Who knew fat would be so phat

by Than Acuff

January 2017 has been fat. Eat enough donuts and drink enough soda and you get fat. My friend had one of the original Fat Chance mountain bikes. Fatburgers are awesome. Trans-fat has caught a bad rap. Yo momma’s so fat, when she sits around the house, she sits…around…the house.

But, you know what else is fat? Fat bikes, and they will be invading our end of the valley Thursday through Sunday, January 26-29, as the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce and the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) hosts the second annual Borealis Fat Bike World Championships, presented by Upslope Brewing Co.

“This year we set a cap at 250 riders to maintain the integrity of the courses and right now we have 243 registered,” says chamber of commerce director Eliza Cress. “I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of people coming. We are stoked that we are building on the momentum from last year.”

The idea was born two years ago when local mountain bike enthusiast (to put it lightly) and current director of CBMBA Dave Ochs was “brainstorming” with Aaron Huckstep and Jason Stubbe. Locals had been fat biking for a couple of years already and there had even been a couple of local races. But after their profound discussion, the idea to host the first-ever Fat Bike World Championships was born and Ochs ran with it.

Last year, 264 fat bikers came to compete over three days, with the final day of downhill fat biking on the resort somewhat curtailed due to… snow.

Prior to the storm though, the weekend went somewhat flawlessly. Sure, there were a handful of injuries one day but all was forgotten on World Championship race day with a quality course set out, a lesbian Led Zeppelin cover band after the races and branding. Not the kind of branding like #lookatmeskiingpowder branding—I’m talking burning flesh branding. In fact, video of the human branding incident was captured by Warren Miller cameramen and included in this year’s Warren Miller film, Here, There and Everywhere.

“I think that caught a couple people’s attention,” says Cress. “The resort was great sending people to several of the showings of the movie throughout the fall and we sent them with Fat Bike Worlds info to help promote the event this year.”

“It met expectations and then some,” adds Ochs about the inaugural event. “It gave me a very warm and fuzzy feeling.”

The fun starts this year with a party, of course, on Wednesday, January 25 including beer, pizza, films and racer packet and bib pick-up at the Brick Oven. Racing starts on Thursday, January 26 at the North Village venue adjacent to the Snodgrass trailhead. The races will be held on a course built specifically for the event and Cress assures participants that it will be a bit more user friendly than last year—the site contributed to a number of crashes resulting in injuries.

“We’ve definitely made some adjustments to the courses,” says Cress. “It’s a little more tame and more friendly to all levels of fat bikers.”

“I’m very excited about the North Village course,” says Ochs. “This year we laid out a course thinking specifically fat bikes. It will be more of a singletrack, fat bike experience. Designing a fat bike course by ski, it’s a beautiful union.”

Friday will provide a chance for the curious to check out fat bike demos at the North Village venue and see what all the hype is about.

Saturday, January 28, the Chinese New Year, is when the fat rubber meets the snow as riders will line up at the Town Ranch behind the Crested Butte Community School for the Fat Bike World Championships. There will be two race options: a 30 to 34-mile course for the elite class, and an 18 to 20-mile loop for the open class.

But, if you want the title and the chance to get branded like a cow, you must race elite. This year’s field of racers will include both the men’s and women’s world champions from last year, a crew from the United Kingdom, riders from throughout the U.S. as well as a slew of Coloradoans. The moderate-speed action starts at high noon.

While the lesbian Led Zeppelin cover band outdoor concert was “special” last year, people got cold. This year the awards and after-party will be at Bonez and will feature Denver-based funk band AOA.

The fatness comes to a climactic close on Sunday, January 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when fat bikers will be granted access to the ski resort for some lift-served downhilling on Gold Link.

“We’ll utilize the existing CBMR terrain park with berms to make a fun, flowy downhill track,” explains Ochs. “

Every single day of the five-day fat-fest will include commemorative bibs, free beers, free burgers, free brats, prizes and giveaways.

Registration for the Borealis Fat Bike World Championships presented by Upslope Brewing Co. closes on Wednesday, January 25, and with just seven spots left, as of Tuesday, the time is now. For additional information go to www.cbchamber.com.

“We’re looking to brand some buns,” says Ochs. “The branding iron has been bleached and fully cleaned.”

Good partnerships across the board helped in the decision

By Mark Reaman

Get ready to get your fat bike on all over the upper valley this winter. The local Gunnison National Forest District has approved grooming for nearly 37 miles of new trail after it received a proposal last fall from the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) to expand grooming for fat bikers, hikers, Nordic skiers and dog walkers.

Gunnison National Forest District ranger John Murphy signed the decision on Friday to allow most of the proposed grooming. Murphy signed the order under a Categorical Exclusion (CE) that indicates there are no extraordinary circumstances that would warrant further analysis under an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Assessment (EA).

Permitting should not take long so CBMBA executive director Dave Ochs said to look for the expanded trail system to be up and operating starting this week. If the weather cooperates, Ochs hopes to have the Gothic section groomed by the time this paper comes out and the Brush Creek trails groomed by the coming weekend.

Not surprisingly, Ochs was stoked by the decision. “I am over the top, crazy excited and so appreciative of the Forest Service and the efforts they put in to make this happen,” he said.

The Forest Service decision includes motorized grooming on the road between Mt. Crested Butte and Gothic for non-motorized uses; just about ten miles of trail will be groomed in the Brush Creek area, including the Strand Bonus trail, the Canal trail, and the Farris Creek Road area; and nine miles of the Cement Creek Road that lies on Forest Service lands.

Murphy did not allow the proposal to groom a loop at the far reaches of the Upper Cement Creek trail as a single track trail because it would add to snow compaction that could impact potentially high quality Canadian lynx habitat. Cement Creek Road will be open to both motorized and non-motorized users.

