GoPro and Steamboat Ventures

GoPro is the scrappy startup based in Half Moon Bay that made its name strapping high-definition cameras to the front of surfboard and bicycle handlebars. Now, GoPro is blooming into a full-grown company: It received a first round of funding from outside investors like Steamboat Ventures, and, in late March, GoPro announced it acquired the post-production software company CineForm.

The company opened a new office in San Diego and is in the process of expanding its headquarters off Highway 1 by opening a shop in El Granada, read more…

Source: Half Moon Bay Review

Mountain Bike Trail in Steamboat - get ready to ride!

■ April

Monday: U.S. Forest Service project comment deadline for Steamboat Ski Area

■ May

13: Business of Biking workshop at Rex’s American Grill & Bar

14: Routt County Riders Bike Swap and Festival

25: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series

■ June (Colorado Bike to Work Month)

1: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series

8: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

10: Tour Divide race starts in Banff, Alberta. The field, nearly 100 riders this year, will pass through Steamboat in the ensuing two weeks.

14 to 16: Ride the Rockies road bicycling tour

15: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series, and Steamboat Ski Area opens for summer operations. Trail openings will be weather dependent but should happen at about the same time.

22: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

22: Routt County Riders Bike to Work Day

21 and 22: Bicycle Tour of Colorado road bicycling tour

25: Steamboat Optimist Club and city of Steamboat Springs Youth Bicycle Safety Rodeo

26: Steamboat Springs Running Series Craig Duathlon

■ July

6: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

16: Kent Eriksen Tour de Steamboat — 25-, 40- and 100-mile supported road rides, fundraiser for the Sunshine Kids Foundation

20: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

24: Steamboat Stinger mountain bike race, Presented by Honey Stinger

24: Steamboat Triathlon — sprint distance

20 and 22: Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports Behind the Boat Waterski and Cycling Camp

27: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series

■ August

3: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

7: Ride 4 Yellow — Continental Divide mountain bike challenge benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation Livestrong and Steamboat Springs in the fight against cancer

10: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series

17: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

24: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Road Race Training Series

25: SmartWool Bike-In Movie

26: Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports U.S. Handcycling Challenge

26 and 27: USA Pro Cycling Challenge international stage race

27: Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports Biking the Boat Charity Ride

28: Steamboat Triathlon — Olympic distance

31: Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series

■ September

2 to 5: Steamboat Stage Race, presented by Moots

16: Steamboat OktoberWest Pedaling Posse Parade

■ October

8: 5th annual Steamboat Springs Mustache Ride — cruiser bike rally and fundraiser for Routt County Humane Society.

Source: Steamboat Pilot & Today Newspaper

Steamboat Event Calendars:

Steamboat Chamber events calendar
snowshoe tours, art walks, business breakfast, free music fest, film screening…

Bud Werner Library Happenings
book clubs, preschool storytime, grownups after dark storytime, foreign films, slideshows, community cinema…

Steamboat Events & Festivals – Resort Quest
This is an excellent calendar filled with a variety of 2011 summer activities and events

Old Town Hot Springs & Rec Center
fitness class schedule, yoga, spin class, step class, pilates, stretch & strength, black diamond fitness, zumba, kickbox…

Steamboat Nordic Racing Series
nordic ski racing, classic ski racing, flyers and registration info…

Steamboat Spring Winter Sports Club
youth sport club, nordic skiing, alpine, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, telemark skiing, tubing, alpine slide, events, programs, information…

Steamboat Running Series
winter running series, summer running series, 5K & 10K, registration, results, information…

Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race series
steamboat mountain bike racing, mountain bike race results, youth bike races, adult racing, registration, information…

Steamboat City Adult Sports
basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, year-round adult sport programs, registration, information…

Steamboat City Youth Programs
after school action, kid’s night out, pee wee adventures, summer camp, year-round youth programs, registration, information…

Cross Country Skiing in Steamboat

Perhaps you are an avid cross country skier or maybe you are considering trying it out?

Fortunately, Steamboat has every type of cross country skiing available and an assortment of places to go skiing.

