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!