Trails in the North Village on Snodgrass and on property included in the Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area permit were not part of this decision but will be groomed.

Ochs said not getting permission to groom the top of the Cement Creek trail is fine with him right now. “We’ll be pretty busy with Gothic and Brush, and supporting Al Smith’s efforts in Crested Butte South,” he said. “That loop would have required some riding to get to. Sure, that would have been great, but we’re very glad to concentrate on the stuff even closer and more accessible, and we very much respect the concerns from the Forest Service on that particular loop. Al Smith already does amazing work out there on Cement—we are so proud and happy to partner and support him.”

Conditions apply

In Murphy’s decision document, he noted that the grooming would be allowed between November 30 and March 31 of each year on a probationary basis for two years. If all goes well, CBMBA would be issued grooming permits in five-year increments at the district ranger’s discretion after the probation period.

Murphy did not allow grooming of the Upper Cement Creek trail “due to issues brought forth in the analysis regarding newly compacted routes through quality lynx habitat.”

High Country Conservation Advocates public lands director Matt Reed appreciated Murphy’s overall decision and the sensitivity to potential lynx habitat.

“High Country Conservation Advocates welcomes the Forest Service decision memo, which approves CBMBA’s proposal, with some key environmental safeguards,” Reed said. “This decision provides an opportunity for the growth of human-powered recreation, while positively addressing sensitive lynx habitat, conditional approval, minimum snow depth, and seasonal grooming limitations. We look forward to continued engagement with CBMBA, the Forest Service, and our community, to protect wildlife and natural resources while providing sustainable recreation opportunities.”

Two years to shine

The two-year probationary period will give CBMBA a chance to work out any kinks with the grooming program. “We’re glad to have two years to shine and help even more people understand just what we’re trying to do, which is provide an amazing winter trail and recreation experience for all users,” explained Ochs. “We will be doing a total of 37 miles of grooming—that includes the ‘out and backs’—or it will be parallel trails, so out one way, and the other back. [The] exception is Brush, where it’s going to be 10 miles of real deal track.”

The amount of grooming will be determined by conditions at the time. “We have no plan to groom on a fixed schedule. We will play it by ear with conditions and area needs,” said Ochs. “We have no desire to be out there in avy conditions, whiteouts, or with a forecast of multiple days of snow. Our goal is to provide an amenity when the pow skiing and other options go dry, to fill voids and create more diverse and unique experiences. For the most part we will be grooming at dusk and when less use is on the ground.

“We have a workhorse of a sled that was purchased from the good folks at Irwin, and have made a lot of custom additions and add-ons to our groomer, a Yellowstone Track Systems 30-inch groomer, courtesy of the one and only Doug Bradbury,” Ochs continued. “Laying track is a hoot, as we have one or two on the sled, and one person actually ‘rides’ the groomer to help shape track, make berms, and compact the riding surface as best as possible. Just like summer trail work days—setting winter track is crazy fun, and something to be proud of once you lay the magic carpet down! Let alone, one person can build a berm in the snow in 10 minutes, where it’s hours of work in the summer.”

While admitting that fat bike travel is relatively new, Murphy said nothing in the decision changes the allowed mode of travel on existing snow trails contained in the proposal since fat bikes are already allowed on the Gothic Road, Brush Creek Road and the Cement Creek Road in the winter.

“Regular monitoring will occur during the probationary period to determine impacts to roads, summer use trails and areas that were permitted for off-trail over the snow use. If impacts are observed, adjustment to the permitted areas or other mitigations will be considered to reduce any impacts to resources,” Murphy’s decision document reads.

There must be a minimum of a foot of snow on the roads before any grooming can take place and at least 20 inches of snow at the Bush Creek trailhead.

Acknowledging that trailhead congestion is an issue, Murphy said his hope was that “by partnering with CBMBA, the Forest Service will actually be able to manage these areas in a more effective fashion than is currently possible. Information dissemination and education of trail users will be essential to the success of the project.”

While keeping those winter trails and trailheads maintained will be a lot of work, Ochs emphasized that it is a lot of fun, too.

“I am very excited for the experience and we have learned a lot already in just one year of grooming, studying conditions, working the groomer for a desired outcome, and creating a great experience,” Ochs said. “Brush Creek is going to be a good bit of work, but it will be worth it and where we are hoping to really break ground on something that is truly unique and world class! We are so honored to have the support we gathered from the community, the grant funding and support from the towns, and we are breaking up CBMBA operations into winter and summer ops, so we can better examine and document the income and expenses that each season will present. The experiences so far have been of great value, and it has made our club and organization an even more cohesive and effective team.”

Good partnerships keep things rolling

Murphy said part of the logic for the decision and the relative speed of it was to follow a new initiative coming from the Washington office to streamline the special uses application and approval process. Having a cooperative applicant also played a big role.

“Streamlining the process would allow the Forest Service to process applications for special uses more quickly and efficiently than we have in the past,” Murphy explained. “The fat bike grooming application was processed the same way we have historically processed these types of proposals. We expedited the review and approval of this proposal because of the great deal of support there was for the proposal and to meet the spirit of the new initiative. Dave Ochs was willing to work with us to make adjustments to the original proposal to eliminate certain issues that could have caused delays. An example was in Cement Creek, where about 10 miles of proposed grooming was eliminated from the proposal. This was because the proposed route would have caused additional snow compaction in high-quality Canada lynx habitat. This may have resulted in a need for additional consultation with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service delaying the approval of the proposal.

“Grooming this route would have impacted a fen which may have been determined to be an extraordinary circumstance and could have elevated the NEPA from a categorical Exclusion to and Environmental Assessment,” Murphy continued. “It takes a lot longer to prepare an Environmental Assessment than it does a Categorical Exclusion. I would credit Dave’s willingness to work with us to address these sorts of issues as the primary reason we were able to process the application so quickly.”