If you are new to the sport, I recommend trying out cross country ski touring. There are several places in this area that have groomed trails for ski touring. If you need skis, I recommend the Steamboat Ski touring Center. The Touring Center has skis available for rent and a ski shop full of cross country ski gear for sale including skate skis. They also offer ski lessosn for both classic touring or skate skiing. Need information on cross country ski racing here is the Steamboat Nordic Council Calendar of Events.

Maybe ski touring just isn’t your style and you prefer Telemark skiing of backcountry skiing. This style of skiing requires a more heavy duty ski and boot than your typical touring ski. The equipment is designed for both lift access skiing and off ski area skiing. The Steamboat Ski Area offers Telemark lessons or check out the cheep lift tickets at Howelsen Hill. Howelsen Hill is a great place to work on your turns before going to the big hill or venturing out into the backcountry.

Backcountry skiing is not for beginners. You need to have well seasoned skiing skills and all the equipment necessary in order to be safe in the backcountry. Going with a trusted friend(s) who are also skilled skiers is recommended. In addition to being prepared with all the necessary equipment, it’s a good idea to check the Colorado Avalnche Report and have the skills to understand snow pits and be able to read topographical maps or use a GPS device. Being safe in the backcountry is essential.

Here is a quick list on places to cross country ski and what type of skiing is recommended there:

Rabbit Ears Pass (REP) – groomed ski touring & skate skiing, also snowmobiling

CDOT Maintenance area (REP)  – backcountry

Little Snowbird (REP) – backcountry

The Toilet Bowl (REP) – backcountry

Howelsen Hill – groomed ski touring & skate skiing

Top of Howelsen Mountain – backcountry

Buffalo Pass – snowmobile assisted skiing & snowboarding, lots of snowmobiling

In The Buff – Steamboat Powder Cats terrain

Bitch Creek – backcountry, snowmobile assisted access

Soda Mountain – backcountry

Steamboat Ski Area (SSA)- Alpine skiing, snowboarding, Telemark skiing

Out of bounds at the SSA – backcountry skiing

Catamount Club - groomed ski touring & skate skiing

Steamboat Ski Touring Center – groomed ski touring & skate skiing

Steamboat Lake State Park – groomed ski touring & skate skiing

North Routt Clark/Hahns Peak area – backcountry

Vario Warehouse Holiday Sale

Looking for a special gift? Unique Italian ceramics available at the Vario Warehouse right here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Many items are collectable pieces, hand made by the finest craftsmen. Once these pieces sell they will not be restocked. Please contact Jonathan Hands 970-870-8945 to find out when the warehouse is open for viewing of the available pieces.

If you would like to see photos of some of the items please visit, Majolica Italian Collectables. These photos only represent some of the stock. There are a variety of more practical pieces and sets of dishes.

Viewing and sales of this stock is by appointment only, call Jonathan and leave a message 970-870-8945 or email: jdhands21@yahoo.com.  Please comment.

Cyclocross racing in Belgian

Single Speed Worlds, Auckland, New Zealand, Oct., 2010 – A first hand account.

Single speed mouton bike rider and personality Essam Welch shares his recent journey and experience to Auckland, New Zealand to participate in the 2010 single speed mountain bike World Championships.

Starting last spring with a local Steamboat fundraiser, the first ever Gear Mashers Ball, hosted by JR Thompsen of Spindle One Bike Tours. This event was lots of fun, with shared stories, lots of beer and successfully raised funds to help send Essam to single speed worlds.

He and Deborah arrived in Rotorua with some minor travel complications but ready to ride. In preparation for the SSWC, Essam road in a one hundred kilometer off road race that boosted some of the trails that he would be riding at the SSWC.

Ready to race, Essam has his game face on, oops he lost Deb but no big deal, she had fun riding with local riders.  Meanwhile, Essam is taking on a Wallaby; almost running over the native pest but gets his tail instead. Ready to ride and thankful for all the local Steamboat support that helped get him there, Essam falls a sleep in his tent with Deborah with a big smile on his face.

