So Im kicking back after getting smoked in my slalom run when my bigbike class opponent and friend, Steve, says, you really havent been to snowshoe yet? I say, nah, too expensive for this dad. He mentions having a hookup on a condo and a shoe trip the first week of October with our good buddy Andy Devault. Im thinking how cool that would be yet knowing in the back of my mind that the chances of me actually being able to make it are slim.
Fast forward 3 weeks. Steve and Andy have both called me and are pitching the trip to me. Dont worry man, weve got a place to stay and Ill drive so all you have to worry about is the lift, brother. I do a quick budget check and run it by the wife as an early birthday present and she obliges. Dude! Ill be there!!
So there I was, having lunch with my son at his school, just minutes before leaving to meet Steve and Andy. Noah was pretty upset that he wasnt joining me on this trip but I was pretty sure the shoe was a little too much for his hardtail. I gave him a hug after lunch and nearly skipped all the way to my car. I drove the hour jaunt to Steves house and he had a little surprise for me in the form of some local dirt jump trails hes been working on. Andy shows up and we session the local spot for about an hour before loading up.
Andy on the setup double
Steve on the hip
Andy
Steve and andy on the most beautiful loam berm
Me
Steve throwin down
Andy in the berm about ½ second before nearly colliding with the idiot cameraman standing in his way
Ok..onto snowshoe. So we head out around 5-ish and the drive is uneventful but full of laughs and stories. Its dark by the time we get there but the air is cool and crisp. Steve warned me about the 70s decorating style of the condo but I didnt mind at all; besides, I totally dig mustaches and disco balls
We settle in for the night but I barely sleep; partly from anticipation and partly because Andy is about 45 pounds over the 150lb Maximum Weight sticker on the top bunk ..better him than me I suppose
Steve rises with the sun, Andy and I uh dont. So we get up and moving around 8 and head out for breakfast down the mountain. Its about 45 degrees, sunny and dry with an expected high around 60 a rarity at the shoe from what Ive been told. Steve springs for breakfast and we head back up to get suited up .and I still have no idea what to expect. Im running every DH course Ive ever ridden through my head to try and get an idea of what itll be like but, as I soon find out, nothing prepares you for the awesomeness of this place. I throw on my used, who-knows-how-old, rockgarden armor that I keep around for times like this and then paint my too-small-for-me-without-body-armor shop jersey on and head out the door.
We start out on the Eastern lift to warm up. We make a few runs down the east side and make our final run on A. Holy crap, thats a gnar, steep, rooty, nasty trail but It was super fun. We play around on the drops at the top of the lift before each run, nothing sketchy, just fun little drops.
*pics are from day 2, too busy trying to hit every trail on Saturday to take photos*
Andy on the drop
I look like a turtle
So onto the western side for the rest of the day. Wow is all I can say about these trails. We start out on Ninja bob to Missing Link to Power line. I had to peel my fingers off of the bar by the time we came out on short bus but you couldnt water board the smile off of my face! I remember hearing Steve say something about how the tables on Power Line have two lips and to stay on the right if I wanted to boost them. Well, I did stay to the right and quickly learned that I had to slow down considerably, on the right side, to keep from landing in the next berm On a subsequent run down Missing Link and Powerline I had a moment with Bertha, my bottlerocket. I was airborne over a fun table, heading into a tight berm when I heard this faint voice say, Thank You. Over the next jump I replied, for what? As Bertha and I railed the next berm I heard the voice again and it said, You complete me. To which I replied, you had me at slopestyle. It was the most intimate moment Ive had with Bertha
ever.
Step-up on missing link.
Andy all raced out
Steve
Me about to whip the tree I think
We run through a blur of other trails throughout the day and my brain is simply overwhelmed with which trail had what drop and which trail had that super fast chattery section that rattled my fillings loose. We hook up with Dartman and several others and do a group run down Hairball(not sure which day that was). I assumed that my little bottlerocket would be eaten alive on this rock strewn trail yet, somehow, I felt faster on it through there than I had ever felt through a rock garden on my old demo. The fast rooty, brake bump sections of chainsmoke were a completely different story.
Andy, Steve, and myself on lower hairball
Steve wanted to practice some sections of past race courses so we hit up OG and some other spots that are still a blur to me.
