[borregokid]

Ok its your chance to put up your favorite ride during the year whether it was an epic, race, fund raiser type of ride or something else-like a road ride. Tell us why it was great. There were lots of great rides out there from running Pyramid Peak, Triple Crown etc. to just going over to Seatac and hanging out on Wednsday Nights with some buddies.

1. Leavenworth Bike and Brew Festival-First Saturday in June. Definitely the best of the Indie Races by far. The guys from Das Radhaus really know how to put on an event. This one features a race with a 1600 foot climb. If thats not enough just enter into the expert category and you can run it 3x for 4800 feet of climbing. After the race listen to music and hang out in the beer garden which features about a dozen micro brews.

2. Honorable mention-My favorite competition loop-Taneum Ridge Trail #1363. This is close to my house so I like to hit this one up a few times during the year. Its about 4.6 miles up and about the same distance down. The whole thing can be covered in 75 minutes or so and has about 1500 feet of climbing. ( I need to put an altimeter on this one the actual gain might be 2k) Best thing about this is that there is no wasted elevation coming down. The grade is 8% or less all the way down. If your bored, just go faster.
When you get done with one lap take a sip of gatorade and start lap 2.

 

[dlbennett]

Top 3 for me....

1. McKenzie River Trail
2. Devils Gulch 27 miles, Up DG, Up MR, Down MR, Down DG!! .
3. Lewis River Trail

What a great year. Only a fews days to go till the start of the season!!!
db

 

[Skookum]

Honestly too many to count....

it was a pretty good year.

Rides that come to mind...


Lower Big Quilcene RAIN!
Dungeness/Gold Creek Solo Birthday ride
Blue Lakes area
The Teanaway/Roslyn goods
Klone
Martin Creek to Cooney and back
and the Kettle Crest

So many good times.

And the only events i went to, the MS Ride thru Tokul, which unfortunately is now gone.
And the PA DH shindig which is always fun

 

[borregokid]

Kettle Crest would seem to be a good one. East meets West or Clash of the Titans, or Formica meets Skookum. We should definitely have an East meets West ride-again. Maybe even get a few people to go on it.

 

[FM]

• Highlife crew goes to Moab
• Khyber pass in whistler (5k' descent) with a great crew of freinds, followed by beers & food, followed by crankworx, and then more beer.
• Pretty much every one of the days spent on the shore this year (again, Wa. riders in BC). Top of seymour to sea level 2x with Johnny smoke and good friends. The Sunny dry november day on mt. fromme. The spring day on fromme when I cleared like 10 new things, the first time I've ridden the shore with completely dry conditions!
• deep creek/skookum flats/ranger creek day
• kachess ridge after work
• #5: secret
• Night rides at tiger, tokul E&W, carnay-nay, and sawyer
• Trail improvement projects. Getting better!

Looking forward to 2006!

 

[SRR]

Ok its your chance to put up your favorite ride during the year . . .

Let's see, under 'New for O5' I have . . .

Tarbell Trail, Larch Mountain, Juniper Ridge Epic, East Canyon Ridge, Rosyln Slickrock (not), Hex Mountain, Mt. Clifty, Quartz Mountain, Manastash Ridge (upper), Sadie Creek, Lake Creek, Pot Peak Epic, 25-Mile Creek, Pyramid Peak, Duncan Hill, South Fork Taneum, Dungeness River, Nestor Peak, Buck Creek, Service Trail/Surprise Lakes, Gotchen Creek, Siouxon Creek, Cowiche Canyon, Tieton River . . .

Hmmm, Juniper Ridge Epic in Gifford-Pinchot is my top pick!

Runners up might be Gooseberry Mesa near Zion and Bootleg Canyon near Las Vegas, but that's just out-of-state crap for spring, memorable mainly for the warmth and the dust (two rattlers, some wild burros, a herd of wild horses, a crew of MTBR staffers, one pro from Breckenridge, and several bunnies wearing iPods).

 

[SRR]

1. McKenzie River Trail. . .

This was on my list this year but I didn't make it. I want to do it as an epic OAB from the bottom or as two OAB's, upstream and downstream, from the middle somewhere (solo, so no shuttles). What do you think?

 

[SRR]

Rides that come to mind...

