So it looks like I may be moving from Boone, NC to Leadville, CO in about a week. I've spent plenty of time skiing and backpacking in the west, but have never gotten to ride in the west. Wondering what sort of scene there is, good LBS in the area, etc...
Potential Move: Pisgah to Leadville, CO
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There is a shop in town, but I don't know about its quality. You will be hurting for the first couple weeks there since the elevation is about 10,500 ft in leadville. You are very close to all the mountains (Keystone, Copper, Breckenridge, & Vail) so you will have plenty of riding at your fingertips. Also, I am sure you have heard of the Leadville 100, so there is atleast 100 miles of trails in Leadville readily accessible. The scene is very good. whats your riding style (XC, freeride, DH, street, park, trails?). In any event, you will be okay once you are acclimated to the elevation. Hope this gets you before you move.Archdukeferdinand said:
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I think there is a part-time shop - fairly low-key, probably predominantly maintenance rather than sales. The fella I spoke to said the season was too short to support a full-blown shop, and the minimum ordering quantities from the big suppliers were unrealistic for up there.
In general "the scene" up there seemed more low-key than the real MTB meccas in the Rockies, probably too high for most people and not famous for its singletrack like other places.
There seemed to be a few residents from back East who loved it there, including the proprietors of the Micro-Brewery/Restaurant.
In general "the scene" up there seemed more low-key than the real MTB meccas in the Rockies, probably too high for most people and not famous for its singletrack like other places.
There seemed to be a few residents from back East who loved it there, including the proprietors of the Micro-Brewery/Restaurant.
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The last time I drove through Leadville, it seemed like a ghost town. Although it was once going to be the state capitol, the town went bust a long time ago. We always wondered what people there did for a living. A lot must work for the Climax molybdenum mine I think. That and service industry? Would you care to share what you'll be doing for work (just curious)?Archdukeferdinand said:
Leadville isn't too far from Dillon, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Buena Vista so I'm sure you could find a part-time bike shop (ski shop in the other half of the year). The biking will be great.
There's a lot of cool frontier history involving Leadville, if you're into that.
cheap buzz
at 10k', you can party all week on a 12-pack, and for a more intense high, just run up a couple flights of stairs after a couple brewskis. better'n acid.
I rode a bunch of killer jeep roads on a cross bike there about a decade back, you can put together some epic loop rides.
at 10k', you can party all week on a 12-pack, and for a more intense high, just run up a couple flights of stairs after a couple brewskis. better'n acid.
I rode a bunch of killer jeep roads on a cross bike there about a decade back, you can put together some epic loop rides.
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Do you like wind? Boone will seem like a metropolis; however, Leadville does have the Mining hall of Fame.
Thanks for the responses
Yeah, I'm prepared to be seriously hurting from the elevation for the first couple weeks. It won't the the first time I've done strenuous stuff at altitude, but it will sure as hell be highest place I've ever lived. I've got friends in breck and frisco, I know that there's good riding in the area, but was curious to know what sort of mtb stuff was available in town given how desolate leadville is. My type of riding is just trail riding and some urban (fancy way of saying that I can't resist playing around when commuting) As for working... I'm going to school there to take my WEMT certification up to paramedic level and to take some other search and rescue type classes (high-angle, swift water, etc). I can run a ski lift and will probably try to land a part time job at a resort when the time comes, and I'll also be looking to volunteer for a SAR service, but for the most part I'll have the luxury of a student's copious free-time.
Yeah, I'm prepared to be seriously hurting from the elevation for the first couple weeks. It won't the the first time I've done strenuous stuff at altitude, but it will sure as hell be highest place I've ever lived. I've got friends in breck and frisco, I know that there's good riding in the area, but was curious to know what sort of mtb stuff was available in town given how desolate leadville is. My type of riding is just trail riding and some urban (fancy way of saying that I can't resist playing around when commuting) As for working... I'm going to school there to take my WEMT certification up to paramedic level and to take some other search and rescue type classes (high-angle, swift water, etc). I can run a ski lift and will probably try to land a part time job at a resort when the time comes, and I'll also be looking to volunteer for a SAR service, but for the most part I'll have the luxury of a student's copious free-time.
