Here in the Gunnison Valley, we have been getting a good bit of snow over the past 10 days. Almost every day, every night some sort of white frozen precip falls, stacking up higher, deeper. It is a very good thing. Before this series of storms the snow pack, especially down low was baking off in the warm afternoon sun. It was beginning to look like March, not mid winter. Well the past week and a half has changed that in a big way.

This is all fine and dandy, as without snow here in Colorado the whole west is screwed, but what about ME!  I haven’t been able to ride my snow bike, the wonderful and glorious Pigsley all that much. I tried to embrace the change, I went skiing, and I do like skiing, but honestly it hurt my knee. I snow shoed, but that was really to pack down the trails…..really so I could ride. Maybe I’m a bit obsessed, ok I will admit it. I just want to ride. I freaking love riding on the snow, roads, trails, any where I can get those tires to roll.

I spent a few more hours snowshoeing some trails over and over, packing the heavy wet snow as firm as one man can. It was so warm today. Even now, hours after sunset, it is 36*. For some one that has spent many years getting my ass kicked by the often brutal Gunnison Winter, this seems really quite strange.

night riding is rad

The stomping paid off. Tonight I got to ride. It was not smooth and fast. Deviate from the thin line and into the snow you go. Step a foot off the trail and deeply you will sink. Many a bomb hole was left by me this evening. I was not smooth. I kept creeping to a crawl and then falling over into the deepening mass of snow.

Pigsley and Jefe Print

The lack of forgiveness was tough, but when it came together the riding was so damn worth it. Tonight was all about threading the needle, tough love, tough love…..

the only other folks out tonight…