2021 Trip Schedule Breakdown and Details
Thinking about going on a Chasing Epic trip in 2021? Then you’ll want to check this out: below, you’ll find the scoop on all of our scheduled trips for next year including mileage, big rides, difficulty levels, and a few details that are specific to each location and time of year. We do our best to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into, as our High Country Epics and Big Mountain Enduro trips are big, and we like to push our riders past what they ride at home!
Location: Sun Valley, Idaho
Local Airport Options: Sun Valley (15 minutes), Boise (2.5 hours), Salt Lake (4 hours)
Category: High Country Epics
Difficulty: Technical – Intermediate, Physical- Intermediate+
Big Ride: 23 miles, 3500 feet
Typical Weather: Highs in the 70s
Late spring in Sun Valley is absolutely incredible: green mountainsides as far as you can see, wildflowers everywhere, and just about perfect dirt. We’re already counting the weeks until we head back, what a great way to kick off our 2021 trip schedule! The riding in Sun Valley can best be described as “high country flow”, but don’t let that fool you: there’s a distinct “back country” feel as we get WAY out there, and some of the trails we’ll ride can still be quite rugged.
Sun Valley sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet so the altitude is still definitely a factor for those of you coming from sea level, but it’s not quite as difficult to acclimatize as a place like Crested Butte. The climbs here aren’t quite as steep, but they’re still long and we’ll likely get up close to 9,000 feet on this trip so be sure to arrive in shape with plenty of training miles under your belt. We always do our best to work in a shuttle or two, to add some descending to the day or to make a killer point-to-point ride.
Location: Salida, Colorado
Local Airport Options: Colorado Springs (2 hours), Denver (2.5 hours)
Category: Big Mountain Enduro
Difficulty: Technical – Advanced, Physical- Advanced
Big Ride: 29 miles, 1500 feet (8000 descent)
Typical Weather: Highs in the 70s
The Monarch Crest Enduro was our Wildcard trip in 2020, and due to popular demand it’s back for 2021; in all honesty, we don’t see this trip going anywhere for a long time as it’s SO much fun, and it’s the perfect Big Mountain Enduro trip that pushes our clients in all the right ways. We’ve already had such high demand for it in 2021 that we’ve added a second date to the calendar!
For this trip, you better bring your A-game… advanced riders only here. This trip is quintessential “enduro”, as it’s all about the long, rowdy descents as we explore some of the best downhills in the state of Colorado. We’ll be based in Salida with most of our rides focused on the world-famous Monarch Crest area, plus a “pedal day” at Canyon Creek that will push even the fittest of mountain bikers. The technical terrain here is a step up from our regular trips, so please come prepared. Expect steep, rocky, rowdy, technical descents that last for miles, along with lots of riding above 10,000 feet.
This Wildcard trip is slightly different than our regular trips with a smaller group size, an extra day/night in length, and more riding to push your limits even further… it’s not for the faint of heart!
Location: Revelstoke, British Columbia
Local Airport Options: Kelowna, BC (R/T transport included)
Category: Big Mountain Enduro
Difficulty: Technical – Expert, Physical- Advanced
Big Ride: 20 miles, 2500 feet (7000 descending)
Typical Weather: Highs in the 70-80s
Unfortunately this trip did not happen in 2020 due to the worldwide CoVid-19 pandemic, so we’re hoping to reset in 2021 and head north to visit our friendly neighbors in Canada… for some of the rowdiest, steepest riding you’ll ever experience. Before we get into the details on Revelstoke, please NOTE: we will not be taking deposits on this trip until there is a firm plan in place to reopen the border between the US and Canada.
Our Revelstoke trip is aimed at riders looking to push the limits of their abilities, and it’s recommended for our advanced/expert riders only. There’s no downplaying this one, Revelstoke is steep and extremely difficult. This trip is part of our Big Mountain Enduro series, so it’s all about the descents. Sure, we’ll have a few big climbs mixed in, but we’re focusing on the steep big mountain terrain that Revelstoke is famous for.
Descents will be a mix of steep, rooty, rocky, rowdy, and will have some man-made features thrown in for good measure. For 6 days, we’ll explore the best of the area (that includes a day at the Revelstoke bike park, included with the trip) and will push the limits of how much we can ride in a day. Fingers crossed the border opens soon, because this one is truly going to be epic.
Location: Crested Butte, Colorado
Local Airport Options: Gunnison (40 minutes), Denver (4.5 hours)
Category: High Country Epics
Difficulty: Technical – Advanced, Physical- Advanced
Big Ride: 24 miles, 2800 feet (5300 descent)
Typical Weather: Highs in the 60s
Ahhh…. Crested Butte in the fall. Another trip that has seen so much demand that we added a date to the calendar, it’s for good reason. If you’re looking for the perfect “epic” mountain bike trip, this one is it: dynamic weather, huge rides, long descents, and a little bit of suffering thrown in for good measure. Nothing about Crested Butte is easy, but it’s all totally worth it in the end: this is some of the best high country riding available in the world, hands down.
Like we mentioned above, this trip will push most riders to their limits: the climbs are long and tough, there’s enough technical terrain to keep you on your toes, the altitude is very real (we’ll get above 11,000 feet), and the weather can be “interesting”. All that said, if you train and put in the miles before your trip, you’ll absolutely love it. In fact, Crested Butte sees the most repeat clients of any trip we run, as our riders want to come back again and again. Trails like Teocalli Ridge and Doctor Park are world-famous for a reason, and we hope you’ll join us to find out for yourselves.
Most of the rides on this trip will be pedal days, but we do always build in a shuttle or two in order to maximize the fun. Expect long days in the saddle, but those days will be so damn good.
Location: Brevard, North Carolina
Local Airport Options: Asheville (30 minutes), Charlotte (2 hours)
Category: Big Mountain Enduro
Difficulty: Technical – Advanced, Physical- Intermediate+
Big Ride: 21 miles, 3000 feet
Typical Weather: Highs in the 70s
Brevard is currently our only east coast destination, and we absolutely love making the trip every fall! The riding in Pisgah is as rowdy as it gets, and is very different from what we have out west. On this trip, expect four days of riding in Pisgah National Forest on steep, rooty, loamy trails that can push our best riders to the limit. Most of the climbs here are on fire/logging roads so they tend to be pretty mellow, but once the singletrack makes an appearance it gets steep and tough!
In the past we’ve done a day or two in Dupont to add an element of flow to this trip, but we’re heading in a new direction with Brevard from now on…. it’s all about getting rowdy in Pisgah! Our past clients agree with the decision as well, as rides like Avery/Bennett/Black and Trace/Spencer/Fletcher tend to be some of their favorite days on the bike, ever. This trip is all about the descents- just like our other Big Mountain Enduros- so we’ll include a shuttle or two, otherwise the climbs are for recovering and socializing while we wait for the next epic downhill!
Fall weather in Brevard can be interesting, but we’ve found that it adds to the mystique of riding here… leafy descents, wet roots, and a little bit of mud are part of the charm. Bring it on!
