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Mountain Bike Racing the Slopes

Four Corners' ski resorts take on a zero-inch snowbase

By Eric Mack

This winter hasn't exactly been a banner year for ski resorts in the Four Corners area, but the season for mountain bike racing is nearly here and the eternal optimist would point out that no snow means less erosion and ultimately, some great trails to ride this summer!

For years, mountain biking in the Four Corners area has been associated most readily with Moab and Slickrock and more generally with the vast web of rugged trails and breathtaking road rides throughout the Southwest Rockies, but in recent years a scene has been developing here centered around competitive mountain biking on the slopes.

The rise of mountain bike racing at ski areas across the region has provided a powerful tool for "drought-proofing" some local ski-based economies and more riders are flocking to what is quickly becoming a mecca for the sport. This summer, racers will have the opportunity to take on some of the world's most challenging courses that have played host to World Cup races, right in our own backyard.

ANGEL FIRE RESORT

Leading the way in the Southwest mountain biking scene is New Mexico's Angel Fire Resort. Tucked away in the picturesque Moreno Valley just a short drive from Taos with panoramic views of Wheeler Peak - New Mexico's tallest - riders may have a hard time keeping their eyes on the trail. In the winter, Angel Fire is a hideaway for a small group of die-hard snowboarders that crossed the desert in an epic exodus to the promised land of legendary killer steeps at Taos. Needless to say, they were a bit taken aback when they discovered that Taos Ski Valley is one of few resorts in the country that still prohibits snowboarding. Undaunted, they set up shop in nearby Angel Fire instead.

Brandon Peterson was one of those emigrants years back. Today he's the events director at AFR, responsible for bringing world class events to this tiny hamlet year-round, including world-class mountain biking events like the Chile Challenge, Final Descent, Quest for Fire and the Collegiate Championships. Last summer, AFR was also one of few locations in North America that hosted a Mountain Biking World Cup competition. This year, not a single World Cup event is scheduled in the United States for the 2006 season.

AFR kicks off the summer mountain biking season on May 20 - 21 with the 18th Annual Chile Challenge. The event is part of the American Mountain Bike Challenge Series and will be the opener for the Mountain States Cup Series. That means that participants placing in the top ten in each age group for cross-country, downhill and mountain cross may be able to qualify for the National Championships to be held at Mammoth, California.

The two-day challenge consists of four main events, beginning with the Jalapeno Cross Country on Saturday, May 20. Riders start in waves and tackle a course that climbs to 9,500 feet in elevation on each lap. For their efforts, these trail warriors will be rewarded with a "cool-off complimentary buffet" at the finish (no snacking between laps).

Next is the Cayenne Cross, which showcases a course that many say is the best of its kind in the world. Four riders leave from the start gate, racing head-to-head down a long, flowing course that has been designed for riders of all abilities.

On Sunday, things get even spicier with the Sorrano Super-D, a fast course that aims to challenge both the riders' fitness and technical ability over some seriously challenging terrain. Finally, things wrap up with the Habanero Downhill on the Chupacabra course, which was designed for the 2005 Angel Fire World Cup. Racers board the Chile Express quad lift and head to the top of the mountain, starting at 30-second intervals, except for the top 5 qualifiers, who will start at minute intervals.

Cash awards will be handed out in ceremonies after racing is complete to the top three pro and semi-pro finishers in each category, except for the Mountain Cross, which has a cash prize for the top four racers.

The Challenge also comes pre-packaged with the requisite mountain party Saturday night. For those more family-oriented riders, there's also a Shimano Kids Race Saturday afternoon to make sure the kids are fully exhausted and ready for a nap just in time for the evening biker bash.

For more information, check www.cyclecyndicate.com or Angel Fire Resort at (800) 633-7463.

On July 15, AFR and the rest of the Moreno Valley plays host to one of the more exhausting events of the summer season in the four corners. The Quest for Fire is a 12-hour adventure race in its second year that challenges solo racers and teams to a grueling day of trekking through the Sangre de Cristo range, paddling across nearby Eagle Nest Lake, mountain biking down AFR's trails and if that weren't enough, a few mystery events thrown in to keep it interesting. Of course, there is no word on what to expect, but word is that at last year's first-ever Quest, blindfolds were involved. The event is also a qualifying race for the national championship of adventure racing.