The race! 1000 racers lined up, no not really, they started in a circle. The start was chaos, riders in costume and all sort in-between, music blasting, riders surge across the grassy field to the single track. No winners tattoo for Essam but an experience and a strong showing that was well worth the effort.

That’s not all, the journey continues with a ferry ride to the south, and more mouton biking adventure…

Northwest Trail Alliance & Cyclocross Racing:

Rob Mitchell goes to Portland to witness the night of the BTA and the Northwest Trail Alliance raffle. Rob presents the Moots Dealer of the year award to Cyclepath.

Dan Seaton checks in from Belgian and the Cyclocross race scene.

Road cycling in Steamboat Springs

Our Canadian connection, Grant Fenton, is really enthusiastic about Steamboat’s new push to upscale cycling in the Steamboat community. Grant joined other local community forces this past October 21st for the first ever, Bike Town USA Summit Meeting.  If you ask Grant if he thinks the Bike Summit was a success? He says,”By any measure, it was a fantastic success. Attendance was great, and the audience was highly engaged.”

Grant represents the mountain biking community and trail development in British Columbia. He is also familiar with Steamboat as he lived here with his wife in the ’90s. He promoted the local mountain bike race series during that time too.

He did point out that there appears to be a disconnect between groups. People or groups working on individual projects are not communicating with others working on related projects.

Highlights from the summit meeting included revelations that Steamboat has twice as many miles of single-track mountain biking compared with any other destination community in North America today. Apparently, Steamboat’s road riding is fantastic and exceeds any road riding of any other mountain town. A map of the ski area with an incredible display of pending trails to be developed was also viewed. If the ski area can accomplish even a portion of these improvements this will make Steamboat a world-class destination for mountain biking.

Last week, we received yet another dose of encouraging news when Steamboat Springs was chosen to be one of 11 host cities for the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge. This event will be a great catalyst to get many projects done in the coming year.

Steamboat will be part of two stages of the Quiznos Pro Challenge, this is unlike any other participating city. The fifth stage will start in Avon and end in Steamboat. The sixth stage will start in Steamboat and end in Breckenridge.

The recent wave of cycling enthusiasm has even inspired local artist Megan Morgan to create a bicyle-inspred coffee bag.

Terrain Park at Steamboat Ski area ready for winter, new features!

Steamboat Ski Corp has put the finishing touches on the Mavericks Terrain Park complete with a 20′ tall 24′ wide, wall ride! This is a one of a kind feature that’s going to keep the Park Rats coming back for more.

Terrain Park Manager, Nick Roma, and Andrew Ehrnst have been hard at work on this project all summer. All rails and boxes have been replaced for this winter season including 10 new small boxes, 10 new medium boxes, and 5 new large features.

Thanks to SSCRA Admin for this terrain park news.

Pedal for Change, Peru

Catch Our Draft:
Bi-Weekly Newsletter of PEDALing South America
Sunday, October 24, 2010

Down South: The Last Two Weeks
The road south has led us from Cuenca, Ecuador to Piura, Peru.  We left the beautiful city of Cuenca on Sunday, October 10^th.  We rode up to the high cordillera of the Andes where there were few houses, and views aplenty.  We arrived to a small village of 14 families, and asked if they had a place where we could camp.  They offered the open town community building as a place where we could pitch our tents.  As we rolled our trailers toward our night’s shelter, we interrupted an intense volleyball game.  A game that has become a weekend tradition, players of Southern Ecuador travel miles to play.  That evening, we spent dinner talking to the town’s people and enjoying a typical Ecuadorian dish of rice, chicken and soup.

We rode the next few days up and down 9000-foot passes.  We strained our muscles and lungs as we forced our weight upon each pedal stroke, ascending every peak.  We took deep breaths of fresh air and relaxed as we zoomed down the backsides of mountains.  On one particular descent, we were thrilled to see a family stopped on the side of the road, cheering for us as though we were members of the Tour De France.  They stopped to take some photos of the view and, when they saw us approaching, waved their arms encouragingly in the air and yelled, “arriba, arriba, arriba!”  The excited group enticed Emily, and she decided to stop and say hello.  The family is from Piura, Peru.  Joanne Fleishman is from Texas and moved to Piura 15 years prior.  She married Miguel Gulman who grew up in Piura.  They invited us to come stay with them, and we graciously accepted.

