Windy conditions loaded up Gunsight with a fresh layer of snow and made it ski GREAT. The entry is a little on the scary side but once I was in it was golden.
And here’s a view looking back at Gunsight. Amazing.
Gunsight Top To Bottom Video
Author: Tony Korologos
Epic Baldy Shoulder Pow Day
I could watch this 360 cam video a million times. What a great day on Baldy Shoulder at Alta Ski Area.
Review: Atomic Bent Chetler 100 Skis
I picked up these Atomic Bent Chetler 100’s last spring when we thought the COVID lockdown would be two weeks. TWO WEEKS.
Specs
Designed by legendary skier Chris Benchettler, the Bent Chetler 100 is a versatile, all-around ski suitable for a wide variety of ski conditions.
Length tested: 172. Other lengths available are 164, 180, 188.
The dual rocker technology is distributed as follows: Front rocker 20%, camber 70%, and tail rocker 10%.
The ski features HRZN Tech in the tip and tail for increased surface area and float. The Light Woodcore, directional shape, and Powder Rocker make carving, slashing, and even sliding (when necessary) a breeze.
The turning radius of the 172’s is 18, while the 164’s are at 16.4. The 180’s 19.5 and the 188’s 21.
My Experience
I only had a couple of chances to ski the 100’s last spring before the resorts shut down due to COVID. The resorts are back open now for the 2020-2021 season and I’ve been riding the Bent Chetler 100’s exclusively.
When I first tried the 100’s, I was not used to them at all. I was coming from the perspective of much wider and much longer skis. Now I’ve got the feel for the 100’s and I’m really digging them. I’ve managed to experience quite a variance of conditions from light powder to groomers to ice. The skis are playful and easy to ski, but strong enough to take on more aggressive skiing and terrain.
In powder they float well for being relatively narrow. I’m typically on 108’s and 116’s underfoot. Here’s a little pow video.
While they don’t necessarily ride on top of super light pow, they have enough float to get the job done.
Some of the most fun I’ve had skiing the Bent’s is making quick, short turns in tight places:
Final Thoughts
The Bent Chetler 100’s are a great one-ski-fits-all solution, or a great all-mountain addition to a skier’s quiver. The ski is reasonably priced at around $600 (without bindings).
It Took a Worldwide Pandemic for Snowboarders to be Allowed at Alta
When Alta shut down because of covid last season, I still skinned up to the top of many runs like Devil’s Castle, to get powder runs. I made a few friends and many runs with snowboarders, who jumped at the chance to board Alta. It was interesting. It takes a worldwide pandemic for snowboarders to be allowed to board at Alta. May never happen again. Someone made an actual short film about snowboarders at Alta, and you can see many of the runs I skied last year in my quest for 116, skiing every run there in one season. Fun to watch. That chute they hit above East Greeley looks awesome.
Silver Linings – An Alta Snowboard Film from Verb Cabin on Vimeo.
Point Supreme – First Lengthy Skinning Session of the Season
My buddy Michael and I did our first substantial skinning session of the 2020-2021 season today. We started up the Summer Road at Alta and went up near Catherine Pass to Point Supreme. We went nearly to the very top but it was very thin and dangerous up there so we didn’t go the last couple hundred yards. Here’s a little body cam video from Point Supreme.
I’m thrilled to say that all the mountain biking this summer has really made a huge difference in my fitness and ability to take on vertical like this at over 10,000 feet. Unfortunately I had the wrong socks, and my touring boots are not fitted well and I ended up with nasty blisters on both feet. That needs to be resolved.
2nd backcountry ski session of 2020-2021
Did my 2nd backcountry tour of the season after work today. These after work sessions are fun, but I don’t have a lot of time. Between getting there and getting the gear on and such, I have about an hour or so of climbing I can do before I have to transition to downhill skiing before dark. Still good to get out. I got up to the top of Albion and by then it was getting dark and very cold.
On the way up I saw my friend Snuggles, the porcupine!
