County budget plan would save park land

The Gazette has a story today about how the cash-strapped county government, which needs to come up with about $10 million, is no longer talking about selling park land to scrounge up the cash. Instead, they have devised an across the board series of cuts to various social services. A citizen's group also plans to pen a ballot initiative that would increase the sales tax rate by 1 percentage point. That would bring in roughly $70 million in the first year, which the county would use to restore some of the cuts and chip away at a backlog of hundreds of millions of dollars in other needs.

New plans call for I-70 train

You can hear the skiers cheering. A group that has been meeting for eight months to come up with a plan to ease congestion on the mountain interstate approved a plan for an "advanced guideway" train by 2025.

This is not so much a Colorado Springs story as a Denver story, but won't it be cool for skiers to be cool for skiers to be able to get on the train, relax, have a breakfast burrito, and ski as long as they want without worrying about missing traffic on the way home.

Even better, if they can build a train on the narrow I-70 corrridor, can one on I-25 be far behind?

Skydiver's attempt to set a free-fall record fails when his balloon leaves without him

From the AP: Yesterday French skydiver Michel Fournier 's latest attempt to set a new free-fall record by riding a balloon to the stratosphere, then jumping out wearing a space suit ended when his baloon to the sky left without him.

The helium balloon was going to use Tuesday to soar to the stratosphere detached from the capsule he was going to use to jump from 130,000 feet.

It happened after the balloon was inflated on the ground at the airport in Saskatchewan. The balloon drifted away without the capsule.

"It was like having a hammer over my head," he said later.

D'oh

The river runner's obsession? Good canned beer

Not even the news of record CFS spreads as fast among rafters and kayakers as the news that a favorite local microbrewery is coming out with a canned version on its beer. After all, bottles aren't allowed on many rivers (too much broken glass) and cans are lighter and easier to store on multi-day river trips. So it was with much glee that a thread went up on mountainbuzz.com trumpeting the decision by New Belgium Brewery to start offering Fat Tire amber ale in a can.

"Woohoo!! My summer just officially got waaaaay better, no more Tecate with hot sauce on the river for me," one poster raved.

The beer joins these other fine cans: Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub, and a small selection from local dudes Arctic Brewery.

Man survives tornado to be drowned in Royal Gorge

The first white water fatality of the year happened Sunday in Royal Gorge when a raft flipped in a class IV rapid and a 26-year-old computer software subcontractors from Kansas drowned. On the way out for the trip, friends said, he had narrowly dodged a tornado while driving on the plains. The water on Sunday was 1,600 cfs. Not particularly high.

World Alpine to Vail?

Just read on First Tracks!! that Vail is making its bid this week for the 2013 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships. A decision is expected Thursday by the International Ski Federation Congress, which is meeting in my old stomping grounds, Cape Town. (Love that - ski folks meeting by the beach!)

It Vail gets the nod it will be 14 years since the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships have been held outside Central Europe or Scandinavia. Bring it on!

Now, let's get back to the discussion about "locals only" mountain bike trails...

County still eyeing selling park land

According to a story in today's Gazette, the financially beleaguered county government must cut almost $9 million from the budget, and is talking about temporarily closing its two nature centers and selling off some park land, among other drastic measures. What will really happen? Who knows. The county has made dire prediction before. On the other hand, they are required by Tabor to balance the books, so something's got to give.

Ski hall of fame inductees announced

And the inductees are:

Paul T. Bailey - founding member of the Copper Mountain Ski area and Chairman of the Board from Copper Mountain’s inception in 1972 through 1978; president of the Loveland Basin Ski Team; This past season he was the National Nastar Champion in the 85 and over category.

Chuck Ferries – a U.S. Alpine ski racer and U.S. Ski Team coach. Chuck was a member of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team, a member of the U.S. World Championship Team, and president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association from 2002-2006.

Merrill G. Hastings Jr. - served in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army and after returning to the U.S. a decorated hero, joined the construction crew in building Arapahoe Basin. Merrill was a Berthoud Pass ski school director and a national ski patrolman starting the ski association that evolved into the Rocky Mountain Division of PSIA. He started Skiing Magazine in 1948 and successfully ran it for 16 years.

Bill Jensen – began his career working as a lift operator and quickly rose up through the ranks landing at the helm of Vail Resorts serving as the President and CEO.

Knox T. Williams - Knox developed an avalanche safety program recognized throughout the world. He built the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the oldest avalanche forecast center in the United States, into one of the most respected centers in the world. He developed a methodology for archiving weather and avalanche data which has allowed for more accurate mountain weather and avalanche forecasting in Colorado and managed to preserve the CAIC through 35 years of government cutbacks.

