thinking back.....

While kicking and gliding my way along today on the XC skis, it got me to thinking back about just how all, or at least most, of this ski stuff started.

In the mid 90's, Pennsyltuckie received a HUGE dump. I'm talkin' about two feet of cold, beautiful snow. The normal crew (which was anything but normal) all headed out on our cross country skis to a place called Kings Gap. We kicked and glided our way through the park eventually finding ourselves at the top of a descent hill. Not too steep, but definitely to the point of not being able to just straight line it. Some traversed their way down while some tried to make turns. All told, I probably linked three turns in 350ft of vertical, but the seed was planted. I went back the next day with a buddy of mine, Kurt, to give it another go. The results weren't much better, but we knew we were on to something.

Kurt called early the following day and told me about the skis he'd just ordered and urged me to do the same.Within a couple of days, the shop called and I was mounting bindings to a fresh pair of Fischer E99's in my kitchen. Once again, we made plans to head to Kings Gap to give it another go. This time... THIS TIME we made some turns. Don't get me wrong, we did our fair share of crashing, but MAN was it fun!

Word in our group spread like wild fire and before we knew it, there were a good handful of us with skis that would handle anything Kings Gap had to offer. Even the steepest 30 degree pitch was no match for our gear and determination.

Kurt and I had the place dialed and we had a day up there that I'll never forget. There were about 6 of us.... the perfect number for car shuttling. We took turns driving. One guy would give up his run to do the driving while the rest skied. At the end of the day, the place looked like a ski area. Most particularly the area where we shoveled snow onto the road so we wouldn't have to stop part way down the "run".

There would be other storms. Other days on skis that would stand out. But not like that Saturday in January.

day 1

Skied today. First time out this season. 3ft of amazingly light powder on a base of dirt & rock. Gave the rock skis a nice work out. I think I hit at least one rock per run. Colder than all get out. In the teens something or other. I didn't last long. Cold toes.

Also checking out my new work place ~ Best Fit ski boots. Best Fit is a custom boot shop one the slopes at Sugarbowl. The owners a hoot, passionate about skiing and a damn good bike rider to boot. We should get along juussst fine.

So, I wouldn't say it's "game on" just quite yet, but old man winter has finally arrived in Tahoe. Another significant storm and we'll be pretty much good to go.... and I'm ready.

wow

My how time flies. It seems like only yesterday I was zipping around in the Mighty Mobile truck with the appointment book open in the passenger seat, tools clanging around in the back and doughnut crumbs in my lap while I was on my way to help out someone with miscellaneous this and thats on their bike. However, having actually looked at my appointment book and my bank account recently I've realized I haven't been really doing much in the way of work in quit some time. Sure, there's been a fork re-build here and a brake bleed there, but for the most part....... I'VE BEEN RIDING!!!!!

And why not. Just like last fall, the trails in the Tahoe area have been "off the hizzy" as my friend Tom Miller would say. (Note: off the hizzy = good trails) Along with countless rides right here in good ole' Truckee, some highlights lately have been Santa Cruz, Downieville, a slightly shortened version of the 4-20 ride and a visit to the freeride trails up at....... let's just say their close by. Yesterday while riding Tahoe Donner trails I was once again trying to fill every bike loving nook and cranny with the feeling of being on the bike because while surfing some weather the other day I saw......

...... the snow icon!!!

Now, I'm OK with the fact that I've been refered to as "a biker living in a ski town". I truly love to ski, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm not into "searching out the goods" weeks after that last storm to try and find good snow to ski. I ski enough to know when "it's good" truly means it's good. To some people, "good snow" means that they linked three turns in succession in favorable conditions. What they didn't tell you is that they spent most of the day skiing broken crust, bullet proof snow or otherwise "variable conditions" to find those one or two spots on the hill where the skiing was truly "good". On days like that, you'll find me with a bike in the back of the truck heading down to the foothills where the trails are in perfect condition and the weather usually calls for shorts allowing you to get some sun on something other than just your neck and face.

But, if it's gonna snow....... BRING IT ON!!!! It seems like only yesterday that we were.......

Bea-u-ti-ful Santa Cruz California

Click picture=See entire album

Spent Thanksgiving in Santa Cruz. Expanded my knowledge of single-track radness in that little part of the world. I was gluttonous both at the dinner table Thanksgiving day as well as the local trail system all week long. So many trails, so little time.


Thursday: Campus trails, Hery Cowell park, more campus trails. Oh sooo good. Thanx for the tour Pete!
Friday: Soquel demonstration forest. Or as the locals say..... Demo.
Sat: Delaveaga Park. Short but sweet. Fazzio (pic above) as tour guide.
Sun: More campus trails.... cause there are sooooooooo many.

Got time to kill?

If you've got two and a half minutes, check this out.

Saddle Sores

Anybody that rides a bicycle for long enough will find him/herself cursed with saddle sores. Usually a few days off the bike will let things clear up a bit and life continues without a hitch. But, what if you need to ride. Say you're on a bike tour. A multi day stage race. Or, the trails are just so good that you can't say no. Stay tuned folks, the answers are coming up!

Ask around and you'll get advice with everything from ointments to putting a raw steak between you and your shammy. I've been doing some searching on the internet machine here at the home office and found some outstanding ideas that just may help.

One thing often overlooked is the size of the saddle on your bike. Got a saddle sore, think more surface area for your backside. Get yourself out of the "saddle" category and put yourself into something that's described as more of a "seat". This model (below) will definitely let you use your whole butt and is probably IDEAL for a road bike or commuter application. However, this model may present some issues when trying to get behind the seat during a steep descent on a mountain bike. It's probably also a bit on the heavy side.

To address the weight issue, there's the half moon saddle to satisfy all you racer types. This little beauty will let you disperse your cheeks over a bigger area and is a little more stylie than the previous model. But we still have the issue of getting behind the saddle on the ATB. (that's All Terrain Bicycle for those not in the know) Ahh, the search continues.

Enter The Spongy Wonder Seat. Light weight with good looks (comparatively). Those wiley Canucks sure did their homework on this one. With four models to choose from, the sky's the limit. Get one for each bike in the quiver. I'd consider this an "equal opportunity bike" kind of seat that will work well on everything from road to mountain.

Don't like the looks of any of those seats? Why not try a recumbent bike? This design lets you get your whole ass on the seat.... reminiscent of a couch. Plus their soooooo cool. Don't take my word for it, just look at this guy! Seems happy enough.

Plus, if you ride a recumbent, it will take you back to your formative years. Even if you don't currently ride bikes, you surely remember the infamous Big Wheel! Ahhh, plastic wheeled freedom at its finest. I logged more that a few miles on mine when I was just a wee lad and I never ever remember having saddle sores. You?

Still not satisfied? Ok. One more for ya. The Flying Squirrel Bike". I think this could really be the answer. It requires a commitment of some special clothing, necessitates that there be someone available to "rig you up", limits you to road rides and certainly won't climb that well (I actually don't even know if this can climb at all) but it takes all, and I mean ALL of the pressure off your "nether-regions". Isn't that what we were going for in the first place?

So, there you have it. The choice is yours. So many ways to avoid the all too common saddle sores.

Ed Note: The opinions expressed in the above story are soley that of the author and are not to be taken seriously, lightly, mildly or really even taken at all. The author, authors girlfriend, authors dog, authors friends and riding partners hereby exquibe all exquibeable abilities to hereon postedness within thusly.

NOT shut down....

So....... forget that post from last week. I was out "snooping" in the Tahoe Donner area and we've got some trails open again. Buff. Very buff. Traction like you read about!