The Forest Service received 127 comments on the CBMBA proposal and 78 percent of those were in support of the proposal.

HCCA wants more extensive review 

by Mark Reaman

A Forest Service decision on a proposal to groom 37 miles of roads and trails in the upper East River Valley could be made by the middle of this month.

The proposal by the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) was made with fat biking in mind but the groomed areas would be free and open to a variety of winter users, including Nordic skiers, dogs and hikers.

Local environmental group High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) submitted a lengthy comment to the Forest Service asking that an environmental assessment (EA) be conducted before any decision is made on the proposal. That would likely postpone the decision for at least a year.

The CBMBA proposal includes 9.4 miles of groomed trail in Mt. Crested Butte, including the North Village, some Crested Butte Mountain Resort trails and the Gothic corridor; 9.9 miles out Brush Creek; and 18 miles out Cement Creek.

Gunnison Forest District ranger John Murphy said the office is considering issuing a categorical exclusion (CE) to authorize the proposed grooming. That decision could come in mid-December.

“Once an interdisciplinary team meets to go over the results of internal and external scoping, we will make a determination as to whether any extraordinary circumstances exist that would cause us to do an EA,” Murphy explained. “HCCA’s letter and comments will be considered like all other public comments received during the public scoping period. I’m not sure whether HCCA’s letter will have any impact on whether a categorical exclusion or an environmental assessment is used to authorize the proposed fat bike grooming.”

HCCA public lands director Matt Reed said HCCA is not opposed to the CBMBA proposal. “The 12-page letter raises issues that we hope the Forest Service addresses in its consideration of the proposal,” Reed explained in an e-mail.

Reed wrote: “I think the operative language from our comment is on page one: ’HCCA is generally supportive of human-powered recreation as practiced in appropriate areas and subject to appropriate environmental review. Appropriate review is critical for ensuring that recreation is compatible with wildlife and other resource values. As such, we submit these comments to highlight important resource concerns and procedural issues the Forest Service must address in its analysis. In light of these important resource issues, an Environmental Assessment (EA) should be used for analyzing the impacts, if any, that CBMBA’s proposal for motorized grooming of over 35 miles of trail across multiple drainages containing sensitive wildlife habitat might have. The value of an EA process is that these impacts, if any, would be fully disclosed and analyzed and can then be prevented, minimized and/or mitigated. This approach sets up the community for a win-win scenario: safeguarding sensitive wildlife and other resources that are important to the forest ecosystem while also providing additional local recreation opportunities.”

Reed said HCCA “was not alone in making this request, nor are the issues we raised in the comment letter new to the Forest Service.”

“We thank CBMBA again for sharing this proposal with us ahead of the comment period and sitting down to discuss it,” Reed commented. “We look forward to continuing such conversations throughout and beyond this process so we can work together to achieve results that are protective of wildlife and natural resources while also providing recreational opportunities.”

CBMBA executive director Dave Ochs said before the proposal was submitted he solicited support from a broad section of the community, including most of the elected officials throughout the county.

“We spent a lot of time reaching out to a lot of different organizations throughout the county about this proposal and had a lot of good feedback,” Ochs said. “We’ve had a great opportunity to sit down with HCCA and talk about shared values, more collaboration, and respect for each others’ organizations.  They were gracious enough to share their comment before it went to the Forest Service. We do hope their comment does not impart more burden on the Forest Service and prevent our winter goals that have been proposed in ‘already compacted areas’. Besides Gothic, areas that already see motorized use. We’re just planning to leave a better surface behind, for better experiences for all users. For Gothic, it’s all about a high use area seeing regular maintenance, not dog poop, hardened surfaces, and foot craters. We feel a Categorical Exclusion is a prudent and responsible decision.”

Gunnison County manager Matthew Birnie said the road from Mt. Crested Butte to Gothic is controlled by the county since the Forest Service and the county have an easement agreement in place. Thus the county has the decision-making authority on that part of the proposal. He said the Forest Service controls the Cement Creek part of the proposal while up in Brush Creek, both county and Forest Service permits will be needed.

“This place is a summer trails destination. Let’s be a winter trails destination, too,” Ochs said. Groomed winter trails are “a winter recreation amenity that every user loves… snow-shoers, dogs, skiers, walkers—everybody enjoys this maintained surface.”

Slate River Valley off the table

By Mark Reaman

The Crested Butte Town Council jumped on the winter fat bike train and will write a letter of support to the Forest Service asking the agency to approve the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) permit application to allow for fat bike grooming on U.S. Forest Service lands near Crested Butte.

The 37 miles of proposed grooming would be primarily in the Brush Creek, Cement Creek and Gothic valley drainages, along with Snodgrass Mountain.

At the urging of various entities, including the Forest Service, CBMBA pulled its initial request to do some grooming in the Slate River Valley because of crowding concerns, particularly at the trailhead. 

“We want to create singletrack and new loops and hold on to the momentum that was started last year with the Fat Bike World Championships held here,” CBMBA executive director Dave Ochs told the council at the October 3 meeting. “We are leading other resorts with this growing sport. Fat Biking is ours to lose. People like [to do] more than skiing. They like winter adventures. We are a bike culture community. Let’s make this a great winter amenity.”

Ochs said CBMBA would groom the trails, and it would be available to essentially everyone, including Nordic skiers, walkers, snowshoers, and people walking dogs.

In response to a question from mayor Glenn Michel, Ochs said the CBMBA proposal to the Forest Service fits within the parameters used by the Forest Service for guiding winter travel and use within the nearby drainages.

Using a template initiated by Al Smith up Cement Creek to his cabin, the grooming would be signed to explain how various users can politely utilize the groomed trail.