Bikers are angry

They're angry at me because I published an article about a "secret" downhill mountain bike trail in the Pike National Forest called I-35. Here is one of the responses I got (typos included.) It's fairly typical of others:
You must be the dumbest person I know!!! Thanks for your article, your direction's were a little off, but people that should not be riding our trail found it anyway. Our national DH champ is from Colorado and this is where the local Pro athlete's train, including myself. That is why it is so technical. What we managed to keep secret for more than 8 years, was let out in one article. I guess that's what newspaper's do, report news. I'd like to know how you got the name and the direction's, because I don't know you, and I don't see you doing any maintenance on the trail. This trail is a place that keep's the fastest people in the state from going down Jack's, Chute's, area's in Palmer Park, and Ute. Hopefully it does not get shut down now. We've talked to the Forest rangers and they don't seem to have a problem letting a few people ride up there as long as people are not building wooden stunts nailed into the tree top's. I personally don't mind hitting single s! peeders coming up the chutes, but seeing that I race Pro 4x, DH means I have to train on my XC bike as well as road, and don't like it when dudes are bombing Edna Mae in body armor when I'm triing to climb it. This trail is the only thing on the front range (left). Where you did'nt have to worrie about someone hiking/biking up or boobie trapping it because they don't like bikers on a muti use trails going fast. I.e., palmer park and all the mysterious boulders that just seem to roll down and stop on the trail in the middle of the night. In the futer I wish you would keep unmarked trails out of the paper and especially don't give direction on how to get to them, your article was one third about the trail and two third about how to get to it. The next time you can hit a 35 ft. gap over a mine tailing , make it down that trail in one piece or you and your buddie flatting several times(I know people you know and talk get's aroung real fast) maybe then you can tell you buddies.&nbs! p;You h ave no buisness talking about, especially writing about a trail you don't even ride, you're worse then a little kid on the internet talking crap. Maybe next time you could write an article on how people that train for the pikes peak accent use the incline, and how it's illegal, and get that shut down too, or maybe where all the local dirt jumps are.Your informant is going to regret they told your dumb @ss anything about this. P.S. be carefull the next shop you drop your bike off to, may forget to tighten all the bolts, beacause most of the mechanics in town ride DH.Stoops!!!!

For Denver teacher, 50 state summits in 50 days

Denver schoolteacher Mike Haugen plans to climb all 50 state high points in as many days. Sure, that's sounds easy enough when you're knocking around Missouri and Arkansas, or even Vermont's stately Mount Mansfield, but the trip includes a jaunt up Alaska's Mount McKinley too. Haugen, 31, hopes to combat increasing rates of childhood obesity due to poor eating and exercise habits by hosting an online virtual challenge, which begins June 9. The public can follow along in real time HERE during June and July.

Haugen will summit by any means during his 24,000-mile journey this summer, even if by car.
His goal is to finish on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, less than 50 days later, on approximately July 25, beating the current record by a few hours.

The upside of $4 gas

The Gazette has a front-page story today about how, socked with $4 gas, people are slowly shifting to bicycle commuting. Cities are experimenting with more bike lanes. Bike sales are climbing even though other consumer markets are in the tank. Colorado Springs, for its part, continues to add to its network of over 100 miles of bike paths and lanes. I can't help but think, long term, this may be the only elixir able to cure the exurban sprawl that now covers much of El Paso county. Plus, biking is good for you, fun, and less likely to foster road rage -- well, until some yahoo passing by throws his half-eaten Slurpy at you while you're riding to work. At least now you can take comfort in imagining him swearing when he has to pay $70 to fill his truck again.

More on single speeds

We have a story in Out There Friday on single speed mountain bikes. I wanted to include a few more photos from the day these locals beat me down on a super tough ride.



Is single speed mountain biking a weird cult? You decide, comment below.

Barr Trail conditions

A recent report from the Incline Club on the trail up Pikes Peak:
It is clear to Barr Camp with only a few small, very old patches of snow. I didn't go beyond Barr, but it looked like the trail was clear for quite a ways past it and I would guess that I could have run quite a bit further without encountering any notable snowy obstacles.

Expect large, deep snowfields above tree line. Axe, gaiters recommended

One virtual step closer to creepy futuristic world

Nintendo announced this week that it is bringing Wii Fit to the United States, this tricked out version of the wildly popular game system allows players to stand on a bathroom scale-sized sensor and virtually walk a tightrope, ski jump or even strike yoga poses. All this standing around on the scale instead of actually doing these things may make standing around on a real scale that much more scary.

A rare bit of good luck on Rampart Range Road

I was flying down Rampart Range Road Sunday, and having successfully navigated the blowing piles of trash at the unfortunately managed public shooting range there, I suddenly heard a loud, staccato clang coming from my bike.  I stopped and got off to find this giant, rusty nail (picked up from the trash at the shooting range) had miraculously pierced my tire, but not popped my tube.  What are the odds?

Mountain Mix-up

The Gazette ran THIS STORY Friday about how Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, in a commercial whose theme was "Colorado is my life" ran the wrong mountain in the background while explaining how he proposed to his wife on Pikes Peak.

Easy mistake, anyone could have made it.. It was Denali. But in an election year, the question is, would Mark Udall, long-time Outward Bound instructor, make the same mistake?

Warming up for bike season

Winter Park, perhaps the resort that has invested most seriously in summer biking, has unleashed a new bike website, where it says the future holds some freaky rad stuff:
Pending Forest Service approval, Trestle is on the verge of adding ... over 9.5 miles of additional trails to the bike park. New trails will include excavated trails, jump trails, elevated trails and single track trails. Our existing trails provide a great way to learn and progress your skills and techniques so you will be prepared for the new trails being added to the park. Keep an eye on Trestlebikepark.com for the latest trail construction updates.

Moth watch 2008

My mom spotted a moth last night between her door and screen door. Are the millers on their way in droves? Hard to know. Report your sightings below.

Crested Butte ski photo bonus

I skied Mount Axtel near Crested Butte May 11, with some very gracious locals, Jayson Simons-Jones and Karina Speere. Here are some photos that didn't fit in today's story on the near-record snowpack there in Out There.
With snow still at winter levels, everyone parks their snowmobiles at the edge of town and uses them to access closed roads.We had planned on a corn snow day, but after a storm overnight, we got powder instead

The spring snowpack lets you ski steep chutes with little avalanche danger.

Who figured we'd be getting face shots in May?



A look back up at some of the terrain we skied.

Polar Bear added to Endangered Species list

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. This loss of habitat puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the ESA for designating a threatened species.