Call it out if you have a better one... Fish Creek delivering the tech. Not sure how we made it without anything breaking... #followcamfriday with James

So.... this is our first lap ever of the notorious Fish Creek Falls trail in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This is probably the most technical trail in the state that I can recall riding. Let me know if you have a better one. I am in amazement of what my bicycle is capable of in these situations. 

And it certainly doesn't hurt to have James leading the charge. Making sense of the puzzle is Mr. Weingarten's forte. A bit of finesse will get you through most situations as it turns out. Same rules apply to life in general. Better to go in smooth than just ram it... 

Hikers make the best trails. I could give a shit about riding smooth flow trail if it does not involve jumping. The hikers that frequent Fish Creek have done an amazing job of eroding and brading the absolute shit out of this one. Perfect in my book, the rougher the better. There are one million line choices on here, a thinking man's trail,  if you will.  Everyone was amazingly nice too. I think they may have been amazed that we were riding down this thing. Nice folk. 

I would definitely recommend picking an earlier or later time of day to check this one out. This is one of the most popular hiking trails in the state. With scenery like this, that all makes perfect sense. But yes, it's a complete tourist trap in the middle of the day. To reiterate, everyone was super nice, and so were we, so everything worked out. A little bit of a friendly "hello" goes such a long way. Nothing but smiles and good vibes. 

This section was particularly interesting. Basically a carved-out rock channel to get through the steep cliffs. We got some good cheers and strange looks as we rode through. Maybe people were waiting for us to crash like your typical NASCAR fan in the Deep South. Maybe people were genuinely stoked that we could casually ride this section that they could barely walk... I prefer to believe the later explanation. 

Next time you find yourself near Steamboat and are up for a challenge, give this a rip. Grouse is really good too. Fish Creek is more natural and takes the cake in my book. You will break things, and you will see people, but you can thank me later. 
If you clean it top to bottom first go, I owe you a beer. Best of luck frothers. 

When was the last time you rode your bike in Steamboat? #followcamfriday bringing you the course preview of next weekend's Revolution Enduro Event. Come on out and support local racing! Throw things. Heckle. 

There is a 2-day, 8 stage enduro race happening in Steamboat on August 18-19 2018. Info HERE. There is still time to register for the party. Haven't ridden in Steamboat? Time for a vacation. Treat yo self. 

If I am being honest, Steamboat has never really been a destination for me, due to its lack of technical trail opportunities. Steamboat is beautiful, scenic, absolutely stunning really, but relatively smooth. If you read this blog, you will know that I prefer to fight with rocks than cruise on buff singletrack or flow trail. Enter Grouse..... Haven't ridden it? Just wait. 

I just knew there was good riding hiding somewhere in the boat. Grouse blew us away. James and myself live for this sort of riding and were amazed at this masterpiece of tech. In my eyes, Steamboat has been the least progressive when it comes to mountain biking in Colorado in the last 15 years. This one changed our perception. More of this please. 

Always a pleasure to meet other enthusiasts on trail. James tests out one of the many rock booters that litter the upper section of Grouse. This descent will be broken into two stages and when combined with BTR, will make for a solid 3-stage, day 1. 

And yes, there are go-arounds for all of the consequential features. Not that we rode any of those, but they are out there. This race is not meant to be intimidating, but rather, inclusive. Everyone can ride this trail, everyone will have fun. The bonus features aren't really faster anyway,  just more interesting.....

Day 2 of this race will be in the bike park, traversing through the widely spaced aspens that Steamboat is known for. 

Did I mention that Steamboat is scenic? Basically the perfect ribbon of singletrack, leading you delicately into the aspens. This is what you might find on a post card. Do they still have post cards? This is what you might find in an Insta Story..... 

As a man who appreciates some good Mexican food, the taco cart at the bottom of the mountain will not let you down.  These tacos get an 8 out of 10 on my internal taco scale. 

And this is precisely why I like riding with James. Everything is rideable. Everything is a jump. Pull up. You know the deal. The older we get, the more we act like children. Yay bikes. 

Classic #lovesbackwheel situations. Pavement is just an opportunity to use half of your wheels. Unicycle world championship coming soon. Keep it locked right here!

Round up 450 of your closest friends, ride some bikes, drink some tequila. Pretty simple really. #followcamfriday from the chaos of the 17th annual Yeti Tribe Gathering

What the hell is Tribe? Well, let me explain.... Every mountain biker I know likes a good party as much as a good trail. These two experiences go hand in hand for most. It's so much easier to just have "one more" beer if you earned those calories on the trail right? All the convincing I need!