“CBMBA doesn’t charge for trail use so I will be looking for donations and asking for a grant from the town in the upcoming cycle,” said Ochs.

“Will more users impact trailheads and congestion?” asked Michel. “What about signage and bathrooms?”

“That is what we would use part of the grant money for,” said Ochs.

While it is no secret there has been some tension between Crested Butte Nordic and the fat biking community over some trail use, particularly on trails that cross private property with limited easements, Ochs said the Nordic community has been helpful in the past with trail issues, especially during races.

“But that’s why we are asking the Forest Service to allow us to groom some other places away from easements held by people who don’t like fat bikes. We are hoping for Nordic Center collaboration,” said Ochs.

“This seems to be nibbling at the Gang of Nine plan,” noted councilmember Jim Schmidt, referring to the local name for the Forest Service committee that formulated a plan for winter recreation in the area’s national forests. “Does it make sense to open it all up again?”

“Yes,” responded Ochs. “Fat biking was not even around in the 1990s when the Gang of Nine reached their conclusions. But the Forest Service has made it clear they are understaffed and won’t look at the Winter Travel Management Plan for a few years. We feel this is an opportunity to get ahead of it. When they do look at the comprehensive plan they can see if this worked on the ground.”

At the meeting, several members of the public commented on the CBMBA permit application.

Ali Fuchs of Big Al’s Bikes said she has seen the sport grow exponentially in the last three winters. “I’ve doubled my rentals in the last three years,” she said. “I have probably 20 fat bikes now and sometimes they are all rented at the same time. It is amazing. It has become another amenity offered in the town. The sport will continue to grow and it is so much in line with Crested Butte.”

CBMBA president and local lodge owner Matt Whiting said, “It is critical for our community to diversify our economy. This is a low-impact, positive experience for people.”

CBMBA stalwart Doug Bradbury said when the sport began popping up, people, including Forest Service officials, starting looking to CBMBA as a point organization for fat biking. “Frankly, we think this grooming will be great but we have no idea how we will pay for it,” he said. “We are going out on a limb to do this, but we think it will work.”

Nordic skier Maureen Hall said she is not opposed to fat biking. “I think they have a right to be in the backcountry. However, in your letter to the Forest Service I urge you to ask them to address the Winter Travel Management Plan as soon as possible,” Hall told the council. “Asking the Forest Service to approve grooming more drainages and adding more users without looking at the big picture is something to think about. There is a lot of conflict out there and it can be a mess. Things will get worse unless the Forest Service addresses a comprehensive Winter Travel Management Plan.”

Bike journalist Jason Sumner told the council that there is no real “marquee place for fat biking, especially in the Rockies. This is a great opportunity for Crested Butte. As people say, ‘When the skiing sucks, the fat biking is great.’ It is something to embrace.”

Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Eliza Cress said the Fat Bike World Championships event was a huge hit for the community. “It saw more media than the resort did all winter. The chamber wants to continue to grow the event. And if we want to get those people back outside of the race, we need trails. We hope the council considers the benefits to the winter economy.”

Brittany Konsella of Share the Slate said her group wanted to support the idea and work with CBMBA on expanding signage and addressing etiquette, noting, “Improving education for all different user groups can hopefully reduce conflicts.”

Fat biker Sean Riley said he didn’t have to be as politically correct as Ochs and there were indeed tensions with the Nordic community. “It has been confrontational at times. They’ve been snobbish and elitist. There are communities where all sides collaborated and created a positive thing. That’s what we’d like to see with the Nordic community.”

Ken Stone of the Nordic Inn said the economic impacts that come with the new sport have been outstanding. For example, he said winter guests at the Nordic Inn increased by 12 percent last year. More than 320 guests spent some time fat biking and a third of them were first-timers. He said the Fat Bike Worlds brought in 151 room nights to the small lodge. He said it particularly came into play when there wasn’t much snow falling last January. “It really helped keep people involved and engaged,” Stone said. “Skier days aren’t growing rapidly. This sport helps.”

Janet Harvey reiterated concerns about trailhead congestion and wondered if normal tourists could handle the singletrack and distances being proposed by Ochs for grooming.

Third Bowl owner Kendall Tankersley agreed with Fuchs that the sport helped a small business like hers make it through a tough winter season. “I think having close-to-town mixed-use trails are important and what CBMBA is proposing will make it better for everyone.”

The council agreed with the general sentiment of the crowd. “It makes a lot of sense and gives people more to do,” commented councilman Roland Mason.

Councilman Chris Ladoulis was not in favor of adding a sentence to the Forest Service letter asking them to open the entire winter travel management discussion. “I think we should keep the ideas separate,” he said. “I don’t want to risk them deciding to postpone a decision on this to look at the bigger picture.”

“The Forest Service is a land of many uses,” noted councilmember Paul Merck. Fat biking “adds one more use for people when the snow is low.”

“I like the concept but don’t want people driving a car to ride a bike. I’d prefer everyone collaborate to be able to use the trails that start right in town, including the Nordic trails,” said councilmember Erika Vohman.

“Fat biking isn’t going away,” said councilwoman Laura Mitchell. “My only concern is the need for more trailhead management.”

Ochs said most trailheads sit on county property and not on Forest Service land.

The council voted 7-0 to send a letter of support to the Forest Service but agreed to include a sentence urging the USFS to look at the bigger winter picture and make sure the impact of the new use is managed adequately.

46 miles of winter grooming under review by Forest Service

By Alissa Johnson

The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Forest Service to groom 46.6 miles of winter trails for fat biking and other winter recreation. The goal is to build on momentum created by events like the Fat Bike World Championships and to provide a positive recreational experience for all winter trail users.

