Copper Harbor Trails Club

2014 IMBA Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop

Published January 12, 2014 by Griff Wigley

2014 IMBA Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop

Last Thursday and Friday, I attended the IMBA Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop in Cable WI, a gathering of practitioners devoted to improving off-road cycling and fat biking in winter.

The event was sponsored by QBP and hosted by Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA).

Following a late Thursday afternoon/evening fat bike ride by approximately 15- 20 riders on the newly groomed Esker trail in the CAMBA trail system’s Cable cluster, participants gathered for the opening reception at the Lakewoods Resort. QBP’s John Gaddo showed Cold Rolled, the documentary by Clear & Cold Cinema featuring the 15-mile winter singletrack Snow Bike Route (SBR) that’s part of the Noquemanon Trails Network in Marquette, Michigan.

Events Photo album

Adam Harju Arlyn Aronson Beth Endersbe CAMBA Capitol Off-Road Pathfinders Carver Lake Park Central Wisconsin Offroad Cycling Coalition Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association Chippewa Off Road Bike Association Chuck Hutchens COGGS Cold Rolled Copper Harbor Trails Club CORBA CORP Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails CWOCC Dan Deetz Dave Pramann David Gabrys Eau Claire Bike and Sport fat bike best practices fat bikes Gary Barden Gary Sjoquist grooming equipment grooming techniques Hansi Johnson IMBA Jeff Leech Joel Hartman John Gaddo Lakewoods Resort Liz Burns Lori Hauswirth Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids Trails Mark Anderson Mick Endersbe Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop Mike Brunet MORC Namekagon Fat Bike Club Neillsville Area Trail Alliance Nick Statz Noquemanon Trail Network On the Rivet P.C. Rasmussen QBP Reed Smidt Rivers Eatery Ron Bergin Rudy O'Brien SCA Scott Trierweiler Steve Weber Superior Cycling Association

Published June 3, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Copper Harbor: one of the few places where you can watch the sun rise and the sun set over Lake Superior

It’s not difficult to find a good spot to watch the sun set over Lake Superior when visiting Copper Harbor, MI, the town at the northernmost tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

But it occurred to me during last week’s Ride the Keweenaw that I might be able to watch the sun rise over the lake, too. I got up early and drove east on US 41. It turned to a dirt road and I kept going till I saw a crude sign that said “Horseshoe harbor” and followed that road and eventually discovered a walking trail that led to the Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor, managed by the Nature Conservancy:

At the northernmost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, stunted shrubs and trees cling to ancient bedrock directly in the path of Lake Superior’s fierce winds. The 1,261 acre Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor is the largest and highest quality mainland preserve for bedrock beach and bedrock glade communities in Michigan. The rock ridges that define the shoreline are wave-eroded edges of sedimentary conglomerate rock uplifted some 600 million years ago. They now create a barrier between the pounding wind and waves of Lake Superior and the woodlands behind them, protecting and allowing the emergence of slower growth plant species.

I took a few photos:

but I didn’t get a decent one of the huge ‘conglomerate rock’ along the shore. I found this photo online from a geocache page:

Nature

Copper Harbor Trails Club Horseshoe Harbor Ride the Keweenaw

Published June 2, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Scheming about IMBA’s Upper Midwest region

During last week’s Ride the Keweenaw, Copper Harbor’s restaurants provided opportunities to do some scheming about IMBA’s Upper Midwest region (Facebook page).

Left photo: Friday night dinner at the Harbor Haus with Aaron Rogers, Karl Erbach, and Hansi Johnson.

Center: Monday morning breakfast at the Pines Restaurant with (L to R) with Lori Hauswirth, Hansi Johnson, Aaron Rogers, Mike Brunet, and Lyle VanderSchaaf.

Right: The conversation at times turned to mountain bike tourism for the Upper Midwest region, as epitomized by Jay and Claire, two college students visiting Copper Harbor from Vermont. They were traveling to Montana, trying to visit as many mountain bike parks as possible on their way. For their next stops after Copper, I told them that the sequence (heading west) would be to ride CAMBA, Spirit Mountain, COGGS, and then Cuyuna. Alas, due to the wet and cold spring, only Cuyuna would work for this trip.

