Camp Darner 2007: Mission accomplished
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:
|
The more you click, the more I can post. Lee Likes Groceries dot com! |
|
“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. |
I Want Those Tires! they look sexy, where to I get them, who should I talk to?
Those tires aren’t yet available in the U.S. Should hit dealers early next year (Jan or Feb). If you don’t know of a Vittoria/Geax dealer in your area, contact BikeMine…their U.S. distributor at 800.223.3207.
So I finally got around to updating my blog spot after the training camp at Nathrop with Lee.
http://seanambermoab.blogspot.com/2007/11/learning-to-mountain-bike.html
Simply put – one of the best investments in mountain biking I have ever made. It was a great weekend and I still can’t believe how much I learnt and how fun a time it. Thanks Lee!