For more information. visit www.nmarc.org/quest_for_fire.htm or call Warren Wylupski at (505) 489-1416.

AFR says goodbye to summer with the same panache at Final Descent on September 23. The end-of-season event consists of two different courses. This is the fifth time that Cycle Cyndicate, the same group behind the Chile Challenge, is planning the downhill stage race. Riders compete on both courses, aiming for the best overall combined time. The Alpha and Beta courses are open for practice runs all-day Friday and Saturday morning before the timed races beginning at noon.

Final Descent has become known for being the final bash of the year, so expect big things from the Saturday night Biker's Bash. Costumes, hats and wigs are mandatory. Never fear, costumes will be available at the door and sumo wrestling will be provided inside; www.cyclecyndicate.com or Angel Fire Resort: (800) 633-7463.

Also slated for this fall at Angel Fire are the Collegiate Nationals scheduled for October 21 and 22. Collegiate Conference racers and other mountain biking nuts are expected to be on-hand for a last-minute chance to hit the mountain before Old Man Winter moves in; check www.cyclecyndicate.com as the date approaches or call Angel Fire Resort.

TELLURIDE

Colorado's majestic San Juans are a haven for all things mountain and Telluride is the unofficial internationally renowned crown jewel of the area. Before the Mountain Biking World Cup visited Angel Fire in 2004, Telluride set the standard back in 2002, when it hosted its own World Cup event. More than 2,000 athletes and 7,000 spectators descended on Mountain Village, making it easily the largest summer event ever hosted there.

The memories may have faded a bit, but fortunately the world-class trails that were designed and built for the event still remain. Along with the town of Mountain Village, they will once again provide an ideal venue for racing action the weekend of July 29 & 30 for the third annual Full Tilt in Telluride. The folks at Cycle Cyndicate have set their sights on another high elevation locale for this sixth stop in the Mountain States Cup Series.

Full Tilt immediately gets down to business with the Mountain Village Cross Country, taking racers through a 6-mile course with 1,100 feet of elevation gain per lap to a peak elevation of 10,260 feet. You may want to bring some extra oxygen for this tough, technical course to compliment the free buffet at the finish line.

In the downhill competition, racers will be invited to wash down a healthy helping of altitude with a big, tall glass of adrenaline. The mile-long course is made up of high-speed off-cambre sections, technical rocks and drop lines with options. If you need any translation, it's a safe bet you'd be better off as a spectator. Fortunately, Mountain Village was designed to offer optimal space to watch the action, with the short track course located low in the base village area.

The Shimano Kids Race will also be held Saturday afternoon and Full Tilt parties in the evening round out the experience. Cash prizes are given to the top three finishers in the pro and semi-pro catergories.

For more information, check www.cyclecyndicate.com or call Telluride Ski Resort at (800) 778-8581.

CRESTED BUTTE

In the mountain biking world, people have been talking about Crested Butte since the sport was in its infancy back in the 1980s. So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that this out-of-the-way resort town sets aside an entire week for the worship of the chubby inflatable wheel.

This year, Fat Tire Bike Week takes place from June 19 - 25. The festival itinerary is jam-packed with one-of-a-kind events like the Bike Rodeo, New Belgium Chainless, and the Poker Run along with daily rides for riders of all abilities.

The fun begins with Monday's Poker Run, a way to familiarize yourself with the town by mixing a little bit of five-card stud with a treasure hunt. Collect cards at various locations and see who has the best hand at the end.

One of the most anticipated events of the week comes on Friday with the New Belgium Chainless, an opportunity to dress up in costume and fly downhill in neutral from the top of 9,980-foot Kebler Pass, seeking to attain top speed before finishing in town.

For a break from speed, check out Saturday's Bike Rodeo with log pulls, bike limbo, parades, bike decorating and more off-mountain family fun.

The serious competition happens June 24 & 25 at Mt. Crested Butte with the 6th Annual Wildflower Rush, the third stop in the Mountain States Cup Series. The event begins with a cross-country race on a winding ten-mile course with an 1,800 foot elevation gain. On Sunday, a downhill and Super-D will be run over a course made up of steep single-track, open ski runs, technical forested sections and other challenging terrain.

A Shimano Kids Race is planned for Saturday and cash prizes will be handed out to the top four pro and semi-pro finishers in each category at awards ceremonies.