First backcountry ski tour of 2020-2021 is in the books
I jealously watched all the pow videos from this past weekend. I was going to go up, but had no snow tires and the road restriction was in place. So today after work I drove up to the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon as fast as I could and did my first skinning of the season. I got about a mile up Grizzly Gulch before it started getting too dark to feel comfortable about safely skiing down. It was a good warm up. Lots of snow for this time of year. Hopefully that means we are in for a great season.
On the way back down I was treated to a fantastic sunset. At that point I thought to myself, “I need to do more evening tours!”
First Mountain Bike Rides on Levitate Trail in Draper, Utah
I just got into serious mountain biking this spring so I’m pretty much a newb with a lot of it. I finally took a shot at the trail “Levitate” which is rated as an expert trail. Levitate is part of the Corner Canyon mountain bike system in Draper, Utah.
Levitate has a ton of jumps and I’m really loving catching air. When I’m jumping I feel like I’m getting major air, but the helmet cam video below seems to disagree. Not a badass jumper yet. Just an air bear for now. Making progress.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail – East Mountain Wilderness Park
Rode a new trail this morning, the East Mountain Wilderness Park section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
Overall it’s quite an easy trail, but there were a couple of very rocky steep sections where I had to get off and walk my bike up.
The scenery was nice and there was a lot of shade which helped. It’s still quite hot, nearing 100 today again.
Would I ride this trail again? Probably not, unless I’m riding it to access some other trails nearby. It’s about a 45 minute drive and I can find more fun and challenging trails a few minutes from the house. I wanted to check out something new though, and it was nice to get an idea of something up in Davis County, Utah.
New Specialized StumpJumper Mountain Bike
It only took me 30 years to upgrade mountain bikes. My old Scott Pro from 1990 served me well, but I badly needed an upgrade. Here was my list of requirements:
- Full suspension (front and rear shocks)
- Seat dropper
- 29 inch wheels
- Hydraulic disc breaks
- Modern geometry
- Good looking
- Around $2k price range
- Medium frame size
Shopping was a little difficult because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some shops were not open or were only open by appointment or special hours. Some shops didn’t have inventory that met my requirements. After visiting 4-5 shops I got a little bummed out and bagged the search. Then after a few days I took it back up again and found a Scott bike and a Specialized StumpJumper in my size and with my requirements at one shop. I test rode both. The Scott felt cheap and didn’t ride very well. The StumpJumper rode very smooth and “felt” like the one. I pulled the trigger right there and have been thrilled with the choice so far.
The bike is a 12-speed (photo below). I didn’t have enough knowledge about the gearing options and manufacturer to have a “requirement.” I’m happy so far with this 12-speed setup. It climbs well. I just wish I had a gear or two more for higher speeds, but this is a mountain bike, not a road bike.
The rear shock (below) is fantastic. After riding a hard tail and hard fork I’ve felt every bump for 1000’s of miles. Nice to have some absorption now and the shocks are a must when riding bumpy and rocky trails.
Upgrades
After my first ride, I had a flat tire. We have these nasty, nasty thorns here in Utah. So after some research I decided to go “tubeless.” This is a process where they remove the tube and treat the rim with some tape, then fill the tire with air and sealant. Since then I’ve had no flats at all. Going tubeless was the right decision for sure.
I also upgraded the pedals. My feet kept slipping off of the stock pedals. The new pedals cost about $80, so that may factor into the purchase if considering this bike.
Total upgrades: $140.00.
On The Trail
I’m not the world’s foremost expert in mountain biking. That said, I’m quite happy with how the StumpJumper performs in varying terrain. I’ve taken it through mud, sand, rocks, gravel, pavement, slick rock, bark, pebbles, and just about any mix of terrain one could think of. The only area that the bike doesn’t perform well is in sand, which is not unexpected. The tires are pretty fat, but not fatties.
I find the bike climbs very well and I almost never need to use the lowest gears.
Downhill biking is a blast with the 29 inch tires and full suspension. I love catching air and knowing that I can land softly without too much of a kick.
Final Thoughts
I’m just scratching the surface on my StumpJumper, and the whole mountain biking experience. I’m thrilled with the performance, durability and style and looking forward to many years of riding enjoyment.