CBMBA executive director Dave Ochs sees the proposal as an opportunity not only to serve the growing fat biking community, but to provide access to winter trails that can also be used by other types of user groups for a true multi-use amenity.

As Ochs sees it, groomed winter trails are “a winter trail recreation amenity that every user loves… snow-shoers, dogs, walkers, everybody enjoys this maintained surface.”

The CBMBA proposal includes 9.4 miles of groomed trail in Mt. Crested Butte, including the North Village, some Crested Butte Mountain Resort trails and the Gothic corridor; 9.9 miles out Brush Creek; 9.3 miles out Slate River; and 18 miles out Cement Creek.

According to Ochs, the latter would encompass current grooming efforts by Camp 4 owner Al Smith. While Smith can officially groom out Cement Creek so his family can reach their cabin, fat bikers, snowmobilers, walkers, snow-shoers, Nordic skiers and, of course, dogs all use the surface. Signage lets folks know how to use the trail, and multiple user types coexist.

Ochs and the CBMBA board of directors want to see that same approach used across the valley, and while the idea grew out of the recent growth of fat biking, the proposal is intended to serve a wider user group.

“[Crested Butte is] a summer trails destination. Let’s be a winter trails destination, too,” Ochs said.

Ochs believes it makes sense for CBMBA to move into winter trails management as an extension of its summer work. According to the CBMBA website, the organization is responsible for 450 miles of local single track, but those trails don’t just serve mountain bikers.

“We should almost be CBMBTA,” Ochs said, with that “T” representing trails. “There’s no doubt about it—a lot of what we’re doing can be used by all users.”

Of course, the grooming would also provide a valuable amenity for fat biking. According to Ochs, this upcoming winter will be the fifth year that local riders have focused on creating opportunities for winter fat biking, and those efforts have demonstrated a growing interest in the sport.

“Last year, Fat Bike Worlds was the icing on the cake…” Ochs said. “We got more media support in the weekend of Fat Bike Worlds than the entire winter and the entire ski season.”

Ochs sees the opportunity for fat biking to complement other types of winter recreation—a family that comes to the valley for five days might ski three, and if the snow isn’t great, fat bike one day and snowmobile the next. It would also build on Crested Butte’s roots as a mountain biking Mecca.

“With the energy and momentum from Fat Bike Worlds last year, it’s ours to lose. We’re at the forefront, in the Rockies and Colorado, of fat bike opportunities and winter trail opportunities,” Ochs said.

Now that CBMBA has submitted the proposal to the USFS, Ochs is focused on building community support for the proposal. So far he’s received verbal support from Snow Trackers, and the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce and Ian Billick, executive director of Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, have written letters of support. Many individuals have written letters of support as well. On Tuesday, September 20, Ochs met with the Mt. Crested Butte Town Council.

Ochs told the council that one individual has reached out to the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests in opposition to the proposal. As a result, he believes that showing community support is important to the success of the proposal.

He also explained that one area that could be a bit contentious is the idea to groom the Gothic corridor. Grooming there would require bringing a snowmobile into the area—something that some believe goes against an arrangement by the Gang of Nine, which designated specific drainages for motorized and non-motorized use.

Ochs emphasized that, “This would not be opening it up to motorized access by any means.”

He also believed it would provide a better experience for trail users. “If we had an organized and controlled maintenance schedule to go and groom and leave a better surface, it would provide a better experience for everybody,” Ochs said.

He handed out a copy of the original Gang of Nine agreement, which indicated that the road between Mt. Crested Butte and Gothic is under county jurisdiction and therefore not subject to the agreement. He also handed out the letter of support from Billick.

Ochs received only one question from the council. “Have you had any pushback about the potential of avalanches?” asked councilmember David O’Reilly.

Ochs responded that he’s planning to work with RMBL and the Crested Butte Avalanche Center to stay on top of avalanche risk, and the council agreed to send a letter of support for the proposal.

Time will tell how the idea goes over with the broader community. For now, the Forest Service is conducting its review of the proposal.

According to Aaron Drendel, recreation staff officer with the Gunnison Ranger District, the Forest Service is screening the proposal. The agency tries to acknowledge receipt of special use permit requests within 30 days and respond within 60 days, though that’s not always possible. He did not have any information pertaining to the complaint.

Low inflation, high action, free beer, lesbian rockers, human branding, Rain Song

[  by Than Acuff  ]

I still wonder why anyone would want to ride a Fat Bike, but given what transpired this past weekend at the Borealis Fat Bike World Championships, there’s definitely something to this fat bike thing. Granted, I may have taken a sip of the Kool-Aid, or at least caught a contact buzz from all of the stoke throughout the weekend, but, still. It didn’t hurt that SOMA was handing out free eighths of their product to race participants.

This past weekend, close to 300 fat bikers rolled into Crested Butte for the four-day fat bike event and all but maybe two or three were treated to a top-shelf experience. I mean, what could be better than suffering on your bike for anywhere from two to five hours only to roll, albeit somewhat slowly, into a bunch of free Odells beer and a Lez Zeppelin show? And that was just one day of the four-day event.

The weekend was not without its hiccups, not from the organization side of things mind you, but from the riding side of things as the opening event on Thursday had its fair share of carnage.

Individuals and teams lined up at 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 28 for the Relay/Solo race on the North Village trails under bluebird skies and freshly rolled fat bike track. But as the race progressed, fatigue and course conditions led to some fat bike pile-ups, which then led to some blood, sweat and, eventually, beers.

Brick Oven rider Jordan “Lieutenant Dangle” Williford was up front and in the mix for most of the race, and while conditions were fast early on, the track started breaking down under the pressure of riders and the sun.

“The first four laps, the track was rock solid and the racing was pretty tactical,” says Williford. “Somewhere in the fifth lap, the track got really soft and I ended up crashing three times. It was less of a drag race then, more about bike handling.”