Lower Big Quilcene RAIN!
Dungeness/Gold Creek Solo Birthday ride
Blue Lakes area
The Teanaway/Roslyn goods
Klone
Martin Creek to Cooney and back
and the Kettle Crest

I'd have included Klone Peak as a favorite too but that was a repeat this year. This time it was a follow-on to Lake Creek, so I did the shorter Kirkendall version, OAB from the trailhead to the old lookout site itself (worth the extra grunt). Far less demanding than the Zilly version and a rippin' good return on the way back. How about you?

 

[Borneo]

I'm with Skooks. Tough call...
The wife was really nice to me this year. Yet, I missed so many rides....

The Triple Crown really stands out. Only because I know I'll never do it again.

The Kill Me Thrill Me-Comfortably Numb loop outside Whistler. Day after an incredible extended play day of lift served. (My first and only of 2005.)

Long loop in Bend including Whoops-Swede Shelter-Tumalo Ridge/Creek-Farewell-Mrazek-Ben's back to camp. (I can't get enough of Mrazek...)

Moab's in there someplace too. Most notably Moab Rim. Awesome day. Not as good as Porc Rim/Arches hike day. But, the first ride in Moab is always the best.

Sun Valley/Stanley will be on the top of this list next year.

 

[ebxtreme]

Pretty hard.

I was on a few of the items that FM mentioned, so I'll duplicate a few.

1. Khyber Pass in Whistler (w/ FM, Armando and others) - Started a beautiful day with a few runs in the park. Hiked up to Khyber for excellent views. Ripped down Khyber to Babylon by Bike and Tunnel Vision. 4,200 feet of vert (whistler style). Ended with beers/food at Dusty's and a swim in NIta Lake. Post ride - swung by the house, changed clothes and loaded up beers and headed over for the beginning of the slopestyle event at Crankworx. Witnessed crazy levels of riding at the event (e.g. Barrecloth 360 over road gap) and then headed to our usual spot for cocktails and barely escaped a Cougar (she chased us out, but not unscathed). Ended the day with a crazy drunken ride back along the golf course.......what a day!!

2. Harper Mountain in Kamloops - This area has amazing FR trails and terrain similar to Leavenworth. I was with the guys from Full Boar bikes and I've never ridden behind a crew of guys going that fast and that big down something. I was following them blind off of big gaps, huge drops, etc. and was at my threshold level. I was so amped after one particular section (step up to drop to gap to ladder drop to ladder drop to gap) that I had to chill out for several minutes just to get my adrenaline to go down. Unfortunately, that day ended fairly quickly because a guy broke his ankle, planting it on a simple corner.

3. Moab in April - our yearly pilgrimage to the SW. This year included the usuals: Porc Rim from LPS, Amasa Back (with Jackson's descent), etc., but we also made the trip over to Fruita and hit the trails along 18 road. While not technical, they're super fast and ridiculously fun. We hit Zippety doo da, Joe's Ridge, Chutes and Ladders and Prime Cut and all were a blast. Going forward, we may have to include 2 days in Fruita and 2 days in Moab!

4. Chilcotin's float plane trip - We hit this in July and stayed in some cabins near Gun Bridge. We had planned on two days of flying / riding, but the weather was shite and we only got one day of riding in. Still this was a great adventure and one of the cooler things I've done on the bike. The group definitely made the most of it and everyone had a blast.

5. Weekly night rides - Our crew has a weekly night ride and, while they're at the usual local areas, these help keep me stoked about riding and offer an opportunity to blow off some mid-week steam. Beyond the riding aspect, it's an excuse to get together with a diverse group of dudes......all very fun, laid back and super cool (not to mention talented on the bike). Can't say enough about these rides.

6. Shore trips - A day on the North Shore is pretty much the most fun I have on the bike these days. What these pilgrimages North have done to my riding and outlook is immeasurable. The trail builders up there (Pete Morin, Jeremy, Digger, NSMBA, Dan Cowan, etc.) deserve so much credit for building sustainable and environmentally friendly trails while making them challenging for all levels of riders.

Looking forward to many more great days of riding in '06. I've yet to do MANY local rides like Icicle Ridge, Miller Peak, Plains of Abraham, etc. so I've got to hit more Washington stuff this year.