Steve spanking upper tombstone for the first time
And upper tombstone returning the favor
Really underexposed pic of me on upper tombstone
Steven and Andy know how much I love my hip jumps so they brought me to this beauty in between two gnarly trails. We session it for a while on Sunday to get some digital memories after my two flats limited our trail time.
Andy
Me
We head back to the room a little after 5 and get cleaned up for dinner on Saturday. Andy says that dinner is on him (are these not the best guys ever!!!) I get dressed and meet the guys on the lift outside our condo for some reflection, brew, and relaxation before heading into the village for some eats.
Dinner is outstanding and we turn in for the night shortly after. Sunday brings perfect weather yet again and another day of riding. My quads and hands are still sore from Saturday but a run down Hairball gets me so pumped that I forget about the fatigue until later in the afternoon. I spend the day in awe of the natural beauty of this place, especially during fall.
The sidewall blew out on my rear tire about 200 yards down from the road gap
Semi-Pro Andy on said road gap
which meant that I had a LOOONG walk up westridge road back to our condo to get the spare tire. I would normally be pissed but the walk allowed me to really take in the moment and realize that Im at the Disney of the east coast for mountain bikes, I have awesome friends who bent over backwards to ensure that I could experience this place, and the weather was PERFECT!
I beat the guys back to the condo and started in on the homemade chili brought from .well, Steves home. Unfortunately, the only spare tire was a single ply Kenda and it led to another flat after a run down M after lunch. I did the ride of shame back up the lift with a flat tire while Steve and Andy checked out the new RedBull line that Trevyn and crew have been working on.
The tire tracks in the pic are from Trevyn and, if I remember correctly, were about 15.5 up! He said the new line will be open for closing weekend.
Despite another flat tire, my chins and I were in great spirits.
We did one last run down the Western side around 330 and called it quits. Exhausted and emotionally spent from the constant roller coaster ride of exhilaration, adrenaline, fear, and elation; I reluctantly got into the car and left this mecca of dirt. I dont have the words to express my gratitude to my friends, Andy and Steve, who knew the magic of this place and made it possible for this poor dad of three to experience the joy of snowshoe. You guys epitomize the true rider and your love for the sport oozes out of the way you ride and every uplifting word or compliment. Thanks!
Andy on left with crown, Steve in middle with crown; from the local DS, SuperD, TT series we had this summer.
Fast forward 3 weeks. Steve and Andy have both called me and are pitching the trip to me. Dont worry man, weve got a place to stay and Ill drive so all you have to worry about is the lift, brother. I do a quick budget check and run it by the wife as an early birthday present and she obliges. Dude! Ill be there!!
So there I was, having lunch with my son at his school, just minutes before leaving to meet Steve and Andy. Noah was pretty upset that he wasnt joining me on this trip but I was pretty sure the shoe was a little too much for his hardtail. I gave him a hug after lunch and nearly skipped all the way to my car. I drove the hour jaunt to Steves house and he had a little surprise for me in the form of some local dirt jump trails hes been working on. Andy shows up and we session the local spot for about an hour before loading up.
Andy on the setup double
Steve on the hip
Andy
Steve and andy on the most beautiful loam berm
Me
Steve throwin down
Andy in the berm about ½ second before nearly colliding with the idiot cameraman standing in his way
Ok..onto snowshoe. So we head out around 5-ish and the drive is uneventful but full of laughs and stories. Its dark by the time we get there but the air is cool and crisp. Steve warned me about the 70s decorating style of the condo but I didnt mind at all; besides, I totally dig mustaches and disco balls
We settle in for the night but I barely sleep; partly from anticipation and partly because Andy is about 45 pounds over the 150lb Maximum Weight sticker on the top bunk ..better him than me I suppose
Steve rises with the sun, Andy and I uh dont. So we get up and moving around 8 and head out for breakfast down the mountain. Its about 45 degrees, sunny and dry with an expected high around 60 a rarity at the shoe from what Ive been told. Steve springs for breakfast and we head back up to get suited up .and I still have no idea what to expect. Im running every DH course Ive ever ridden through my head to try and get an idea of what itll be like but, as I soon find out, nothing prepares you for the awesomeness of this place. I throw on my used, who-knows-how-old, rockgarden armor that I keep around for times like this and then paint my too-small-for-me-without-body-armor shop jersey on and head out the door.
