Kootenay Krusher

I didn't have a great race last year: dropped chains, missed corners, and getting stuck behind slower riders on long singletrack trails. I was determined to rebound and have a better race in 2013.

I bet they got a good deal on that arch!

The course was almost the same beautiful but punishing course as in previous years, but with some added new sections, a new start loop, and  the removal of a short loop at the north end of the course. I think that the changes improved the overall rideability  (less ridiculously steep up and down) and raceability (better selection before the 1st singletrack) of the course. Conditions were very similar to last year with the short, steep descents being nice and loose!

The field wasn't as deep as in previous years, but good battles were still had. The singletrack sections are long, and it was funny to see a guy get heckled after he attacked on the hill leading into the 1st singletrack, but then held up a long train of riders while letting Mike S float off the front.

I was feeling strong on the singletrack sections and could take it easy on the climbs as I rode along with a chase group for the 1st lap of the race until they pulled off and were replaced by their relay partners! I was alone for the 2nd lap, keeping the intensity high with the hopes of catching Mike, while confident that being smooth over the singletrack and hammering the climbs would fend off any chasers. I guess I have to go harder off the start as I ended up in 2nd.

My Xprezo W-29 seemed to take most of the sting out of Nipika's notoriously rough singletrack and allowed me to enjoy the views of the Kootenay and Cross rivers and the Rocky Mountains, and find the flow in the trails. Overall a great event with great support from the community (sponsors, volunteers, venue).

After the race, we headed to Invermere, slayed some grocery store pizza (the BEST road trip food), and checked out Panorama's XC race loop. The trails would be nice if they weren't trying to build houses in the middle of them!

Bill was ogling the dirt chutes!

Sunday, we had an awesome ride in Invermere, slaying the Kloosifier and Johnson trails. Kloos' is a loop of some fast singletrack through a desert landscape while the Johnson is a little more shaded and technical. Both trails served up a great dose of canyon views, excellent berms and great descending considering how easy the climbs were. Highly recommended. Peter is tired!

The end of ski season...? Stoke dump.

I guess it's been a while since I last updated about skiing, other than my Wapta in a day experience. For those following along on Facebook, this is probably old news.

Spring felt fairly casual this year and we were able to ski some cool stuff.

Late March self powered Miner's Lap!

An exploratory ski into my favourite zone in K-country

Chris and Bill came up to Canmore for some Easter fun! It was really warm and it seemed like the skiing days were numbered

Skiing off a summit you can see from the highway and then into a fun glacier run?

Bill showing Chefren how it's done!

Booting up Narao left hand, but not quite topping out.

Then the storm rolled in, we retreated to a classic Kananaskis zone and continued to get some great skiing.

We were able to ski many neat variations. The lines are short so it is possible to ski lots of  them!

High winds, dumping snow, are you sure it is spring?

I was fortunate enough to be able to tag along on a multi-day trip to "check out the snowpack" for the summer nordic ski team training centre. Unfortunately, we didn't have the best visibility or conditions, but we were still able to get into some cool, rarely skied areas.

Playing on the Beatty bump

The next weather window came AFTER we got back and I had 2 really fun days at Chickadee.

Using the bike to pick up the car was way more fun than walking last year

Then I did the Dolomite circuit and Wapta in a day. Next a return to a fun line I skied with MT and Bill a couple of years ago.

Scott, another convert to the light(er) and faster game.

Spine powder 8's! Lots of slough!

Shut down by visibility/wind yet again on the FHR. There's always next year...

Oh, winter isn't done yet.

classic end of season Nakiska powder!

Yet another day at the Nob! 

Some great corn skiing days. I rolled over 100 days of skiing this season.

We really nailed Ptarmigan with great corn conditions. Maybe a little too soft down low.

The approach didn't suck with plowed roads up to where there was a reasonably supportive crust.

And winter is not giving up without a fight!

Getting some great turns on Eiffel

It was a great season. I raced and trained well, and I was able to ski some cool things. We had great conditions at Highwood. I had awesome races when it counted. Stability was good this year.The boards may come out again if rain down low means snow up high. I should have a video on the way if I ever get around to editing some of video I snagged.

The start of MTB race season

I've been enjoying my time on the new bike. It feels faster on the singletrack and the descents, but I do find that I need a bit more strength to get it going.

Coming off a long ski season and not really riding my bike from early November until the beginning of May, I knew the fitness and the base would be there, it would just be a matter of getting the high end power back into the legs. Racing has felt almost casual and pre race, I have felt very relaxed.

River Valley Rumble XC:

A classic Terwillegar course combining elements of the Fat Tire Tuesday courses (when they were still at Terwillegar). The race was almost entirely different than the riding that I had been doing in Canmore up to that point. Fast punchy climbs, basically an all out sprint for maybe only a minute, but lots of them. I found that I was able to put up a good fight here, I held my position through the race after working up from a weak start, and there has to be some training benefit to going hard up those hills!

Slaying singletrack on the new bike!

