Whew! It’s Sunday evening, and it really wants to snow, and I just got back from a skills camp in Nathrop, CO. I just hosed down the bikes and plugged in the memory card. Here we go:

“Do as I say, not as I do …” Let’s start with a little philosophy. Photos by Rip Ripley.

Who: Me, Keith Darner and seven avid mountain bike riders. Assistance from Young Master Matt Ripley. Filming and checking-out by Scott Wilson.

What: A two-day skills camp.

When: We rocked it 10-4 yesterday and 10-12 today. Yesterday was cool but clear. Today — rain flirting with snow. Yucky but still lovely.

Where: Keith Darner’s ranch in Nathrop, CO. The ranch spreads below Mt. Princeton in a big, beautiful valley. Hidden a few miles from Highway 285 is The Sickest Square Mile On Earth — two fast 4X tracks, a flowy dual slalom course and a buttery jump line.

How: We rocked the patented Lee Likes Bikes Teaching Method, a series of progressive drills that teach you how to use your entire cockpit with ease and power. Once we got the Attack Position down, we did some braking, a lot of pumping, a little jumping and tons of cornering. Today’s moist dirt gave us full-on hero traction. Yum!

Why: To build skills. To gain confidence. To get fast. To have fun.

Mission accomplished.

Thanks again Keith!

Some stuff is easier to learn off the bike.

Exploring our cockpits in God’s Country.

Demonstrating a hard-braking-into-off-camber-turn situation. Everyone else did this cleaner than I did.

Matt Branney watches some hard-braking action. How about those pimped-out whitewalls? I’m testing these Geax Saguaros — and so far they’re awesome on hard pack.