Endurance races, ski trips, musings, and adventures on the East Coast.

Monday, March 26, 2012

A Little Bit of Everything

What a crazy couple of weeks in Vermont! Temperatures in the 80's, spring skiing, road riding, singletrack!, we've been getting in a little bit of everything recently in central Vermont. Unfortunately the camera's mostly stayed in my pack. Ooops. Anyway, things started off with some sweet spring skiing in the woods. A few of the lines were about as wide as a pair of skis, but it was fun threading your way through for sure.


Late in the week we even made it onto some local trails after work. Saturday featured an even longer trail ride, but we didn't stop much to take pictures. Instead we rode steady for 2.5 hours to try and get some early season trail fitness in. Fun to start getting used to riding the bike in the woods again. It's pretty much as good as it gets in life if you ask me.


And a little more skiing happened too. Missed out on the "micro powder" today, but the road riding is still really nice if you're willing to pile on the layers.


Shoulder season is definitely in full effect. A little snow left in the high elevations, road riding and a few good trails open in the valleys. It's pretty sweet out there.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Best MTB Upgrades For Spring

Okay, a quick deviation from backcountry photos and tales of backyard adventure. Instead, a brief tribute to consumerism. Mainly because it's spring and because it's super warm out and the trails in Vermont are opening up.

I can't imagine I'm the only one thinking about bike upgrades these days.

So yeah, you can buy all sorts of bike bling. There is no shortage of shiny anodized bits to spend your cash on, and sure, they look cool, but what's out there that will make you're bike work better? Here are five upgrades that, in my sort of humble, somewhat informed opinion, make a big difference.

1. Let's start with the most boring one. Change your cables and housing and bleed your brakes! I know, you bring your working, ridable bike into the bike shop, pay them a bunch of money, and nothing visibly changes. But it will work so so much better.

2. Wider Bars. Yup, the days of narrow, flat, race bars are over. New bars don't cost that much, and they'll give you more power going up and more control going down. If your bars are narrow than 700mm, consider an upgrade to something wider.

3. GET A DROPPER POST. They're expensive, finicky, somewhat unreliable, and heavier than traditional posts, but once you own one you'll never ride a normal seatpost again. Seriously, they're amazing. You'll wind up using it ALL the time, and your riding and confidence going downhill will improve for sure. Race specific hardtails are exempt. Everything else benefits from dropper posts in my opinion. I recently asked Adam Craig in an interview for MTBRacenews.com what the one component he couldn't do without was, regardless of sponsorship. His answer: dropper post.

4. Go tubeless. If you haven't done this already, get on it. Lower tire pressures, more traction and control, and fewer flats. What's not to like. The days of ghetto tubeless conversions are over. It's for real. Get some rims or rim strips from Stan's No Tubes along with some sealant and you're good to go. You'll still have to carry a tube, but you have to do that anyway.

5. Drop the big ring. Seriously, go 2x9, 2x10, or 1x if you're feeling really strong. More simplicity in your gearing is a good thing if you ask me. All you really need are two new rings (I recommend a 24-36 combo for general riding/even racing) and to re-tune your front derailleur.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Time to Ride Bikes

The temperature should be up around 70 all week in Vermont, and the roads are clear. Must be bike season. We got out for a quick group ride late last week, and a few long rides this weekend are ushering in the 2012 season for me here in VT. Sounds like there might even be some mountain biking by the end of next week on some trails that drain well and have good sun exposure.


Getting geared up for a quick spin after work on Friday (thanks Daylight Savings time!)

There is still some good skiing to be had out there too, but for me at least the focus has changed for sure. See you out there.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Loving Daylight Savings

It definitely feels like spring out there, and with daylight savings time the ability to get out after work is a real treat. A 3,000 foot climb for the sunset and skiing back down without headlamps (don't worry, we had them just in case) post-work? All of a sudden we can sneak it in.


Gotta love being able to take in a sweet view for a few minutes before skiing all the way back to the valley in the twilight.


Saturday, March 10, 2012

One More Powder Day

What a treat to wake up to some fresh snow on the ground this morning. Even better to run into a couple of friends at the trailhead. Thanks Bob and Kae for an awesome ski day.

Sounds like some corn harvesting is in the forecast for tomorrow.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Finding Adventure (and getting lost)

It's easy to dismiss the Green Mountains as being too small for significant, epic, adventures. They're not as tall or rugged as the nearby Whites and Adirondacks, and there aren't a lot of open, alpine summits either. But that doesn't mean there isn't adventure and excitement to be had....sometimes it's great to get lost in your backyard.

There was the time this winter a friend and I got pinned down by fierce winds on the top of Mansfield during an early morning powder lap before work. Smart? No. But man, we were awake when we got to work.

And then recently I tried to connect up a couple of lines at a ski area I know well. Seemed easy enough, except that I missed a key turn. Usually not a big deal, but this time I'd dragged some family and friends along for the ride. It was tight and schwacky skiing, something I've gotten used too. But skiing with them reminded me that, to most people, whacking you're way through evergreens isn't skiing.

Sometimes though it gets you to an amazing place. This adventure wasn't any different, but unfortunately the snow wasn't good enough to take advantage of the sweet tree stashes we were moving through (it was actually wet, heavy snow that was tiring to ski). Two hours and a number of "it's just over that rise comments from me" later we hit a road and hitched back to the ski area.

Sure, my pride and confidence were a little diminished. But, now I have a reference for a few hundred acres worth of totally skiable, lift accessible terrain. Not everyone sees it that way, and it will probably be a little while before the family is willing to trust my "lets just punch through over there" attitude. But it's through exploring and adventuring that you get to sweet open trees like this on powder days.


Plus, we had way more to talk about afterwards. How much time can you really spend talking about skiing bumps? Getting "lost", however, will be a dinner table topic for years to come. Plus, its always good to give your younger brother some trash talking ammunition right. Keeps things more interesting. Do, while I felt terrible about partially ruining a great ski day, there were some positives too. But we also got lucky. Nobody got hurt, and we made it out just fine.

It's not good to be reckless; you have to know your terrain, your skills, and your limits. There is definitely a lot of risk in exploring, but for me at least, the rewards are worth it.


My personal lesson: it's good to keep the eyes and mind open. You never know where you're going to find the next sweet turns. And sometimes getting lost is (a little) fun, assuming you make it out okay.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Pasture Skiing

Time may be running out on this winter, but it's beautiful out there right now. The pastures are skiing well, the views are great, and being out skiing in the sun is always a treat.