The person you see above is doing Tribe to the fullest. Anything worth doing is definitely worth over doing, or so they say. After riding all day, eating food and having a sporty cocktail or two at elevation, the fun really begins. These bikes are way harder to ride than they look. 

Much like the entire state of Colorado, the Snowmass Bike Park is dry as. As in, driest I have ever seen it in 12 years. Dry as. This makes my job harder, more dangerous, and way more interesting. Its like riding with pants on your head. I was hit in the face with roost on multiple occasions. Life well lived. 

Michael Larsen making squares of the curves and filling my mouth with sand in the process. The sand box always wins. Hold it wide, let it slide, come in tight, berm goodnight. Fucking poetry. Sand in my potty mouth. 

This was the 17th annual Tribe Gathering,  only my third, and certainly not my last. Sarah Rawley has been responsible for this event, basically from its inception. It's her baby. She sets her clock by it. More logistics to manage than UPS. Huge cheers to Sarah, Chris and Hoog for putting on the premier bike party in Colorado. This is a consumer appreciation event and is living proof that Yeti is more than just a bicycle producer. Its a squadron of rad people who are recreating in the woods properly. Thanks for having us!

Liz Cunningham, first in line to the gun show and for the  margarita line. Firearms ready for battle. #ladyshred squad game tight. I owe you a beer if you can keep up with Liz. Best of luck friends. 

Chris Heath, legend of sport. "Retired from racing" still kicking my ass on every occasion possible. Now that Chris has a family and chooses to focus more on that, he spends his free time riding faster than he ever has. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Where will #followcamfriday travel to next? Only time will tell. Stacking miles for your viewing satisfaction.  

As it turns out, I definitely need a front wheel. Ted Morton on the other hand, clearly does not. #followcamfriday #lovesbackwheel in Revelstoke

In last week's episode, we rode the lower section of this trail. The top section is done as an out and back and adds 2,700ft to the lap. If you ride Frisby Ridge into Ultimate Frisby, you are looking at a solid 5K of down. Best 40 minutes of your life. 

This blue run will put a tear in your eye if you ride it late in the day when the #lightbro is peeking. This is the stuff of mtb dreams. It's a bit overwhelming actually, I was speechless at the bottom. Left to contemplate how it is that I am so fortunate to do this sort of thing for a living. Humbling to say the least. 

Seriously, what the fuck... This place is unicorns and rainbows. Like shooting fish in a barrel. You would have to try really hard to not have a good time on this one.  You would also have to try really hard to shoot a bad photo or video from the alpine here. Next level nug mining. 

Things just got better as we descended into the forest. Sunset alpine gave way to a black and green tunnel. Exactly where you want to be. Traction levels on fleek. Ted was only using half of the available traction as he spent most of his time on his rear wheel. Or in the air. 

Ted runs the BC Enduro Series and as it turns out, rides a bike like a magician. His style reminds me so much of Mr. Kendallweed. All of the back wheel, none of the fucks.  Always pull up and brake as late as possible. We need to organize a back wheel olympic event with these two and James W. Wyn is also invited. 

I could definitely live in Revelstoke. When you get to the bottom of a run and can't quite find the words to describe what just happened, you are in the right spot. I mean, would you just look at it.... Unreal.  If you look closely, there is a unicorn hiding in the bush. 

#Followcamfriday is on the way to the Yeti Tribe Gathering in Snowmass, Colorado. Canadian hangover strong. The only cure is maple syrup, whiskey, and bacon. I hope to survive. They have these things where I am going. 

Frisbee is for hippies and I am usually not a fan... There is an exception to every rule. Revelstoke delivering the goods #followcamfriday Canadian oddysey 2018

 With TransBC behind us, we  are nursing our race  hangover extra hard this week. 6 days of racing have left us tired, hungry and searching for any opportunity to eat ice cream. The levels definitely need to be restored. Nothing accomplishes this faster than ridiculous amounts of ice cream. I am winning. 

Kiwi Bradshaw is an absolute legend. If you can understand what he is saying, he will have you cracking up in no time. I have had the pleasure of riding with Tom all over the world. His kit never disappoints. Tom is a man who pulls up, not out. 

Don't fall right. It is a very long way down to the river from here. We raced this section of trail last year and it was so smoky that I could not see the imminent danger lurking to my right. Maybe for the best as ignorance is bliss. 

Nate Corrigan laying waste to that dirty rut. Very nice of him to clean the trail of debris before my tires passed through. Nate and Megan are the dynamic duo behind TransBC and put on a proper event. I am currently camping in their yard and stealing all of their internet and ice cream. Work must be done. 