Williford ended up finishing third with Tokyo Joe’s/FSA rider Taylor Shelden taking the win and Topeak Ergon and Gunnison rider Dave Wiens in second place.

But the pain came for several others as the track disintegrated and several riders suffered everything from broken clavicles to broken ribs and a host of bloody faces.

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“You could let it rip on that steep descent and were hitting speeds of 30 miles per hour but by the third or fourth lap, it was treacherous,” says Williford.

“That hillside is facing directly into the sun—you had to work it, it was tough riding,” adds event organizer and Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Dave Ochs. “I saw one bike do at least three flips. It’s gonna happen. That’s racing.”

On Friday, user groups, government agencies and curious onlookers got together to discuss the role of fat biking while fat bikes were out for anyone and everyone to demo. The day provided a brief lull in the fat bike tsunami only to ramp back up for the premier event, the Borealis Fat Bike Worlds on Saturday, January 30.

Initial weather forecasts predicted the beginning of the impending massive storm to hit on Saturday and could have easily turned the Fat Bike Worlds into a slogfest but, as if Mother Nature herself wanted to see what all the hype was about, she held off. Additionally, the Crested Butte Nordic Center literally rolled out the white carpet for the event, grooming a 5.5-mile long course for fat bikers with 500 vertical feet of climbing.

The open class had a three-lap race that meant a healthy 16.5-mile long race with 1,500 feet of climbing. The elite class of men and women were treated to five laps or 27.5 miles of riding with 2,500 feet of climbing.

“It was a hard course because of the speed involved but I thought it was a good mix of hills and descents with some long flats,” says Williford.

The line-up at the start of
the race had all the prestige
of a major bike-racing event,
and why shouldn’t it? It was the World Championships. Cameramen were out running around firing off photos, a drone was launched for the overhead and Warren Miller filmers were hustling around as the riders were positioning themselves in the appropriate start waves.

The wave start proved wise because about 50 yards into the race, the course bottlenecked into a corkscrew section, which could have easily resulted in one massive fat bike fiasco. To keep things from getting too serious though, race organizers did build an optional jump at the top of the downhill section for riders and more often than not, fat bikers rose to the challenge only to stuff it hard on the landing—over and over and over again.

The more proficient riders handled the jump without incident but, overall, I would estimate a 20 percent success rate of all who hit the jump.

Team RideBiker/Isoride athlete and local rider Amy Beisel defended the home trails to take the women’s elite world champion title. Beisel is a successful mountain bike racer but had just five rides on a fat bike before lining up Saturday morning.

“It played out completely different than I expected,” says Beisel. “I didn’t expect to win.”

Beisel was in a battle with one other rider for the lead during the first lap but eventually was out in front by lap two and remained “focused and relaxed” to stay in front and take the win in a time of two hours, 30 minutes and 44 seconds.

“The first lap was back and forth,” says Beisel. “I would crash and she would pass me and then she would crash and I would pass her. It’s a little different from mountain biking technically. You gotta commit to the rut and everything is just slower. You can’t react as fast as you would on a mountain bike or you just end up crashing.”

With a strong line-up at the front of the pack for the men’s race, Williford decided, if nothing else, he would make his move at the start.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect. There was so much horsepower there so I decided to go for the hole shot,” says Williford.

Williford got the hole shot and led into the first climb when the race blew up.

 

“There was an attack on the first climb and it was fireworks after that,” says Williford.

The lead pack set a furious pace from that point on and were rolling thunder all race, led by Robbie Squire. Squire races for the Citadel-Holowesko professional road team and jumped into the fat bike fray just days after competing in Argentina’s Tour de San Luis stage race. And while this was his first fat bike race of his life, he made quick work of the course, building an insurmountable gap by the fifth and final lap and cruising to the win in just under two hours.

Williford posted the top finish among local men in the elite class, covering the course in a time of two hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds to come in eighth.

And fat bikers didn’t just feel the burn, they smelled it too. One caveat to being crowned Fat Bike World Champion was a quazi-stringent requirement to get branded, and not in the marketing way. We’re talking red hot iron applied to human flesh type of branded. While six of the seven World Champions opted out, men’s open champion Andre-Paul Michaud lay face down in the snow and took it on the ass, like a champion.

“Robbie [Squire] was noticeably nervous about getting branded and told me, ‘I can’t get buried in a Jewish cemetery if I’m branded,’” explains Ochs. “I’m not going to force anyone into melting their skin.”

The race concluded, Lez Zeppelin took the stage and Ochs became one of only two men to ever take the stage with the band, the other one being the lead singer for Quiet Riot, as he joined them on guitar for Rain Song, even though there was some serious pushback from the band and their agent prior to the show.

“I told them I know the song just like it is on Houses of the Holy,” says Ochs. “The lead singer was saying, no dudes ever get onstage with Lez Zeppelin.”

But just as the smoke cleared from branding Michaud, Ochs got the call to the stage and he hopped up to play the acoustic backing guitar on Rain Song.

“When I started playing Rain Song, it was the greatest moment of my life,” says Ochs. “I felt like a rock star. It was a fantastic honor joining the Lezzies on stage.”

The skies then opened up to drop a foot of new snow overnight but did that stop fat bikers from Sunday’s Hair of the Dog downhill?

Hell no.

Granted, the final day was a bit muted by the fresh snow but a gaggle of fat bikers was determined to finish the weekend and get their money’s worth and get some downhill laps in on Awakening while downing still more free Odells beer.

“I think it shows what fat bikers are all about,” says Ochs. “It wasn’t the best conditions and they still did it.”