We start out on the Eastern lift to warm up. We make a few runs down the east side and make our final run on A. Holy crap, thats a gnar, steep, rooty, nasty trail but It was super fun. We play around on the drops at the top of the lift before each run, nothing sketchy, just fun little drops.
*pics are from day 2, too busy trying to hit every trail on Saturday to take photos*
Andy on the drop
I look like a turtle
So onto the western side for the rest of the day. Wow is all I can say about these trails. We start out on Ninja bob to Missing Link to Power line. I had to peel my fingers off of the bar by the time we came out on short bus but you couldnt water board the smile off of my face! I remember hearing Steve say something about how the tables on Power Line have two lips and to stay on the right if I wanted to boost them. Well, I did stay to the right and quickly learned that I had to slow down considerably, on the right side, to keep from landing in the next berm
On a subsequent run down Missing Link and Powerline I had a moment with Bertha, my bottlerocket. I was airborne over a fun table, heading into a tight berm when I heard this faint voice say, Thank You. Over the next jump I replied, for what? As Bertha and I railed the next berm I heard the voice again and it said, You complete me. To which I replied, you had me at slopestyle. It was the most intimate moment Ive had with Bertha
ever.Step-up on missing link.
Andy all raced out
Steve
Me about to whip the tree I think
We run through a blur of other trails throughout the day and my brain is simply overwhelmed with which trail had what drop and which trail had that super fast chattery section that rattled my fillings loose. We hook up with Dartman and several others and do a group run down Hairball(not sure which day that was). I assumed that my little bottlerocket would be eaten alive on this rock strewn trail yet, somehow, I felt faster on it through there than I had ever felt through a rock garden on my old demo. The fast rooty, brake bump sections of chainsmoke were a completely different story.
Andy, Steve, and myself on lower hairball
Steve wanted to practice some sections of past race courses so we hit up OG and some other spots that are still a blur to me.
Steve spanking upper tombstone for the first time
And upper tombstone returning the favor
Really underexposed pic of me on upper tombstone
Steven and Andy know how much I love my hip jumps so they brought me to this beauty in between two gnarly trails. We session it for a while on Sunday to get some digital memories after my two flats limited our trail time.
Andy
Me
We head back to the room a little after 5 and get cleaned up for dinner on Saturday. Andy says that dinner is on him (are these not the best guys ever!!!) I get dressed and meet the guys on the lift outside our condo for some reflection, brew, and relaxation before heading into the village for some eats.
Dinner is outstanding and we turn in for the night shortly after. Sunday brings perfect weather yet again and another day of riding. My quads and hands are still sore from Saturday but a run down Hairball gets me so pumped that I forget about the fatigue until later in the afternoon. I spend the day in awe of the natural beauty of this place, especially during fall.
The sidewall blew out on my rear tire about 200 yards down from the road gap
Semi-Pro Andy on said road gap
which meant that I had a LOOONG walk up westridge road back to our condo to get the spare tire. I would normally be pissed but the walk allowed me to really take in the moment and realize that Im at the Disney of the east coast for mountain bikes, I have awesome friends who bent over backwards to ensure that I could experience this place, and the weather was PERFECT!
I beat the guys back to the condo and started in on the homemade chili brought from .well, Steves home. Unfortunately, the only spare tire was a single ply Kenda and it led to another flat after a run down M after lunch. I did the ride of shame back up the lift with a flat tire while Steve and Andy checked out the new RedBull line that Trevyn and crew have been working on.
The tire tracks in the pic are from Trevyn and, if I remember correctly, were about 15.5 up! He said the new line will be open for closing weekend.
Despite another flat tire, my chins and I were in great spirits.
We did one last run down the Western side around 330 and called it quits. Exhausted and emotionally spent from the constant roller coaster ride of exhilaration, adrenaline, fear, and elation; I reluctantly got into the car and left this mecca of dirt. I dont have the words to express my gratitude to my friends, Andy and Steve, who knew the magic of this place and made it possible for this poor dad of three to experience the joy of snowshoe. You guys epitomize the true rider and your love for the sport oozes out of the way you ride and every uplifting word or compliment. Thanks!
Andy on left with crown, Steve in middle with crown; from the local DS, SuperD, TT series we had this summer.