Chers,
EBX

 

[dlbennett]

We sat around the campfire and pondered...

riding from bottom to top and back down. It would be a serious epic, 54 miles and one might be spent once they hit the really good stuff up top. 2 OAB's would be interesting if camping somewhere in the middle. Either way it is a MUST DO ride!
My favorite part of the ride was the upper portion with the Blue Pools and very technical volcanic rock.

In Oregon I want to ride some more of the Bend area and also the Umpqua trail!

This was on my list this year but I didn't make it. I want to do it as an epic OAB from the bottom or as two OAB's, upstream and downstream, from the middle somewhere (solo, so no shuttles). What do you think?

 

[kmc]

A few...

Man - After reading a few of these, I need to get out more! In no order, but some highlights:

- Bend, OR: Hooked up with some locals through mtbr and did a nice loop by the Phil's Trail System. Did not ride Phil's Trail, but went higher. THANKS NAT!

- Waldo Lake, OR: Not the most challenging of rides, but one of the most beautiful.

- Little Bald Mountain: First time riding over Chinook Pass...good stuff.

- Devil's Gulch: Still one of my favorite downhill tracks!

There were others...rode Ranger Creek for the first time. Have always ridden Suntop...now I wondered why? Lots of rides at Sawyer, one last ride at Victor (sob) and a mud-fest ride at Capitol Forest with bbtc.

Looking for lots of rides in 2006!

 

[Skookum]

I'd have included Klone Peak as a favorite too but that was a repeat this year. This time it was a follow-on to Lake Creek, so I did the shorter Kirkendall version, OAB from the trailhead to the old lookout site itself (worth the extra grunt). Far less demanding than the Zilly version and a rippin' good return on the way back. How about you?

Alot of the ones i mentioned are repeats, and some some of the areas i did multiples this year. It's really hard for me since i always seem to have a good time on the bike, and mt. bikers for the most part are very cool people.

Anyways here's a copy/paste of the Klone ride i did...

From Maverick Saddle rode Mad River up to the Guard Station.
Took a right on Blue Creek past Two Little Lakes
Took a right on North Tommy Creek to Klone Peak Viewpoint and back
Resuming back down North Tommy Creek to Mad River
Down Mad River to the Guard Station
Right and up on Lost Lake trail then descend back down to Mad River
Finish back down Mad River and done.

My map gave me 24 miles, and i assumed the up and down climbing would give us around 3000 feet of gain/descend, but the guys emailed me back with numbers from thier assorted instruments of 28 miles and around 3700 cumulative.

 

[Hawkens]

New 2005:
Moab
St Helens
Rat Pac
Gaby
Esmeralda
Miller Peak
Tyee Ridge
Skookum
Palisades
Grand Ridge
Middle Fork
CCC
Victoria Tract

Repeats:
Kachess
Devils Gulch
Fawn Ridge
Tokul East / West
Tuesday night rides at Tolt
Cherry Valley
Griffin
Lake Sawyer
Beaver

Well those are my rides for this year. I have big plans for the 2006 season.

Hawkens

 

[Dave_schuldt]

BBTC campout at FT Ebey.
37 mile ride in Capitol Forest.

 

[JLantz]

-Most personal impact: Garland, Juniper, Klone
-All the solo's I did in early to mid 2005; DG(awesome), Taenum/Fishhook(brutal, then awesome), so many Jap Gulch(best short track system), Palisades(suffer fest), SunTop/Skookum(suffer fest in the rain), Kachess (uuuuuugh, love to hate it ), Tiger
-All the rides meeting my new crew.

*oops, forgot the main point of this thread; best single ride of the year:

Garland- expanded my horizons and gave me new meaning to "mountain biking".

 

[Mellow Yellow]

Freeriding Northshore last fall in Vancouver, BC
Galbraith Mt.

 

[SRR]

Alot of the ones i mentioned are repeats, and some some of the areas i did multiples this year. It's really hard for me since i always seem to have a good time on the bike, and mt. bikers for the most part are very cool people.

Anyways here's a copy/paste of the Klone ride i did...

From Maverick Saddle rode Mad River up to the Guard Station.
Took a right on Blue Creek past Two Little Lakes
Took a right on North Tommy Creek to Klone Peak Viewpoint and back
Resuming back down North Tommy Creek to Mad River
Down Mad River to the Guard Station
Right and up on Lost Lake trail then descend back down to Mad River
Finish back down Mad River and done.