So where does that leave us? Are we the official home of the Fat Bike World Championships, sanctioned or not? There are several Midwest fat bike communities that would dispute that and while there is an “official” USA Cycling Fat Bike National Championships in Ogden, Utah in one week, I seriously doubt they’ll have free beer and anything close to Lez Zeppelin. According to Ochs, Fat Bike Worlds is here to stay.

“We’re talking about it and we’re excited about it,” says Ochs. “Eliza [Cress, chamber event coordinator] killed it, the volunteers killed it and both towns and the community stepped up huge. There’s opportunity to go bigger and make it better. It just fits here. Just like the Chainless Race and the AJ.”

(for complete information check out www.cbchamber.com)

Thursday, January 28, 11 a.m.

North Village

(20 miles, 2.5 mile loop, 8 laps)

The town of Mt. Crested Butte’s venue, intended for individuals or teams of two or four. Located about two miles past Crested Butte Mountain Resort, it is one of the most scenic areas in the entire valley, with gorgeous views of the Axtell, Gothic and Crested Butte mountains.

These are trails you just have to ride. Groomed for this very occasion, now is the time to start rallying your friends. Download and save the racetrack from our local free mountain bike map app at CBGTrails.com.

Friday, January 29, 11 a.m.

Conference Ride

(2 to 7 miles, not timed)

A modified route on North Village will also be used during our Fat Bike Conference Friday, January 29. Land managers, resort reps and Fat Bike enthusiasts alike will all enjoy spinning on fresh corduroy. Event includes: Free demos on Borealis, Surly, Salsa and 45NRTH bikes.

Saturday, January 30, 11 a.m. 

Fat Bike World Championships and Lez Zeppelin

(Racers need to show up at 9 a.m. to get timing chips and final registration)

East Side

The start/finish area is just behind the Community School and the course is sandwiched between the town of Crested Butte and Crested Butte Mountain. The East Side venue has killer views both up and down valley, as well as the charm of being right in town at the foot of Crested Butte Mountain. Typically designated for Nordic Skiing only. We are grateful for permission from the Crested Butte Nordic Center to set up a fat bike course you will never forget. The First Ever Annual Fat Bike World Championships will be held in this exclusive venue Saturday, January 30. This is a spectacle you won’t want to miss. Check it out on CBGTrail.com.

(Elite: 30 to 34 miles, 6-mile loop, 5 laps)

(Open: 18 to 20 miles, 6-mile loop, 3 laps)

Lez Zeppelin will follow the races to rock your Fat Bike socks off. The tent and stage will be set up on the Town Ranch behind the Community School at the race venue. The band goes on at 2:30 p.m. and $5 gets you into the show.

Sunday, January 31, 11 a.m.

Downhilling at Crested Butte Mountain Resort

(5 to 10 miles, not timed)

This “hair of the dog” race will be held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Downhill tracks Awakening and Teaser will be open for Fat Bike down-hilling. The day will be all about celebrating a full weekend of fat biking fun.

Can you dig it?!

by Than Acuff

Crested Butte is often considered the birthplace of mountain biking and could very well now become the birthplace of fat biking, at least for the Rocky Mountains and beyond. The Borealis Fat Bike World Championships, a.k.a. Fat Bike Worlds, is coming to Crested Butte Wednesday through Sunday, January 27-31.

We’ve seen ‘em, those fat bikes I mean, riding around town, up and down the surrounding valleys, at Crested Butte Mountain Resort and even on some of the skin tracks closer to town. And while fat biking is huge in the Midwest (more than 700 fat bikers competed in the first annual Fat Bike Birkebeiner), it’s still in its relative infancy in the mountain towns of the West, until now.

Thanks to the brains of one Jason Stubbe, the inertia of Aaron Huckstep and the fevered energy of Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Dave Ochs, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte will host the first-ever Fat Bike World Championships.

“We’ve been hosting fat bike races as part of the Alley Loop the last four years and last year the light bulb went off,” explains Ochs. “If we’re going to do something, let’s go all the way. Fat bike racers are popping up in a lot of mountain communities, the momentum is there so… go big or go home.”

So far more than 200 fat bikers are registered for the Fat Bike Worlds, hailing from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, England, and Ireland, as well as around the country.

“I’m blown away. It’s awesome,” says Ochs. “I think we’re going to hit 250, maybe more.”

The Fat Bike Worlds kick off on Wednesday, January 27 with the Kick-Off Party sponsored by Chopwood Mercantile at the Brick Oven at 5:30 p.m., but the action starts on Thursday, January 28 with the first race of the weekend, the relay/solo race on the groomed trails of the North Village by the Snodgrass Trailhead, at 11 a.m. Grills will be fired up and beer from Odell Brewing will be available for racers and gawkers.

The trails were “track-packed” by Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and Ochs and his crew have been out grooming a 30-inch wide singletrack with a groomer (complete with some Doug Bradbury enhancements) specific for creating fat bike trails.

“CBMR pretty much committed that area to fat biking,” says Ochs. “We laid out the track with fat biking in mind. The course has sweet bermed corners and just great flow.”

The day wraps up with an event shindig at Montanya’s Distillery at 6 p.m., where participants can wash the sting of fat biking away with some award-winning locally distilled rum.

Friday, January 29 riders and fat bike fans can rest, relax and jib flap at an all-day conference on all things fat biking as well as continue to get in some additional riding. Conferences will be going on in the Annex at Mountaineer Square and rides will be happening starting at 11 a.m. as a modified route on North Village will be primed for the Fat Bike Conference for land managers, resort reps and fat bike enthusiasts alike to enjoy spinning on fresh corduroy.

The whole fat bike contingency is then invited to the Avalanche with more free Odell’s beer starting at 5 p.m.

The four-day fat bike fest comes to a climax on Saturday, January 30 with the official world championship race on the Crested Butte Nordic trails starting and finishing at the Town Ranch on the outskirts of the town of Crested Butte. The course will include sections of Nordic trail typically closed to fat bikes but, thanks to the permission of Crested Butte Nordic, will be opened for the prestigious event.