We then arrived to a town called Saraguro.  We noticed that men were often dressed in black Capri-type pants with long dark braded hair and black felt hats.  The women had similar hats and wore long black skirts.  The Saraguros, or indigenous people of that region, live in communities all around the town and come to Saraguro to work everyday.  The town and warm hostel owners were so comforting that we decided to stay another night and enjoy the beauty.

From there, we rode to Loja where we stayed for two nights.  The town of Vilcabamba is only 60 kilometers south, so we took a weekend trip from Loja with only our backpacks.  There, we encountered several foreigners who, in the past, decided to visit but never left.  The town was settled in a valley under tall peaks.  Although the surrounding mountains appear to be alpine tundra, the valley felt almost tropical with it’s banana trees and lush forest.

After our weekend in Gringolandia, we biked back up the tall peaks to Loja where we boarded a late bus to Piura.  Upon arrival, Joanne and Miguel’s right-hand man, Moises, came to pick us up via bike.  We followed him back to the chez Fleishman-Goulman.  Joanne owns a Pilates and yoga studio and set us up, comfortably, in the studio.

For the next four days, we spent our time with Joanne and Miguel’s family.  Cecilia (Ceci), Miguel’s mother, founded a Montessori school with students aging 2-18.  She set up a presentation for us to do at the Montessori colegio (grades 8-12), took us to her beach home in Colan, , and got us an article in the local newspaper.  We have had a wonderful time here in Piura, and we cannot explain the gratitude we have for Miguel, Joanne, their children, Michael and Alexa, Miquel’s sister Pauli, and Ceci’s generosity and kindness.

By: Rayna

BlogSpot: A Short Review

Before we left Ecuador, we posted a blog about trash written by Rayna and Kether, which is accompanied by a video made by Emily: http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/

Kether wrote a few funny stories! One about bananas, a common theme along our journey thus far: http://pedalforchangesouthamerica.blogspot.com/ and one about an experience we had building a wall for a lagoon: http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/p/social-justice.html

Check out a new video about ecotourism in Ecuador by Rayna:

http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/2010/10/ecotourism-in-ecuador.html

You can also read about consumption and sustainability in a blog by Rayna:

http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Events

We arrived in Lima, Peru this morning and will be enjoying a visit here for the next week.  I have some family friends who live here and they have offered to show us around their country’s capital.  Lima is a huge city covering 310 square miles and housing nearly 8.5 million people.   It will be impossible to learn everything about the city and its history in 6 days, but we will do our best to experience all and describe our encounters.

On Saturday, we will set out on the 240 km ride towards Pisco, Peru.  We begin volunteering at Pisco Sin Fronteras on Monday and are more than ecstatic to begin this new adventure and learning experience!  Our original plan was to volunteer in Pisco for only two weeks.  Now, we are tentatively planning on staying in Pisco for 4 weeks depending on what we find there.  We will let you know our plans when we decide what is best for PEDAL and our classroom partners.

Also, you may be wondering about our plans for this Sunday’s Halloween celebrations.  It is evident that Peruvians love this sweet and scary holiday as much as we in the US like to hide our identity for an evening, eat candy till we’re sick, and scare the boogers out of small children as they approach our decorated homes.  For the last week we have seen the aisles of grocery stores lined with more and more “dulces mixta,” spider webs, and carved pumpkins.  As we rode into Lima, we saw a giant movie theater advertising for a special Halloween flick and an accompanying haunted house.  When we asked friends about their plans, a mile-long list of parties and costumes spewed out their mouths so fast that there was no way I could keep up with the foreign explanations.

As for us, our options are open.  We will be arriving in Pisco on Sunday night and, if the occasion arises, we may attend an event or two.