Canmore Toonie Races:

Canmore has a decent midweek series put on by RMCC with races every two weeks. Unlike the Fat Tire Tuesdays, the format is different each week. Unfortunately, I missed the first race, a drag race up the Spray Lakes climb, which could have played to my strengths. I did the 2nd race, featuring a couple of heats up the shorter Silvertip climb and I was able to put in the fastest time. The third race was based on the world cup eliminator style with a short 2min loop, all out effort. Again I was able to throw down some fast times to continue building the engine.

My hillclimbing machine!

Deadgoat Summer Solstace:

A little unsure of how the weather conditions would factor into the course, I remembered back to the Giver8er race I did 2 years ago and how the course seemed to survive the monsoon fairly well. This race was no different for us. While the roots were slippery, I had fun flowing the smooth dirt and letting the wheels slide a little in the damp corners. The climbs were longer than at Terwillegar, but they were steep, and I was just lacking the power to continually send them.

Revelstoke Toonie Race:

I love riding in Revelstoke, and they were planning on holding a 1.5hr toonie race, how could I not go? I crushed some singletrack in the early afternoon with my brother, then got ready for the race in the evening. I started hard to string things out, but people were hanging in there. Eventually I was out front with Marty Schaffer and Brendan MacIntosh (owner of Flowt). I could not drop these guys on the hills, and they were consistently putting time into me on the descents. I blew up and slowly faded before losing another 3 places on the last lap. There are some ridiculously fast riders from the Stoke! I felt great on my bike all day, and put in some solid efforts in the race.

Riding in Revelstoke always blows my mind. The Tantrum trail  holds some great technical singletrack.

Iron Maiden XC:

Honestly, I was not really looking forward to this race. My thoughts were that this was a good course for the wet weather on race day for the last 2 years, but it doesn't really use the trails and loops at the Nordic Centre that I enjoy and ride on a regular basis. Plus, that rock staircase thing, the "organ donor", or more accurately the "ass puckerer" scares the shit out of me. But I showed up to the start ready to throw down a solid effort. I was feeling awesome on the singletrack sections, and the "ass puckerer" was closed, so I didn't have to feel the shame of taking the 'B' line! The bike felt great on the singletrack and I was able to flow through sections that others weren't, and not have to chase back on the hills! That's a first! One of my best elite races!

I wasn't sure if it would be worth doing the Kootenay Krusher, but now I think I have to!

New bike: Xprezo W-29. How do I like it?

My Xprezo W-29. Pretty much stock, except for my seatpost, saddle, and handlebars.

Let me start out by writing a little bit about myself. My vision of the ideal race bike has changed over the years. I started out on a 26" hardtail with a narrow 580mm handlebar. I noticed that everyone was riding past me on the downhills. I then moved to a 26" wheeled 4" full suspension and got some 710mm handlebars. I still noticed that everyone was riding past me on the downhills, and I started to notice that the bike also wasn't carrying speed well and I getting bucked around on singletrack climbs. ort travel 26" bikes were slowing me down.

When I felt it was time for some change, I did some research and riding. A lot of people figure that the suspension and the larger wheel sizes take the sting out of the descents, which they do. But equally important is taking the sting out of flat or uphill singletrack sections, allowing myself to rest and carry speed through these sections.

I rode a couple of 29er hardtails. I think they are great if you want a low cost race bike or a ridiculously light race bike, but they are still a hardtail. I rode a 5" 26er and I loved it. Take a 4" race frame, add another inch of suspension travel, you can run your suspension softer and you have a faster bike. And of course I tried a 4" 29er full suspension which I loved as well. When riding the 29ers, I didn't really notice any of the complaints that most people have about them: weight, slow steering, not stiff, and I definitely noticed the benefits: smoother ride, increased braking/climbing traction, and momentum. Okay, I did notice how they made riding a little less playful*, but who cares, I was going for speed! Going faster and not getting bounced around as much can be more fun!

You can probably guess from the title that I ended up going with a 29'er full suspension. Enter the Xprezo W-29. Xprezo is a CANADIAN manufacturer making their bikes in Bromont, CANADA. They have fully jumped on board with all the wheel sizes (26, 27.5, 29) and have a wide range of bikes from steel hardtails all the way up to downhill machines. I even had a choice of paint and some SRAM build kits. While deep down, I am a Shimano/Fox guy, why not try something new.

Build: 

-X0 build: brakes, drivetrain. I love the double crank, though the gearing is a little tall considering all of the steep singletrack climbs around here.

-Cockpit: heavy Truvativ stuff. The 20" frame is as large as they come, but the stock seatpost was not long enough, so I grabbed a Bontrager RXL off my old bike. I put an Easton Haven 710mm handlebar on as well.

-Fork: Rockshox Reba fork: still getting used to it. I'm running it at the recommended pressure, but I have the gate cranked all the way "+" to get any sort of suppleness out of it. Remote lockout is a bit of a gimmick. It's annoying that you have to run the lever and cable to keep the fork active. If you crash and digger your remote into the dirt, your rattledness will now have to contend with a locked out fork! I have removed the remote and rigged it so that it is always open. 15mm thru axle adds some stiffness up front.

