Mammoth Mountain- May & June 2015

MAMMOTH LAKES, CA

May 2015 

I went to Mammoth mid-May with my Dad and it was awesome. Here’s a side-by-side image of Twin Lakes at the same location during the same trip. We had warm weather and snow within a few days of each other!

During that trip I rode my ‘cross bike around Lookout Mountain, got stoked on Mammoth Rock Trail, spun on the roads, rode the park’s trails covered in snow, and even rode the Felt NINEe bike around the trails with my dad. It was a great father-daughter trip.

Rad Dad

Mama & Baby Bear Tracks

NINEe

Fast Forward to June 2015

I had a free weekend and even though the training plan called for some longer, more specific miles, I decided to head to the Sierras and play bikes instead. Sometimes you just need to get away and forget the intervals.

Gravel racing and my cyclocross bike have been good to me but now it's time to switch gears bikes. Bike skills don't grow on trees and Mammoth is one of the best playgrounds to improve.

I reached out to the Event Manager at Mammoth during the May trip and they said the XC Course Maps were being finalized that month. The maps are now released and a few people have ridden the course so far!


MTB Nationals: 

2 weeks til USA Cycling MTB National Championships!
Registration and Info here

Here’s the link to the Pro XC Course on Strava: https://www.strava.com/segments/8432598
Here’s the link to the Amateur XC Course on Strava:
https://www.strava.com/segments/8349098

I rode the Amateur course with a stellar junior rider and her dad after running into them while staring at the map wondering how the xc course played out. Luckily they knew the route so David and I followed them around for a lap and Meade is strong! Ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/335568010

Course Impressions in Mammoth Lingo:

• Start in the Canyon Lodge parking lot
• Ride up the walkway, a small rise people usually use to get on the Canyon Express Chair
• Hang a right and Ride across the base of Canyon Lodge path to the tow lift next to Chair 7
• Stay on the steep fireroad that goes up under Chair 7
• Left on the Big Ring trail climb
• Climb climb climb
• Turn left onto a fireroad with a short descent, punchy uphill, short descent, then punchy uphill 
• Am Course: 
• Descend Timber Ridge trail. It’s super fun and flowy
• Short fireroad (Sleepy Hollow Rd) climb at the bottom of Chair 25
• Turn onto Lakes Trail
• Lakes Trail merges into Paper Route
• Pro Course:
• Pros jump directly onto Paper Route after the punchy fireroad uphill and don’t get to do the fun Timber Ridge Descent (boo!)
• Paper Route ends at a fireroad transition
• Descend the top portion of Big Ring Trail 
• Go over Woolly’s Bridge (in the process of being built) 
• Fireroad climb to SHOTGUN. Super fun descent. Watch.
• Shotgun Descent from the top of Chair 7 all the way down to the parking lot!

I was too busy riding to take pictures this month.. but last month I took pictures on Paper Route and Big Ring that are part of the XC Course!

The men and women’s pro races are Saturday July 18, 2015 with the women going off @ 2pm!

This plan is still in the works but I might just sign up for the Enduro the following day, Sunday July 19, 2015. My USAC License has me as a Cat 1 Enduro-er so I may just make Nats my first Enduro race!

CYOA

The majority of my time at Mammoth was spent on the rest of the mountain bike park. We rode all over the trails. Mammoth is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of riding because there are so many trails and different routes to take.

Mammoth #MTBnats… BE THERE!

Sierra Love

Aside from spending time riding bikes all over Mammoth Mountain, we also spent some time over on Tioga Pass.
Hiking, fishing, camping, biking into Yosemite Natl Park, s’mores, and all types of other awesome outdoor adventures. The 20 Lakes Basin, Saddlebag Lake, and Tuolomne Meadows are amazing!

After riding my Edict all the way down to the Tuolomne Meadows Visitor Center in Yosemite National Park, a friendly Ranger ruined my day when he told me absolutely NO two-wheeled contraptions are allowed on any trails in the park! This I did not know. If you ever go to Yosemite, don’t plan on riding mountain bikes unless you’re outside the park.

Yeah, I caught that tiny thing! It was a fighter!

Panda Out