People

Aaron Rogers Copper Harbor Trails Club Hansi Johnson Harbor Haus IMBA Lori Hauswirth Lyle VanderSchaaf Mike Brunet Ride the Keweenaw

Published June 1, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Copper Harbor Trail System: the bar has been set high for Upper Midwest mountain biking

With only a short amount of time to ride the trail system at Copper Harbor during this year’s Ride the Keweenaw, I didn’t want to spend much time taking trail photos or shooting any video.

Plus, I knew that there were plenty of photos and videos of this IMBA Silver-level Ride Center online already. A good place to start for photos: the Keweenaw Adventure Company‘s Epic Rides page which has several photos by IMBA’s Midwest Regional Director Hansi Johnson. For videos, start with the stunning interactive Copper Harbor Trail system map by the Trail Genius.

As this April 8 2013 reviewer wrote on MTBR about the trail system:

There’s a little for everyone, with technical rocky areas, long flow rides, extended downhill tabletop jump sections, climbs that make you whoop if you manage to scramble up, boardwalks, simple trails next to dropoffs… just spectacular.

Among my goals: I wanted to try some of the smaller table top jumps and advanced berms. Much of the big stuff on the double black diamond trails was over my head but even on runs like the Flying Squirrel and On the Edge there was still plenty of fun stuff that I could ride.

But it wasn’t till I rented a dual suspension Kona Process from the Keweenaw Adventure Company that I got a taste of what’s possible.

I was shocked how much easier it was for me to pump the rollers and go fast on the downhill gnarly stuff than with my hardtail 29’er. Full squish has just moved ahead of a fat bike on my bike quiver priority list.

I didn’t see it but Hansi crashed twice on one of jumps on the Danimal trail, taking a hard whack to his head and miscellaneous other body parts. I wore my POC Cortex DH MIPS full-face helmet for the first time and if I ever get better at the jumps, I can see a neck brace in my future. (Hansi’s photo of me above is included in his blog post titled A Copper Harbor fish story: Ride the Keweenaw 2013. His narrative and photos are riveting.)

Copper Harbor Trails Club president Aaron Rogers has led the creation of this amazing trail system. That page says:

Aaron came in search of epic snowboarding at Mt. Bohemia and stayed to build epic bike trails in Copper Harbor. A man with a vision for greatness, Aaron built upon a foundation of great trails on great terrain and turned them world class. Now a contracted professional trail builder with IMBA Trail Solutions, Aaron’s heart remains in Copper Harbor.

Fortunately for us (and his wife Amanda), he prefers to build trails in Copper Harbor but also dabbles farther south on the Peninsula. If you find Aaron, it will be at the end of a newly built trail at the controls of the mini-excavator or with Pulaski in hand. If you can’t find him, it is most likely because you can’t catch him. He’s as good a rider as he is a trail builder.

Like most everyone else who’s ridden Copper, I can’t wait to go back. And I’m thrilled that some of the MTB parks here in Minnesota are learning from what’s been done there.

Events Trails

Aaron Rogers Copper Harbor Trails Club Danimal Flying Squirrel Hansi Johnson Ride the Keweenaw

Published June 1, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Ride the Keweenaw: When the mountain biking is done, the fun fundraising begins

When the mountain biking was over on the Sunday of the Ride the Keweenaw weekend, the festivities in Copper Harbor park ramped up. Many dozens lined up for the $25/person BBQ fundraiser while…

an excellent rock band, a GoPro-equipped quadcopter, and a, um, enthusiastic dancer provided entertainment. (Just in case you’re looking for the top quadcopters under 100 bucks – check out more reviews here.)

Lianna Miller, Lori Hauswirth and Bill Marlor from the Copper Harbor Trails Club began selling tickets for their big 2013 raffle (drawing is Sept 1).

