly sexy! Like an Oompa-Loompa!

Deep & Steep at CB

Wallowed out to the Butte over the week-end with the Crossbowmaker, Dub and Chainsaw for a few runs thru the reported 8' of new snow and earned bonus Blake's Venison Burritos (killer) for our efforts. CB was frosty & buried as promised, so much so that a lot of terrain was slow to open and a couple runs had slid to the ground. With ex-locals and current locals at the fore we threaded our way to some sweet stuff though and sampled the deep heavy. Highroller only got to put in a couple runs due to nasty Grinch-heart but the rest of the crew charged hard and got work-ed! Good stuff! Burritos at Blake's pad were sweet bonus to a nice little trip. Stopped into Salida for the 1st time on the return and found a cool little bike-oriented town...interesting place! Dry, warm winters, cruiser-friendly old downtown surrounded by massive rides and 14ers. Mayhaps location for Chalet 2 sometime down the road? What'd you do?

Take that you dog-gurned empty can 'o Bud! Deadeye pops some caps into Milwaukee's finest to officially launch the Partyapalooza '04 dreadnaught.

The Tickler!

For those topographically inclined trace your wee finger o'er this route of horrors. Sun up to sundown challenge on Father's Day, farthest in at official sunset is the winner! Roll N outta town to a hot lap of Heil, then head west, jump in on the moto trails and pop out above Jamestown, climb to Cerain St. Vrain Trail, up to Miller Rock, down to Raymond and up on pavement to B School Rd. Out to Peaceful Valley, take a Camp Dick loop out to the Indian peaks and back picking up N. Sourdough and working S and W to Brainard Lake. Roll E to S. Sourdough Trail to Rainbow Lakes Rd. to 505 and Eldora. Coast E to Ned HS then up thru W Mag trails to Boot/Reboot, curve NW back into Ned then N to PA Gulch down into Sunset, up N Switzerland, quick Aspen Trail loop then E to Gold Hill. Climb E out of town then quickie down Lickskillet Gulch, roll E down Lefthand to Rowena, climb back up to Sunshine Canyon, then Church Trail to Salina down Fourmile to Logan and up and over to Sugarloaf. Hot lap of Betasso before dropping back down Pipeline and Creek Path back into town. Come on you could do that in 12+ hours of daylight....right? Well, we'll see now won't we?

Ben's lead went up right to the big cave under the overhanging brown chandelier. Looks like it's at the top but the cave was 1/2 way up. Then popped left to the slightly cleaner pillar and up to the trees...nice work!

Deadeye strapped in and good to go! I was a popsickle by this point, jumping in place and whimpering to myself.

Deadeye at Loch Vale, RMNP

Gesunta fraulein!

Chainsaw has been down and out with a 24, er no 48, well more like 72 hour cold but Highroller and Deadeye did sneak up into RMNP yesterday for some quality ice grovelling in Lock Vale. Graupnel was constant, ice was crumbly and the wind driven spindrift avalanches were small and steady but Deadeye pulled down a nice lead on the Brown Smear (WI 5-) complete with an icicle thread. Wallowed over to a TR area in the afternoon for a couple easier routes (Thank God!) and Highroller managed to upgrade his C game to his B game before slinking out of the park thru worsening wind and snow. Lots of weekend downtime did allow for the indepth perusal of some recently purchased trail maps however and the creation of a brand new event for 2005...The Tickler! Sure to become your very worst nightmare this ride goes down on the summer solstice and involves as much of an inconceivable (I do not think that word means what you think it means) amount of Boulder County singletrack as you can stand/complete from dawn to dusk. Stay tuned for details...

That's all folks...she's outta here!

Climbing, and more climbing (and some yacking w/Chainsaw) starting out on the Edge Loop.

Poppin' and lockin' en route to the Rusty Nail!

Ah, how well I remember first meeting K-dub up on the balcony at the Boulder Theater. "Who is this woman and why won't she pipe down?" were my first thoughts, and even today they plague me still. Just kidding Dub! Here she sits, supervising the corn roasting I believe. Chalet Firepit '04. Mmmmm corn!

Female intuition...bah! Why would you NOT want to rap off with a bike over your shoulder, feet sketching around with sparks shooting off your cleats? Dub, Allison and Chainsaw mid-way thru the Edge.

It's Verucca Salt! Showing little bro the ropes, and downing a wine cooler, on Santa Cruz.

Pull down w/the Cyclonaut 'O the Week!

Tomorrow night join us at the Boulder Rock Club for $5 bouldering, 5:30esque. We'll be the screamers in the back flailing and thrutching. Afters, drinks-es my precious! And grub.

Black & Tan in the mouth and on the go! Betasso '04 B-day ride. Gotta get more down the gullet and less down the shirt Dub!

Sweet socks Wack-tell! Some chicks drop in on the '04 "night" rides. Most never return.

Fuzzy speed demon at Betasso after CarBombs-in-the-mouth!

So, I sent my check in for the Leadville 100. I was thinking single speed. Anyone else looking for some punishment? Deadline for applications is January 31st, 2005. -D 

P1010181.JPG

P1010181.JPG
Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

Always expressive, no?

Ta-da!

New Year, new Cyclonaut 'O the Week my fellow denizens of desk jobs, so while we watch the ice storm slowly glaze over the windows regale us with pix and tales of the W we love to love, not the other W about whom the less said the better. Morganna Curtis, the Naughty Commandant, bIKE cLUB's very own Witchcraft Advisor, K-dub!

Nothing but the best this year my fiendish companions so dig into this fresh annum with abandon and let the bits and pieces fall where they may! Head's up that the Fruita Fat Tire Fest will be celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this spring so it may be time for a return to the Vegetarian, Clunker Crit, etc. to say nothing of the rumoured 18 Hours of Fruita! Hope all had an excellent New Year!