Stephen Koch

I went downhill mountain biking for the first time in Chamonix and am blown away at how much fun it is. I have been riding my Cannondale Scalpel for the past 7 or 8 years thinking I had my shit dialed regarding mountain biking. Well I now get it and look forward to doing more of it when back home in Jackson Hole. I rented a bike and all the gear and took a tram/teleferique la flegere for three runs down the mountain. Once I realized I didn’t need to pick my line I was able to speed up considerably. What I mean by picking my line is that on a XC (cross country) bike one needs to choose wisely the line the bike (mostly front tire) goes down the trail on. With the DH (downhill) bike there is enough travel in the suspension that it really doesn’t matter if you choose a crappy line over rocks or stumps because THESE THINGS GO OVER PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING!!! All you have to do is keep the bike on the trail. I had a blast and look forward to getting some air next time. I will head out tomorrow for an afternoon of biking with my client after we climb for half a day. I love Chamonix! 

Go get a bike with as much travel as you can and tear it up! Connie K and Jerry B, get it together and start the flow of bikes up the Tram. It will transform things in a good way and help to bring JH into the summer spotlight in a serious way. 

Peace,

sk