Training Log Archive: Carbons Offset

Fireside to Baker Creek and back with Melissa, Tom and Heather.
Woke up with a head full of junk from the cold I have had this week, so took it fairly easy and didn’t ride too far.

C • Didn’t ride too far 2

Trail building on the Razor’s Edge Connector with Fitzy, Melissa, Tom, Heather, Woody and Carbon. Definitely worked the back and the arms.

Amik wanted to try riding Reclaimer, so Fitzy and I took him with the help of Myka and Carbon shuttling us. Did two laps with a walkthrough of the first two corners (the hard ones) looking for the best lines. Then rode around below the Grassi Lakes trailhead looking for some jumps that were supposed to be there. Didn’t find them so we rode Mosquito.

C • Amik! 3

Prairie View - Jewell Pass on the way home from the city. Carbon met me at the trailhead.
Had a blast flying down Lower Jewell Pass, this really is the best part (upper Jewell Pass is so rooty with some bigger drops). Then the big grind up Prairie View with tired lungs but still did fine. At the top, we ran into Roy and Marisa and did the rest of the ride with them - that was a lot of fun.
Carbon punctured her rear tire but was fortunately near the end of the trail. She had wanted to replace that worn tire anyway.
Again finishing in slightly low light around 8:30.

Powderface Ridge with Ian from work.
We both had our eye on checking out this trail and hadn't done it. When I compared the topo lines for this trail versus the area I rode on Pistolero, and comparing the slopes on Trailforks with Cox Hill, the descent off this ridge looked noticeably steeper. I figured I might have to walk a bunch of it.
Parked at the bottom of the trail and rode the Powderface road around to where Powderface Creek trail comes out to the road. (it's a long drive to the parking spot!). Set a decent pace on the road and passed two other couples. Missed a shortcut where we could have cut into Powderface Creek just before the road does a significant descent. As a result, we added about 3km of riding (1.5 km road and 1.5 km back on trail) and another 100 metres of climbing. It's a pretty sick climb to go "backward" on Powderface Creek trail but it is just doable. Lungs were burning at several points and there was lots of rocky old-school technical climbing where you are challenged to keep riding it clean. Deliciously old school, I haven't ridden an old trail like this in a while and loved it; I've missed this kind of riding. With our add on, it was a lot of climbing. About an hour and a half up, half an hour down. (total time out was 2:30).
Up on the ridge, we encountered the two other couples again. Embarrasing for us that we obviously must have missed the turn, but I think they were more self-conscious about getting passed by us a second time despite our extra distance and climbing.
The descent was not as steep as I thought. All rideable. The trail contours across the backside of the ridge a little at first and stings you with a few more short climbs when you feel like you should be done climbing. Then it drops to a saddle, turns, and comes straight down to the car. Some loose stuff and baby heads, and a continual descent with not breaks, but it is all manageable. I rode it kind of slow and controlled, and had no issues. Ian rode it faster and almost found the limit a couple of times. Had to stop once to shake out the hands.
A wicked kick ass ride with challenging technical climbing and then a long descent that wasn't as psycho as I thought it would be (it never felt as steep as the steepest pitch of Pistolero, but it is continuous).

Pistolero trail
Headed out to the Ing's Creek road by Moose Mountain in the hopes of finding the unsanctioned and unmapped Loamzilla trail. Headed up "This Road" until there is a singletrack branching off uphill on the right side of the road, before the road drops the last bit to its end. The ride up the road is a little bit of work but not too bad and took about 20 minutes? Then about 10 more minutes on some good singletrack that heads toward Loamzilla. I chatted with another group that was heading there. They informed me that Loamzilla starts with a steep drop in, the Pistolero trail is a little easier and is what most people start with. That seemed like a good idea, better to underdo it and then decide if I want to try Loamzilla. As we climbed toward the start of Loamzilla, we passed trailheads on the right for Faith Healer, Four Horsemen, etc. Apparently, these are all steeper descents; they looked like they may head toward the Ing's Creek parking lot (although I did see several trails exiting onto the last lower bit of Elbow Valley just before the road gate as I finished my ride; maybe these are the ends of those trails).
As you continue climbing toward Loamzilla, there is a fork to the right that has flagging tape wrapped around a tree. This is the fork for Pistolero. Pistolero continues with more good climbing. The descent then starts off as blue on narrow singletrack, then blue/black, and finishes with a long steep descent that is solidly black diamond and has you near the limit of braking/skidding. Kind of unfortunate to have such a mix of difficulties in the same trail: some folks would find the final descent too difficult while others would find the start too easy. I wonder how the steep descent(s) of Loamzilla compares with the steep finish of Pistolero. I will have to check it out next.
Also, taking This Road to its end leads to the trailhead for Aunt Flo which is supposed to be easier than Pistolero and quite flowy. I'll have to check that out too.
About 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min for a full lap of Pistolero.
This webpage has a good map at the end http://kananaskistrails.com/winter-walk-over-bens-...
I wonder if the dashed line is what I descended or if I took the solid line to link up with Loamzilla (maybe this was the steep pitch at the end)? I can't remember when and where I crossed that drainage.

C • Do you ride with a GPS - th... 2