-A nice Fox Float CTD boost valve in the back. As I've implied earlier, suspension needs to be active on the descents AND on the climbs, so I've been running this in the softest "trail" setting, or heaven forbid, in the "descend" mode.

-Wheels: Nice to see some race ready hoops right out of the box. Stans Crest wheelset is light and it is ready to go for tubeless. The LUST Crossmark tires are anything but lightweight at 835grams claimed, I could easily drop a pound by relegating those to some beater wheels and Stans-ing up some normal tires!

Frame: My Acid yellow/green frame is beautiful. Steel/aluminum single pivot rear end paired to an aluminum front end. Tapered head tube, some internal routing, direct mount front derailleur, 142x12mm rear thru-axle. Feels stiffer than my old bike.

Weight: 26.6lbs, I think I could get it down to 25.5lbs easily with some lighter tires. Keep in mind, many of the other 29er FS carbon wonderbikes out there are coming in above 24lbs, even with the super high end builds.

So in summary, stiff, flashy, and fast. I have already been setting some STRAVA personal bests on climbs and bombing down some rock slabs with ease. This bike gobbles up singletrack better than my previous 4+4 26'er: The geometry feels dialed in the corners, the bike is stiff and confident in the rough and steep stuff, and the rear single pivot suspension feels like it is tuned perfectly. Some may scoff at the lack of multiple linkages, but let me assure you, it feels really good, and I'm sure the simplicity is something I will appreciate when it comes time to maintain it...

*there are definitely lots of riders just out there to have fun but I don't see how anyone who normally rides a 6-7" bike on a cross country trail could complain about a 4" 29er being less "playful".

Wapta day trip

This one has been on the list especially after being inspired by Ian's fascination and eventual success with a 7.5hr speed traverse last year. Jerimy was keen while on a trip to Lake Louise and we were able to get Stano along as well. Jerimy had been up to Peyto hut, and I was up at Bow hut last year, but other than that, we were doing the traverse and skiing together for the first time. Weather was looking great. Not a cloud in the sky!

I warmed up with a quick Dolomite Circuit the day before

Because Jerimy had been up to Peyto before, we decided to start from there and do the full traverse rather than start at Bow lake for a shorter and easier approach.

Starting from Bow summit parking (a little higher and a little closer than the normal parking lot), we struggled a bit descending through the trees down to the lake, but at least the snow was frozen solid. Once up on the Peyto moraines, we were a little too high and had to descent a short ways down to the toe of the Peyto Glacier

skiing towards the glacier with Mt Habel and Rhondda taking the morning sun.

We roped up and scooted along an old track, and broke some trail instead of going to the hut. The Peyto zone is fascinating with what looks like some great ski descents.

Mt. Baker SE face. Looking delicious.

Some more climbing, flat skinning, slight downhill, following tracks, breaking trail brought us towards the St. Nic/Olive col.

Approaching the col.

Olive. Another tasty ski descent

After cresting the col, we enjoyed a long "glide" down to the Balfour hut

Skiing down with Mt. Balfour and the next objective, the high col in view.

Fortunately Jerimy and Stano had studied the route well, as I would have thought that the ascent route would go up the gentle bowl looker's left (aka what is actually the final part of the approach from Hector Lake) and not up underneath Mt. Balfour which looked heavily crevassed and threatened by serac fall.

Roping up for the long climb up to the Balfour high col.

Well what I thought was a crazy route up to Mt. Balfour was actually the way to go! Fortunately once we were on it, it didn't seem as crazy as it looked from afar. It was a really cool section of the traverse to break up the monotony of flat glacier slogging.

Once at the top of the col, we sat in the sun for a while and then we descended down the other side. I straightlined the whole thing.

The rope came back on and we headed for the final pass

Like all of the other climbs, the last one was longer than it looked. At the top, we pulled the skins one last time and traversed, free heeled and sidestepped our way over to the descent slopes (Schiesser-Lomas exit). The top was enjoyable with some light powder snow which turned into some corn on top of crust and then some wet snow in the trees. We got caught a little too far skier's left in the trees where it was really steep. Fortunately, we found the creek and skied down to the lake. Crossing the lake and getting to where the Sherbrooke Lake trail really starts descending was the last effort of the day, we then enjoyed a fast luge run down to the parking lot.

My GPS file

So we finished in just under 11hrs. We were on light gear and conditions were not really that bad other than a bit of trail breaking. Ian and Mel's 7.5hr effort last year (and of course Will Gadd and Co's 8hrs on misery sticks) really blows my mind. I found the treed sections quite frustrating and time consuming. We were definitely not hammering at race pace, but definitely tired at the end. 

I actually think the coolest thing about taking 11hrs is it actually puts it close to the same duration as other trips that I have done like "most of Joffre" (12.5hrs) and Lyautey (12hrs). Hmm...what about Fay/Quadra, Columbia, North Twin. The possibilities!

The speed traverse style is cool. We waited for a day with perfect weather. Imagine being "stuck" on a multiday traverse and getting socked in the day you were planning on going over the high col?