Keep it locked right here for more Canadian shenanigans over the next few weeks. Hopefully the US will deny my re-entry and I will have to stay for a while. Or, I will find a Canadian wife and settle down. Best case scenario. 

#followcamfriday bringing you a course preview from stop 3 of The Revolution Enduro series. Local legend Chris Boice laying waste to berms for your viewing pleasure. 

Revolution Enduro info HERE

Come on out on July 21-22 for 6 stages of bike park smash at Angel Fire. Lifts will be ridden. Trails will be conquered. Berms will be destroyed. Beer will be drank. There are still a few spots left, so come on out and heckle us!!

Chasing Chris Boice around on his home trails is a daunting task. I am still hacking up dust from trying to ride his wheel for a day of laps. Here is the game- Find the fastest dude, the dustiest tracks, and try to ride as close to the rear wheel as possible. Rule 3- try not to die. Basically, like riding with a pair of pants on your head. 

Hide you berms fam, Chris is coming in hot. A low-snow year has left the trails good and dry. Hold it wide and let it slide. #doyouevendriftbro. Do you even put holes in the ground? 

If you find yourself dumping shoes after a berm session, you are definitely doing it right. I call this a win. Some would say "pitted", but I'll save that term for the surfers. Baby powder works to keep your feet dry. So does dirt.... Cheaper too...

If you want to be featured in a #FollowCamFriday episode, you have to follow the first rule of #FCF. Pull Up.... Chris has this maneuver on lock. Everything is a jump. Always. Never Not. 
​Remember kids, you can't flat if you are not touching the ground. Solid advice. 

Nice to see that the old slalom track is still in existence at Angel Fire. The bike park has done a ton of amazing trail work over the last few years, and it is great to see some of the original character of the place still remains. The builders have done a wonderful  job of maintaining the roughness and challenge while building in some flow and fun. God work boys! 

Human slalom. When the brus are hiking the berm to get the shot and Chris comes through hot. Hope we didn't mess up your photo boys... Pardon us as we drift on by. 

What do you do after smashing laps all day at the bike park? You smash tacos. Duh. The Guadalajara Grill in Taos is my favorite. What's yours? This is a hotly debated topic and great source of pride among New Mexicans..... As long as there are jalapeños, I am generally pretty satisfied. Sting ring on point. 

The Colorado Trail never dissapoints. #followcamfriday with fellow Yeti athlete Tom Sampson on Miners Creek.

Miners Creek is definitely my favorite trail to ride at home when I am not traveling around the globe, trying to win bike races. I have never met a section of the Colorado Trail that I didn't like, but this section is particularly  mind-blowing. 

We started on Breckenridge ski area and climbed up peak 9 to the junction with Wheeler Trail. Wheeler takes you over the Ten Mile range and descends towards Copper until intersecting the CT. This is a nice little bonus piece to ride if you start in Breck. 

The top of Wheeler basically feels like the moon. Full wind, eyes watering, pinned on the rutted singletrack, into the abyss. No place I would rather be. This can be ridden all the way to Copper as a descent but I prefer to go back up and over to Frisco. 

Once gaining the alpine again, the views are unrivaled. The 4+ miles of alpine singletrack will take your breath away, literally. This one tops out at 12,510ft above the ocean. 

Once your heart rate and breathing have returned to normal, have a snack and enjoy the views. Yes Tom, I can see Breckenridge.... 

Now all that remains is a rock-strewn descent, all the way to Frisco. This makes up over 3000ft of descending, ending on the Peaks Trail, in a crowd of tourists on the holiday weekend. Enjoy the isolation while you can. 

Tom getting distracted by those lake views in the distance on one of the most stunning sections of trail in the world. 

Riding through this section of burnt trees offers an interesting contrast to the alpine above. This fire occurred last summer  and due to the current dry conditions, will be the norm for years to come. As scary as this is, the forest needs to burn and start over. This area will be glowing green in no time.  

Hope you had a happy 4th and didn't light too much on fire or loose any digits. #followcamfriday is headed to Canada for some racing and filming. Keep it locked right here!

#followcamfriday throwing it back to cooler times in Moab with an all-time squad of locals. Mag 7 delivering the chunk. 

Mag 7, Gold Bar Rim, to Potral is one of my favorite rides of all time. Get ready for a big day out on the rock, pack some extra snacks, and slap another layer of sunscreen on that white neck of yours. If you have the fitness to feel fresh by the time you get to The Portal, you have your priorities in check. Good Work. 