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A guy named George(Geo) runs Xanadu expeditions out of Leadville. If you are into climbing(SAR) he would be a good guy to look up. Very cool guy and I bet he could show you around the local trails as well.Archdukeferdinand said:
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Nice place, Leadville.
I spent a week there each summer from 1999 to 2002 to ride the LT100. It's more blue collar and less touristy than other CO mountain towns. It's cold most of the year because of the 10,000 ft elevation, though. Most of the riding is on jeep roads rather than singletrack. There's more singletrack down near Salida - Monarch Crest for example. Salida also has a good bike store, Absolute Bikes. If you need a place to stay short term, I recommend the Leadville Hostel and Inn.
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I spent a week there each summer from 1999 to 2002 to ride the LT100. It's more blue collar and less touristy than other CO mountain towns. It's cold most of the year because of the 10,000 ft elevation, though. Most of the riding is on jeep roads rather than singletrack. There's more singletrack down near Salida - Monarch Crest for example. Salida also has a good bike store, Absolute Bikes. If you need a place to stay short term, I recommend the Leadville Hostel and Inn.
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Go up by the college and there are some nice trails there that they use for Nordic in the winter. My kid ran some XC races on them and I would always take my bike along to view the race and do some local scouting, not sure how expansive it is but it is good for close to downtown riding as it gets. You will find someone there that rides a bike no doubt or talk to someone that is dragging a murderpshyco in the back of their 4x4, they will know where the goods are.
Right on, I don't expect needing a place to stay but $#!+ happens... And I love both cold weather and snow. Boone actually gets a fair bit of snow, most of the surrounding area is 3500-6000 ft. That means you get the torture of getting good snow overnight, watching it turn to slush during the daytime, then turn to glare ice as evening shows up again. I guess the riding season at 10,000 ft is probably very short (saw someone else say short enough not to warrant a full LBS). That's a shame, but more time for winter backpacking and skiing.Zignzag said:I spent a week there each summer from 1999 to 2002 to ride the LT100. It's more blue collar and less touristy than other CO mountain towns. It's cold most of the year because of the 10,000 ft elevation, though. Most of the riding is on jeep roads rather than singletrack. There's more singletrack down near Salida - Monarch Crest for example. Salida also has a good bike store, Absolute Bikes. If you need a place to stay short term, I recommend the Leadville Hostel and Inn.
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commute to leadville
i would recommend living in the fabulous vail valley and commuting to leadville. just the opposite of what alot of leadvillains do, so you would never have to fight traffic. learn some spanish and carry a knife if you have to live in leadville. good luck!
i would recommend living in the fabulous vail valley and commuting to leadville. just the opposite of what alot of leadvillains do, so you would never have to fight traffic. learn some spanish and carry a knife if you have to live in leadville. good luck!
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Salida and Buena Vista have milder weather...
They claim that's the "banana belt" of the Rockies. Here's some trail info:
http://www.peaksnewsnet.com/mtnbike/mtnbike.html
They claim that's the "banana belt" of the Rockies. Here's some trail info:
http://www.peaksnewsnet.com/mtnbike/mtnbike.html
Heh, I'll be living at the college so that's exactly what I wanted to hear.Bigwheel said:
And perm, as for vail, I haven't been there in years but the several times I was there it was too crowded for my tastes back then (save for summer). Although I already carry a knife I think that I'd be more prone to use it on the fascion set in vail than on some hombres in Leadville, but you never know...
it'll be interesting
You've heard most of the info already. There are a couple of good coffee shops. There probably are single track trails there, I don't know any. There are 2 MTB races, at least, including the Silver Rush 50 that people like. It is really beautiful in the surrounding area but winter will come quickly. There are great rides closer to Buena Vista & then in/around Salida. Its a good location to get to other places. The driving will be dicy in the winter, and The ski area near by is mellow but cool.
You've heard most of the info already. There are a couple of good coffee shops. There probably are single track trails there, I don't know any. There are 2 MTB races, at least, including the Silver Rush 50 that people like. It is really beautiful in the surrounding area but winter will come quickly. There are great rides closer to Buena Vista & then in/around Salida. Its a good location to get to other places. The driving will be dicy in the winter, and The ski area near by is mellow but cool.
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Yoru from Boone? I used to go to a pretty rad shop around that way called Magic Cycles....I miss the east coast shops.Archdukeferdinand said:
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