So until next time, this is Tierra Entre De Los Ojos signing off!

El Tenedor: Cuisine of the Andes

I’ve said it before; I am on this adventure to delve into the culinary delights of South America, a region with which I have no prior experience.

Some days, when we are stationary and recovering from days of biking, I leave the hostel on a mission to try as many delicious dulces (for under 20 centavos each) as I can find before I am bored.

On such a mission, in Cuenca, I found a cookie that has changed my life.

It’s small, no more than an inch and a half in diameter.

It is comprised of two perfect butter cookies. Not so much butter that the cookie is overly dense, just enough, like a good piecrust. The cookie is delicate, dissolves in your mouth (not in your hand), and has just a hint of salt. The flavor and texture of the cookie contrasts well the manjar (dulce de leche), highlighting the sweet and unique flavor of the filling.

The cookie, according to my preliminary research, also has a bit of brandy native to Peru called Pisco. If you choose to make these cookies at home, Pisco can be substituted with brandy. The alcohol may contribute to the proper texture of the cookie, though I can neither confirm nor explain the science behind it.

I have been unsuccessful in purchasing only one at a time. It’s best to buy four, that way, if your curious comrades desire one each, you have two for yourself and you don’t have to be rude and reject sharing. There is a larger variety available. In order to be economic, I tried it, but in this case bigger is not better.

This morning, I was describing this glorious cookie, and I found it humorous to learn that several countries here in South America claim it as their specialty. The fellow with whom I was speaking was traveling north from Argentina. He was surprised to learn that the cookie (alfajor) and it’s filling (manjar) can be found north of Argentina. In fact, he had purchased a box of imported Argentine alfajores not realizing they are also common here in Peru. We were both pleased to learn that in the respective directions we were each traveling, alfajores are widely available.

I found a recipe for the cookies and for manjar (which you can buy in the store if you don’t have time or patience to make it from scratch). If you are intrigued, have some time on your hands, and are willing to try a new cookie, I highly recommend this one. It is not lavish, only simple and delicious.

By: Kether

How Can You be more Involved

It is not published yet, but we have just sent in an article for the Lowell Whiteman School Alumni Magazine.  It will be entitled something along the lines of “The Whiteman Experience” and something relating to both Rayna and myself, as well as PEDAL.  Please check out the Lowell Whiteman School (LWS) webpage to learn more about LWS and to see our article when it comes out:

www.lws.edu

By: Emily

PEDAL
113 Intervale Ave
Burlington, VT 05401
pedal.for.change@gmail.com
Emily Colin:    (970) 846-1714
Rayna Weiss: (970) 846-8901

VISIT US:
www.pedalforchange.org

BECOME A MEMBER AND RECEIVE OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FREE OF CHARGE!

http://pedalforchange.org/?page_id=476

The Humble Ranch and the Legacy Project

The city of Steamboat Springs’ request to develop public access on the Humble Ranch property was officially denied Monday, October 18th. Ending a lengthly litigation process that started back in July 2007.

Jan 2009, the court ruled that the Humble Ranch was not obligated to build a cabin for the public within any certain time frame and the city could not build it either. Further more,  the ranch was not required to open trails through the property accessing the south end of Emerald mountain and Cow Creek area. According to the purchase contract opening the trails is contingent upon the construction of the cabin.

Ed and Cheri Trousil accepted funds, $950,000, from the city back inMay 1999 to help purchase the Humble Ranch. This assistance from the city was part of the Legacy Project’s vision on Emerald mountain. The objective of the Legacy Project is to, “protect the ecological health of the Yampa River and the productive agricultural lands it supports, while providing for appropriate recreational opportunities.”

Still pending for March 11 is a ruling if the city must close its Humble Ranch trail easements to the public when the state DOW closes access to the Emerald Mountain wildlife area. The appeals court ruled that the city has to follow the state DOW closures.

The Agate Creek trail, for hikers only, a mile up a private lane via an easement is the sole remaining public access that was once heralded as a crowning jewel of the Legacy Project. This court denial ends any hopes of having a public mountain bike trail through the property.