“Saturday’s a big day and I’m super-excited about it being in town,” says Ochs.

The racing starts at 11 a.m. and the course will begin at the Town Ranch behind the community school, head up a portion of the rec path and then onto some tasty groomed Nordic trails before returning to the start. Elite racers get six laps on the 5.5-mile long loop for a total of 33 miles and 3,330 feet of climbing, while the open class will get three laps.

“It’ll be pretty hard for the elite riders but it’s 100 percent rideable,” says Ochs. “It’ll be very similar to what mountain biking is like in Crested Butte.”

Ochs expects the elite class leaders to finish in about two and a half hours and when all is said and done, seven world champions will be crowned, from men’s and women’s elite, men and women juniors, men and women champions over 55 years old and a hand cycling Fat Bike World Champion.

Each champion will then get the distinct pleasure of having the Fat Tire Worlds logo literally branded on their body as a lifetime reminder of their achievement.

At 2:30 p.m., once the smoke has cleared from the branding party, Lez Zeppelin will step onto a mobile stage set up on the Town Ranch, plug in and rock. Five dollars cash gets you into the show and, of course, there will be plenty of food and Odell’s beer flowing.

The Fat Bike Worlds comes to a close on Sunday, January 31 with the “Hair of the Dawg” downhill event. Starting at 11 a.m. fat bikers will be gathering at the base area and ride to the top of the Painter Boy lift. From there they will have the option to drop down the Awakening downhill track or the Teaser downhill track, both of which start at the top of Painter Boy and finish at the bottom of Painter Boy. Both tracks have been packed by the CBMR packing crew and snowmobiles in preparation for slayage.

“We’re crazy-excited about this,” says Ochs. “There’s plenty of opportunity for rad downhill fat biking.”

Fat bikers must get themselves to the top as there will be no lift service for bikes available, and both Saturday and Sunday offer a chance for fat bikers to get famous as world-renowned ski filmmaker Warren Miller will be in town to catch the action for his next film project. Did I mention there will be even more Odell’s beer flowing?

For more information, course descriptions, registration and all things Fat Bike Worlds check out www.cbfatbikeworlds.com. Online registration is open until Sunday, January 24, after which registration will be handled by the chamber of commerce.

Ochs has some energy for Fat Bike Worlds

By Mark Reaman

The Crested Butte Town Council approved a special event permit for the Fat Bike Worlds event being held in town at the end of January, but not without some concerns. It’s going to be put on by the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce, whose executive director Dave Ochs has energy for and loves the idea of anything fat bike.

“There is no doubt, fat bikes are like white people to Native Americans—they’re coming!” he told the council at the December 21 meeting.

“These things are taking off. And we are a recreation destination that needs to provide amenities. This is an amenity, especially when the snow conditions aren’t powder. Plus this is one of the bike Meccas of the world. It fits in with the Crested Butte culture. I was talking to people over in Aspen and they are pissed off that we beat them to hosting the Worlds and having the summit this January. We are ahead of the curve with fat biking. We are leading the charge with fat biking,” Ochs said in one breath.

“Fat biking is gaining energy. People are coming to rent fat bikes.  The energy for the Worlds is going crazy. Warren Miller films are coming to film the event. We are getting mentioned in places like the Boston Globe and New York Times.  Just think if the resort allowed lift-served fat biking. It would blow it all off the charts,” Ochs said with a second breath.

He then gave an overview of the Saturday, January 30 event to be held at the Crested Butte gravel pit near the community school. “We want an amazing event. We want to put on a show. So we are going big and booking Lez Zeppelin, a great all-woman band that plays Led Zeppelin covers. They are great and should draw some people,” Ochs said.

Councilwoman Laura Mitchell asked if the chamber was perhaps biting off more than it could chew to organize the world championship event plus an outdoor concert in January.

Ochs responded that an event planner with concert experience was probably going to be hired to focus on the concert. “We are confident we can pull off the event,” he promised. “We are counting on some town help with Rodney’s and Janna’s crews. We are bringing in tents and a mobile stage and the liquor license area is 500 feet from the school. We want to see a bunch of spectators. It should be done by 5:30.”

Councilperson Erika Vohman said trash could be a big issue and she suggested working toward a zero waste event, “or at least put something in place to not use single-use water bottles,” she suggested.

Mayor Glenn Michel said the council shouldn’t make an approval of the special events permit contingent upon that requirement. “It is a bigger discussion for the council to have to move all events toward a zero waste goal,” he said.

“I agree with Erika and it should start now,” said councilman Paul Merck.

“If you are going to apply a policy you have to have a policy,” said town manager Todd Crossett.

“It is certainly something the council should talk about when we have our retreat to discuss priorities,” said Michel.

“We pride ourselves on really cleaning up after our events,” said Ochs. “We will have trash and recycling bins all over the venue.”

Councilman Jim Schmidt said if a band was going to draw 500 to 1,000 people, there probably should be a transportation plan in place to get people off the Mountain Express buses in town and to the venue. “You might say it’s not a long walk from the Clark’s bus stop to the gravel pit, but for a lot of people, it is,” he said.

Ochs said there was some coordination with the school for some parking issues despite a morning volleyball game scheduled for the same day.

The council voted 7-0 to approve the permit. Ochs was happy and enthusiastic about the vote.

REEBdonkadonkadonkadonkadonk

According to the Urban Dictionary, badonkadonk is an “ebonic” expression for an extremely curvaceous female behind.
REEBdonkadonk is the name of a Fat Bike, one of several Fat Bikes out on the market these days and, like it or not, Fat Bikers are here and gaining popularity. Read More »