2018 Trip Schedule Released- Here’s the Breakdown!
Chasing Epic has just announced the 2018 trip schedule, and it promises to be an amazing set of adventures! Beginning in the high desert of St. George in April, riding through the Rocky Mountain high country in the summer, and wrapping up in Moab, we’ve got a little bit of something for everyone. Also new for 2018 is our very first women-only trip in Crested Butte in mid-summer!
From now until the end of 2017 you can reserve your spot on any of these trips with a $500 deposit – the remaining balance ($895) will be due by January 31st, 2018. We’ll politely remind you about the balance due just after New Years… besides, it’ll build the stoke when it’s cold outside! All of our 2018 trips are four days long and will be limited to the first 12 riders who sign up!
Curious about what you can expect specifically from each one of these trips? No problem, we’ve got the information you need – just scan below for the trip you’re interested in, and read up on the finer details like ride lengths, conditions, and trip highlights. When you find the perfect fit, head on over to our CALENDAR page, pick your destination, and book it.
St. George, UT: We’ll kick off the 2018 season in style by riding the high-desert gems in St. George and Hurricane, Utah. This typically means a couple of days spent on the epics like Gooseberry and Little Creek Mesas, along with singletrack rides like the Hurricane Cliffs trails and the Santa Clara loops. The riding in St. George is a very different type of technical, with tight moves on undulating slickrock, and the occasional small drop or roller mixed in- better bring your A-game to St. George if you want to enjoy all it has to offer!
Expect temperatures in the 60s and 70s in late April, which translates into mostly perfect weather for riding. The higher rides are above 5,000 feet, so those of you living above sea level should make sure you’re acclimated and in shape to ride up high.
Moab (May): To most mountain bikers, Moab is the holy grail of riding. With our Chasing Epic trips, we hit it hard for four days so expect to be worked over by the time you leave! The riding here is as technical as it gets- lots of chunky singletrack, rock step-ups (and downs), small drops, rollers, and just about everything else you can think of. We’ve had more than a few folks overwhelmed with the technical ability needed to ride successfully in Moab, so be sure you’ve got the skills to pay the bills!
We’ll ride epics like The Whole Enchilada of course (likely not from the top due to snow), but you can also expect some other trails that will challenge you beyond what you can imagine. Moab and the surrounding areas are all above 4,000 feet in elevation, so make sure you’re in shape and ready to ride when you sign up for this trip!
Angel Fire, NM: A relative newcomer to the Chasing Epic lineup, Angel Fire is a rider favorite for several reasons. The high-alpine singletrack here is as pristine as it gets- it’s not unusual to ride all day and not see another soul on the trails. We’ll put in the miles in Angel Fire, with big climbs (over 1500 feet at a time) and amazing, long descents. The trails themselves aren’t overly technical, but you’ll have to be in great shape to conquer these mountains.
On our 4-day trips to Angel Fire, we’ll always do a full day shuttling the world-famous South Boundary Trail: one of the top five point-to-point trails in the country. The other trail rides will be similar and will depart right from town, which makes it feel like your own personal playground. On our last (4th) day, we’ll be riding the lifts at the Angel Fire Bike Park, which has trails to keep everyone smiling from ear to ear.
Crested Butte (July): Get yourself in shape for this one. Just ask our 2017 Crested Butte clients… we put together some truly epic rides here! You can expect climbs that last over 5 miles at elevations over 10,000 feet, which means you better put in the miles before this trip! Don’t worry though, because the climbing is always worth it; we’ll get descents that last almost an hour through chest-high wildflowers with views that will blow your mind.
Crested Butte is the home to amazing high-alpine singletrack, and we’ll make sure you sample plenty of it. The first and last day (half-day rides) we’ll get 12-15 miles each, and on the full days expect to ride 20+ miles with over 3,000 feet of climbing. The suffering is all worth it though, trust us. Mid-July brings some of the most incredible flowers and riding you’ll ever experience, with green mountain sides as far as the eye can see. If we happen to get shut down due to rain, no worries; we’ll just head 40 minutes south to Gunnison and spend the day playing at Hartman Rocks.
Crested Butte (Women Only): New for 2018, Chasing Epic is proud to announce a women-only mountain bike adventure. Our awesome guides in Crested Butte- Janae and Sydney- are world-class riders and adventure athletes, and are pumped to lead this trip for us! These two ladies will make sure you have a rippin’ good time for four days, while building in a little instruction and non-mountain biking activities as well.
For this trip, plan on riding HARD for the first two days in Crested Butte, with long climbs, high elevation, and amazing singletrack. The third day will be a “rest” day, where you’ll enjoy a morning hike and an afternoon “SUP” on the Slate River through town. Day Four will see another killer ride, to top it off before sending you home smiling and wanting more. All of our trips are formatted for experienced riders, and this one is no different.
Crested Butte (Sept): Ah, Crested Butte in the fall; there’s something magical about riding through endless aspen forests with leaves of gold. To us, it doesn’t get any better than a cool ride in the empty mountains with a group of rippin’ bikers. Seriously, it’s what we live for.
It’s not all peaches and cream though- you better be in shape for Crested Butte riding! Just like our summer trip, we’ll put in big miles with long climbs and even longer descents. A regular day here is 20+ miles with over 3,000 feet of climbing, and since we’re at a higher elevation, it wears on you that much more. The climbs are always worth it though, as the descents on trails like Teocalli Ridge, 401, and Strand Hill will have you dreaming for weeks after you leave.
Moab (October): With slightly cooler weather and an open high-country, Moab in October is incredible. The riding is as technical as it gets, but it’s worth the effort (and the bruises) because you’ll end up riding features you never though possible. The technical level is turned up to 11 in Moab, so make sure your technical ability is there to match it.
Barring a freak snow storm, a trip to Moab in October means we’ll do The Whole Enchilada from top to bottom- a BIG day for even the best riders. The other rides are no joke either; we’ll ride hard all four days and your body will be begging for a break by the end of the last ride! We always mix it up on our Moab trips, but you can expect to ride trails like Mag 7, North Klondike, Klondike Bluffs, Captain Ahab or Slickrock.