Left: It’s always good to see some fellow graying geezers on the trails and at the party. These guys were from Ishpheming, MI
Center: Hollywood Dave Markman and CHTC Board Member Tony Schwenn provided security
Right: He doesn’t know it yet but MTU student and hot shot mountain biker Oliver Cooper is going to be my coach next time I’m back up there.

As the sun went down, the dancing cranked up. A fitting end to a memorable event.

Events People

Bill Marlor Copper Harbor Trails Club Dave Markman Lianna Miller Lori Hauswirth Oliver Cooper Ride the Keweenaw Tony Schwenn

Published May 30, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Of the three ways to get to the top of the Copper Harbor trails, Sam’s is best. Duh.

Sam Raymond owns the Keweenaw Adventure Company in Copper Harbor. He offers a shuttle service to mountain bikers who come to ride the Copper Harbor Trails system. Why?

Because there is no ski area with a chairlift in Copper Harbor, the KAC shuttle is the next best way to get you and your mountain bike to the top of the mountain without having to pedal! An activity that is most commonly associated with ski resorts out west, mountain bikers enjoy bombing down Copper Harbor’s sustained vertical descents along the miles of sweet singletrack that connect the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, Brockway Mountain and the village, nearly 600′ vertical and up to 3 miles below.

On the Sunday of the Ride the Keweenaw weekend, the shuttle was busy. They put up chains in front of the shop to provide some first-come, first-served structure to the riders waiting to get taken to the top. Once everyone piles inside the 14-passenger van, the driver (either Sam or one of his two trusty bike mechanics Jeff Squires or Jerry Smith) yells out “Where to?”

A consensus quickly emerges as the choice is simple: either the parking lot at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge or the top of Brockway Mountain, both about a mile from town. If you miss the shuttle, it’s no biggie. It can make a round trip in 15-20 minutes. And Sam’s getting another 14-passenger this summer to speed things up even further.

The shuttle currently runs noon-5:00pm on weekends and 5:30-9:30pm on Tuesdays. If you want to ride the trails at other times, team up with someone else for a DIY shuttle service with two vehicles like I did with IMBA’s Midwest Regional Director Hansi Johnson and his snazzy Subaru Outback. Of course, you can also pedal to the top. Hansi said that riding up the Stairway to Heaven trail (that’s a link to a recent YouTube video) is the easiest route to the top. Nearly all trails at Copper are two-way, and riders going up have priority over riders going down, although I mainly experienced the opposite.

Businesses Trails

Brockway Mountain Copper Harbor Trails Club Jeff Squires Jerry Smith Keweenaw Adventure Company Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Ride the Keweenaw Sam Raymond Stairway to Heaven trail

Published May 28, 2013 by Griff Wigley

Karl Erbach saves the day for Dave and son Colin with a cool trail-side tire repair

Around noon on Sunday of the Ride the Keweenaw weekend, Karl Erbach, Territory Manager at Trek Bicycle and I were riding a trail on Brockway Mountain called The Flow, one of the many spectacular trails that are part of the Copper Harbor Trails system.

About a third of the way down the trail, we came upon Dave and his 8 year-old son Colin from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Colin’s tire was shot: punctured tube and blown sidewall. Karl patched the tube and then deployed a trick I’d never seen before. He used a candy bar wrapper (he said a dollar bill would work, too) to reinforce the sidewall.

In 15 minutes or so, Karl had worked his magic (he also did a few other adjustments on Colin’s bike).

Dave and Colin were soon smiling on their way back to town, riding 3 miles instead of having to do a tough hike-a-bike.

People

Copper Harbor Trails Club Karl Erbach Ride the Keweenaw Trek Bikes

Published May 25, 2013 by Griff Wigley

First stop for the ‘Ride the Keweenaw’ weekend: The Bike Shop in Houghton, MI

I arrived in Houghton yesterday afternoon, all psyched for this weekend’s Ride the Keweenaw.

