Downhill Mountain Biking Kicks Ass!

Stephen Koch — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:57:07 +0000

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,

Beautiful Flower Filled Mountain Biking Around Jackson Hole

Stephen Koch — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:31:08 +0000

I had a lovely mountain bike ride recently, leaving my house at 7 a.m., riding up Farrins to the back side of Snow King Mountain then headed down to Game Creek and finally out Cache Creek. This route is a variation of the “Race Course,” which originally went up the front/north side of Snow King (a total grind I avoid biking like the plague). The newer route up Farrins is much friendlier with comparatively mellow switchbacks, less people and cooler temps, especially later in the day when it is in the shade. At this hour of the morning though, I was loving the early sunlight filtering through the trees, leaving me happy and content.

Leaving at 7 I was a bit cold for the first few minutes, having only worn a short sleeve shirt, until I started up hill.

I brought a couple GU Energy Gels and the new GU CHOMPS (here). It was the first time I had eaten the Chomps while biking and they were suprisingly easy to down and didn’t even require any water becasue they activated my saliva enough to swallow. I followed up with water as soon as it was safe.

While on route I couldn’t help but stop and take a few photos (below) with my mobile phone. I was inspired with the early morning light, dew on the well grown vegetation and flowers everywhere – more flowers than in all of Manhattan!

The ride took me 2 hours. One can extend it by taking the entire Putt-Putt trail down or heading back across Snow King via the Hagan trail to Sink or Swim. Conversely, one can shorten it by heading down/west once you meet the Game Creek Trail. This requires a ride on the beautiful bike path once out on the Highway to get back to Jackson.

We have phenomenal mountain biking in and around Jackson Hole!

If you want to buy a guidebook on the area’s mountain biking, check out Brian Prax and Mark Schultheis’s book, Guide to Mountain Biking in the Jackson Hole Area (here).

Stephen Koch » Mountain Biking

Downhill Mountain Biking Kicks Ass!

Beautiful Flower Filled Mountain Biking Around Jackson Hole