My map gave me 24 miles, and i assumed the up and down climbing would give us around 3000 feet of gain/descend, but the guys emailed me back with numbers from thier assorted instruments of 28 miles and around 3700 cumulative.

I didn't list any repeats (a dozen or so) and no 'winter' trails, so no fair! ;-)

Obviously, you approached Klone from the other direction, while I've always climbed from the Entiat side. The Zilly version was a great ride (comparable to yours stats-wise) but took forever because my partner was too stupid to wrap his lips around the air nozzle of the air mattress I'd loaned him the night before, so he was operating without much sleep. :-[

I love the Mad Lakes Basin area. A cool ride I did last fall (Sep 04) started from Pine Flats CG, at the very bottom, and followed the Mad River to Mad Lake OAB. That took 10 hours overall (50 miles roughly) but the second half was a straight shot back downriver. It was exciting, solo, under a full moon above the river, when I finally had to attach my headlamp. I think it's something you might enjoy (but realize that the lower portion, before you reach Maverick Saddle, is a lot more brushy and poorly-maintained than the upper sections. Memorable ride though. :-]

 

[SRR]

riding from bottom to top and back down. It would be a serious epic, 54 miles and one might be spent once they hit the really good stuff up top. 2 OAB's would be interesting if camping somewhere in the middle. Either way it is a MUST DO ride!
My favorite part of the ride was the upper portion with the Blue Pools and very technical volcanic rock.

In Oregon I want to ride some more of the Bend area and also the Umpqua trail!

I know I could do it either way but there's not much point to the epic version except boasting rights (or advertising the fact that I'm an idiot). For what would involve an overnight anyway, it would be alot more sensible to split things into two equal portions. That way I'd get to enjoy everything equally (energy-wise). Who knows, decisions like this I usually leave to impulse. Thanks for the input though.

BTW, North Umpqua is a great trail -- MUST-DO also -- and may be approached in a number ways, so do your homework. The cool thing about the trail is that it's split into multiple 'segments', which are easily accessed via the highway which the trail parallels mostly for the full 75 miles. Plus, the elevation change is so gradual that it doesn't really matter whether you ride upstream or down, you won't really notice (make no mistake though, like many river trails, it roller coasters quite a bit along the river's course, so you'll be burning wheaties in either direction). So you might camp midway -- say, near Eagle Rock -- and do OAB's in both directions as far as you want or have time for, or get the old lady to drop you wherever along the highway -- quickly and easily -- and make your own one-way trip back, distance/direction to suit, or do some leap-frogging among the various segments. OR you might do what a buddy and I did the first time: we had someone deposit us at the top (Lemolo Lake), then meet us halfway with camp already set up. That was nice. We did the whole thing in two days. (I'd like to do this as a one-shot some day too; it's doable, given some hitchbiking to the top -- and a good light.

 

[SRR]

Man - After reading a few of these, I need to get out more. . .

Little Bald Mountain: First time riding over Chinook Pass...good stuff.

Have always ridden Suntop...now I wondered why?

Little Bald was good choice for a first trip over Chinook! That's a regular annual/semi-annual repeat for me, an all-time favorite. :-] Let me know if you want some future tips, I'm real familiar with everything out of Little Naches and could suggest a good order of priority. For example, my next pick would be up the 1920 road from Crow Creek CG and back down along Fife's Ridge (952), then back up the road again (from where the trail crosses it towards the bottom) and back down 952 the other away along West Quartz Creek. Or you can split it into two rides (each about half as demanding as Little Bald). I don't recommend looping it all-trail as some do, as I've tried it both ways. The heart figure -- or what Kirkendall calls the 'Loop de Loops' -- is a better return (I think). Man, you could spend your whole summer riding in that area. Just find a copy of the Wenatchee Nation Forest Cle Elum Ranger District Off Road Vehicle Map (available at Ranger stations for $4). That's a blue print for one helluva heap of good riding (including all the 'Gulch' stuff out of Cashmere, plus everything near Cle Elum)! You should be good for a couple summers at least.

Oh, yeah, ditto on Sun Top. I feel exactly the same way. :-|