Photo Essay: Summer in Crested Butte, CO

Last week, we hosted a group of lucky riders in the high-alpine mountain biking capital of Colorado, Crested Butte.  During the summer, the mountainsides are green and covered with wildflowers, and the riding is absolutely spectacular.  This summer is no different; however, we would have to deal with some weather and left-over snow on the trails which meant a slightly different itinerary than usual.  Make no mistake though, these rides were still very much epic, and pushed the riders to their limit each day!

Day 1: Mt. Crested Butte (15 miles, 1800 feet)

Right off the bat, we were tested by weather: less than 30 minutes into our very first ride, the rain hit and we started getting wet.  That wasn’t going to stop this crew, however, as we managed to ride about 8.5 miles before the skies opened up and really soaked us!  The hearty riders in the group decided to wait it out and were rewarded, as they got another 6 miles in after the rains stopped making a total of about 15 miles and 1800 feet of riding.  The picture belowe is all we managed on Day One, as the rain was just too heavy to take the camera out!

Day 2: Deer Creek and Teocalli (24 miles, 4000 feet!)

Day Two saw us combine two trails we haven’t ever done together, and it made for an epic ride.  Deer Creek is one of the most beautiful trails you’ll ever ride, and Teocalli is one of our favorites for the rippin’ five mile descent.  This was a ride we’ll definitely replicate in the future!

Day Three: Reno – Flag – Bear – Doctor Park (25 miles, 3000 feet)

Don’t let the vertical fool you… 3,000 feet was just the climbing we did on this day.  Thanks to a shuttle at the start, we actually descended almost 5,000 feet today.  Combining the descents of Flag Creek, Bear Creek, and Doctor Park, the riders got a taste of everything from flowy singletrack to techy downhills.  This is always a rider favorite in the fall, and now it’s a hit in the summer too!

Day 4: 401 Trail (10 miles, 1800 feet)

Ah, the 401 Trail.  Regardless of how “overhyped” the trail gets on the internet, it’s always one of our favorite ride experiences.  And it’s always fantastic.  This year the “opening” of the trail has been delayed by high-altitude snow, but we got lucky with timing and managed to ride it as a loop on our last day of the trip.  A few downed trees and snow fields slowed the climb, but otherwise the trail was just about perfect.  401 always lives up to the hype!