David Glover has his priorities in check. Bikes first. Never not. 
If you see a bumb, it's a jump. Pull up, repeat. Fitness and finesse in one tidy package. 

Kyle Mears. A man who needs no introduction. Proud claim to the largest fan-club of any #fcf athlete. Rocks fear Kyle. Chuck Norris shit. 

Caelan Badovinac. Jr. shred grom. Not scared. The future is bright with this one. Able to keep up with all of us crusty old people on a mega ride. Keep your eyes on this kid.

Darcy. Dark horse, complete legend status. No fucks given. Hold my beer, im'a show you how to smash over this rock. JRA. 

. Sasha. Legend status as well. Full ninja on the bike. Looking for some fresh food in Moab after a long ride? Check out Moab Kitchen ​HERE 
Taco game on point. 

Nothing better than riding in a huge crew of legends. Witnessing the lines and different riding styles on the same piece of trail is always entertaining. It's what I do. This is #followcamfriday. Laps with the boys! Still why I do this at the end of the day. All for the love. 

#followcamfriday trying not to fall off the mountain with Krunk Shox. If you ain't hiking, you ain't biking. Alpine Singletrack nirvana. 

I have been posting a bunch of bike-park riding lately. As much as I love that style of riding, this is where I feel the most motivated and why I still ride bikes. Big mountains, hard riding, exposure, all of the challenges. 

Jones Pass is something to behold. The route we chose took us on an amazing section of the Continental Divide Trail and ended in Herman Gulch. We didn't see a human until we got to Herman Gulch, which is easily accessible form I70. How refreshing. 

Now I certainly do realize that this is not everyone's idea of fun. It's hard. There will be hiking. You may have to cross a sketchy snow field where one slip will end your day in a pile of rocks at the bottom. But, if you have the fitness and determination for this sort of thing, the trail is absolutely world-class. Basically, why I get out of bed in the morning. Krunk is on the same program.

Some of the finest alpine singletrack that I have ever ridden. Period. If you look closely, you can see the ribbon of singletrack, traversing the ridge for miles. As it should be. The above tree-line section is 95% rideable and more than worth the effort involved with getting up there. This route tops out at 13'200 and passes ofer some of the most beautiful terrain I have seen. 

Seriously, would you just look at it. When people dream of mountain biking, I suspect this is what they have in their heads. Alpine bliss. Rocks, flowers, trail perfection. 

Krunk Shox is special. Not everyone is okay with this sort of thing. I mean, you could get hurt.... Fortunately, Krunk has no fucks to give and keeps the levels where they need to be. He is into fitness and can manage his life. Just the right blend of characteristics to take on this adventure. 

Look, we are riding on snow without fat bikes... Crazy, I know. If you need me, I'll be up here, breathing through a straw. My happy place. 

Digging through the hard drives and finding nuggets. #followcamfriday throwback to Skyline Queenstown in March. Times were simpler then. Moisture levels on fleek.

If you ever find yourself in the land of sheep and jandals, you owe it to yourself to smash out a few park laps at Skyline Queenstown. The perfect mix of tech and flow will fill the void that anyone is missing in their MTB dreams. You can thank me later... Huge thanks to Kepler Rek, park manager, for extending kiwi hospitality to us and letting us film in the park!

Jerome is a man who needs no introduction. Any time I am riding behind Jey, I am in awe of the flow coming from this legend.  Water takes the path of least resistance. The same applies to Jerome. And just in case you were wondering, despite being "retired", he is still way more pinned than most. He's having more fun than most too. Dialed program if you ask me. 

Enter Jake Paddon. A man with his nose-game on lock and a high tolerance for ice-cream. Let the record show that we consumed most of are calories from ice-cream while we were visiting Queenstown. The dairy down here is next level. The Patagonia ice cream shop took most of Jake's money. We visited all 3 locations as we needed to do some quality control testing. Science is important. 

Jake is currently living and eating ice cream in Squamish for the summer. Check out his Youtube channel ​HERE
​ if you can handle the realness and excessive dairy consumption. This lad has a bright future and is a fellow Yeti ambassador. 

Colorado is currently melting out from a lack-luster snow year and unfortunately, things are starting to catch on fire. We are hoping for moisture to replace the snow that mother-nature denied us of last winter. The moisture levels depicted in this episode are close to perfection. Where slip meets grip, just where you want to find yourself. We timed this one correctly. 

#followcamfriday is off to Granby Ranch to race the Revolution Enduro event this weekend. If you are in the area, stop by and heckle us. There are still a few spots left if you want to race. Dad would be so stoked if he got to race on Father's Day. Until next week, keep it pinned friends!