All you Repeat Offenders with San Juan Huts mileage under your belt, we heard ya! What is absolutely crucial for a rider to take on the 215 -mile Durango to Moab or Telluride to Moab hut to hut trip, and what can you ditch?
The best way to know what’s ready to ride is to just get out there and ride it. Snow can linger on north facing terrain and mud can last in the shadier zones, but hike-a-bike is just part of riding in spring in Southwest Colorado. And when it’s dry, fast single track is ready, you’re ready to ride it.
Here in Southwest Colorado in spring it’s flip-flop weather one day, Sorels the next. With iffy spring conditions, summer sounds real appealing and perhaps far off. But it’s time to book your bike trip. Do you know when the huts are available?
March wasn’t exactly abundant in precip like it can be. But rather wind and sun defined Southwest Colorado’s weather last month with all-time record high temps recorded across the state. Today, however, winter makes a comeback with some moisture in the air and snow on the ground. Winds are accompanying this storm still with gusts…
Congratulations to all! Thank you for racing with us! Join us this summer on the same course, without skis and with trail runners! Race details to be announced, stay tuned.
NOAA 7-Day Forecast: Sunny. March has been what the Colorado Avalanche Information Center calls just plainly “unusual.” Ridgway’s high temperatures this week should reach the upper 50s and near the same in our neighboring mountain towns. Spring has sprung. The snow is still holding on the trails and “now’s the time to go high,” says…
Racer Marcel Medued kept an accurate account of race stats–or rather his Garmin did. Photo courtesy of Summer Ruckman
The return of the Sneffels Half Loop backcountry ski race was a welcome one. Forty-one racers took the starting line and forty-one finished at the Ridgway Hut access road and the Blue Lakes trailhead, respectively, the long and short courses.
Mmmm…..pizza…..What could be better than a deliciously hot pizza after skiing in the backcountry all day? Nothing, no ifs, ands, or buts, gourmet pizza is definitely my favorite dinner to eat at a hut….hands down. If your mouth is salivating, but your mind is filling with doubt about the feasibility of pulling off a gourmet pizza in a hut, rest assured Gentlemen and Ladies, YOU can do it. It’s actually quite simple and the ingredients can be lightweight too.
As we enter the modern navigation era of GPS tracks, Google Earth files, and Spot devices, we also want to help our more modern guests with some of the tried and true navigation practices of days gone by. What would you do if your GPS fails? Here is a synopsis, from most to least obvious, of how we have found our way around the mountains for many years.