First stop: The Bike Shop in downtown Houghton where IMBA’s Midwest Regional Director Hansi Johnson, Lori Hauswirth, Executive Director of the Copper Harbor Trails Club and I paid our respects to co-owner Caleb Wendel. (I first met Caleb at Ray’s Indoor Bike Park in Milwaukee back in Feb. when he took a video of me riding the hamster wheel.)

The Bike Shop (and companion boardshop Rhythm) has expanded this year from the basement to the entire first floor and mezzanine. It’s huge and classy. I’m likely to spend some money there today.

Businesses

Caleb Wendel Copper Harbor Trails Club Hansi Johnson Lori Hauswirth Ride the Keweenaw The Bike Shop

Published April 9, 2013 by Griff Wigley

April 12 deadline: vote Midwest in the Bell Built mountain bike trail building grants competition

Last fall, Bell Helmets and IMBA announced the Bell Built Trail Building Grants and the 12 finalists were named earlier this year.

Bell Helmets is providing $100,000 to fund three, mountain bike trail projects, one each in the categories of bike park/pump track, flow trail and downhill/gravity trail. Out of the 12 selected as finalists, the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project in each category on Bell’s Facebook page, beginning March 5.

Three Midwest parks are finalists in three separate categories:

Pump tracks/bike parks

Elm Creek Bike Park: Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists, Maple Grove, MN

Flow trails

Hobbs Hollow Flow Trail: Hoosier Mountain Biking Association, Brown County, IN

Downhill trails

Overflow Trail: Copper Harbor Trails Club, Copper Harbor, MI

The big push here in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions has been to vote for all three Midwest parks (you can only vote once in each category). The deadline is this Friday, April 12.

Last weekend, Aaron Rogers and Lori Hauswirth from the Copper Harbor Trails Club had a booth at Wheel & Sprocket’s Bike Expo Sale in Milwaukee where they cajoled passersby into logging into their Facebook accounts to vote. Very cool.

I’ve been doing a little work behind the scenes on this because A) Elm Creek is in the Twin Cities, about an hour away my hometown of Northfield; B) I’m a member of MORC; C) my riding ability has improved immensely because of the Eagan pump track so having more bike parks around is great for the sport; and D) I expect to be making frequent trips to Copper Harbor to take advantage of their downhill trails.

Because the Bell Built Facebook voting process can be a little cumbersome, I created this 3-minute how-to video/screencast:

httpv://youtu.be/j5S-1y8g3z8

So don’t delay. Vote now for:

Elm Creek Bike Park/Maple Grove, MN in the Pump Track Category
Overflow Trail/Copper Harbor, MI in the Downhill Category
Hobbs Hollow/Brown County, IN in the Flow Trail category

We Midwest / Great Lakes mountain bikers would appreciate it.

And now that I’ve blogged about this, I’m going to nag, harass, and bother my non-mountain bike Facebook friends into voting. My message:

As you probably know, I’ve fallen in love with mountain biking the past two years. (You can read more than you’ll ever want to know on my blog, Mountain Bike Geezer.)

Right now, three Midwest mountain bike trails have a great opportunity to win a large grant from the Bell Helmet company. Most area mountain bikers on Facebook have already voted but because you can only vote once, it is critical to get our non-mountain biking Facebook friends to vote. Which is why I’m harassing you!

Step 1 (optional): See my short YouTube video on how to vote.

Step 2: Go to the Bell Built Facebook page and vote for:

* Elm Creek Bike Park/Maple Grove, MN in the Pump Track Category

* Overflow Trail/Copper Harbor, MI in the Downhill Category

* Hobbs Hollow/Brown County, IN in the Flow Trail category

If you vote, come on back here and ‘like’ this post and I’ll find a way to thank you.

Advocacy

Aaron Rogers Bell Helmets Brown County State Park Copper Harbor Trails Club Elm Creek Park Facebook IMBA Lori Hauswirth MORC

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