For more information, check www.ftbw.com or (800) 545-4505.

TAOS SKI VALLEY

During summers in northern New Mexico, bikes and balloons are two of the most frequent sights on the ground and in the air, respectively, most of the time. Perched little more than 10 miles above the dry, parched desert floor of the Rio Grande Valley, Taos Ski Valley is a world away in more than one sense.

Designed in the style of many European resorts, TSV sits in the state's most productive snow basin and popular wilderness area, leaving many to wonder how this piece of Bavarian wonderland got stuck in the middle of the high desert.

For riders, Taos has always offered an appeal so strong that it led former New Mexico Governor and avid mountain biker Gary Johnson to make his home here.

Sadly, Taos' most celebrated event, the Alpine Classic, appears to have fallen by the wayside.

But never fear, local developers and sports enthusiasts Roger and Kerri Pattison have jumped in to fill the void. When they aren't plotting to open a snowboard area adjacent to TSV, they're readying their property for Fraser Mountain Madness, featuring a grueling uphill bike course that takes racers toward the top of Fraser Mountain, opposing TSV's ski runs.

This year the madness is set for September 23 and 24, with the Uphill event on the 23rd challenging racers to ascend between 2,000 and 3,000 feet as quick as their legs and lungs will allow. The next day, competitors can take it a tad easier, if they choose, on a cross-country course that winds its way through some of the beautiful scenery on the Pattison Trust Land.

2006 will mark the second year for the Fraser Mountain event, which takes place for the most part on old jeep trails. The cross-country course winds through long stretches of pasture, providing a respite from the rough rocky terrain of so many other courses in the region.

For more information, contact the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce at www.taosskivalley.com or (800) 517-9816.

SANDIA PEAK

The Albuquerque resort closed down its winter operations early this year, on February 27. But the folks at Sandia are already looking forward to summer, with 30 miles of trails and lifts open to bikers of all abilities from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

The area won't be offering their summer race series this year, choosing instead to focus on a beloved area tradition, the Watermelon Classic Off-Road Race.

While details were still being finalized at press time, Sandia's Debi Owen said June 25 had been chosen for the annual running of the 16.3-mile course which begins at the ski area base and includes climbs up the Mule Deer, Falcon Ridge and King of the Mountain runs.

A loop around the course wraps up with a descent back to the base via the Golden Eagle run.

The event will be NORBA-sanctioned for expert and pro classes with 1-day licenses available. Check for updates to the events calendar at www.sandiapeak.com or contact Debi Owen at (505) 856-6419.

PAJARITO / LOS ALAMOS

For the past couple of years, the Los Alamos Tuff Riders mountain biking club and the folks at Ski Pajarito above town have been quietly cultivating a summer tradition. The Pajarito Punishment in past years has taken participants through a brutal course that includes parts of the ski hill. The success of the challenging single track loop race led to the development of the Los Alamos Fat Tire Festival, which last August included a hill climb, kids race and bike tours of the Valles Caldera Preserve in addition to the Pajarito Punishment.

No races have been scheduled just yet for 2006, but both the Tuff Riders and Ski Pajarito said they are working on putting something together, probably for August again. For updated information, check in over the next few months at www.tuffriders.losalamos.com or www.skipajarito.com.

RED RIVER

Any serious backcountry freak will tell you that the ideal adventure would take place far from the nearest chairlift. That's part of the idea behind the Top of the World Mountain Bike Race, which takes place at the Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski Area atop nearly 10,000 foot Bobcat Pass, not far from Red River, N.M.

This is truly an event suited for those that seek serenity over a "scene." There's no bustling base village here, just a family-run and maintained set of trails. The back to basics approach is still sure to attract a crowd, particularly since the race over a 5-mile loop course is held the same weekend in September as the Enchanted Circle Century Bike Tour, a road race around the so-called "Enchanted Circle" of highways that passes through Red River, Angel Fire and Taos.

This September will mark the 18th annual Top of the World race, just as the colors are beginning to change in New Mexico's high country.

For more information, contact Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Area at www.enchantedforestxc.com or (800) 966-9381.

Eric Mack lives, writes and produces pieces for public radio from his home outside Taos. He feels ashamed of his recent purchase of a satellite radio.