Use this page to post questions, answers and general comments for the HalfAssevent. Go to the HalfAss page to register for the event.
Use this page to post questions, answers and general comments for the HalfAssevent. Go to the HalfAss page to register for the event.
Anybody have a photo of last year’s whiteboard? Wondering how many people finished. Something like 6 out of 30?
Hey Eric, we had 4 out of 15 complete the whole deal last year, a couple others DNF’d only because they couldn’t find the final section through Gordon Gulch (ribbon markers got pulled apparently). The rest of us either got lost at Miller Rock/Raymond (1/2 way) or simply cracked. Remedy: GPS important for some; good map and familiarity for others. The net net is that Chad whipped out a near 9hr time and the finishers who know the area better were able to do a 10.5 to 11.5 hr time. It turned out to be a pretty tough route overall.
Chuck,
You are going to post GPX coordinates now as it says on the home page? I would love that so I don’t get lost like last year! See you soon. Sorry I posted this on the home page also.
Chad
Hey Chad, Yep we’ll post gpx and also a pdf with route description probably a week before the event. The tracks need a bit more cleaning to be reliable on gps. Glad you will join!
Chuck,
Sweet, I wouldn’t miss it. I had a great time last year even when I was lost. Sounds like another good time.
Chad
Chuck,
It sounds like we will need to purchase some lift tickets for this adventure. Do you know how much they cost?
Ok folks we changed a couple things here:
turns out it doesn’t work very well. A PBR is in order still but may just be with a burger rather than dangling legs.
1.On the way over we should simply take a short cut out of Jenny Creek to Rollins Pass Rd rather than hike around on a jeep trail, which should be a whole lot nicer to get us up and across.
2.No lift ride on the WP Ski area
Google Map is accurate; GPX is posted; printable Nav Page is on its way.
Chuck,
Nice! Thanks for posting the GPX files. I will see you soon my man.
Chad
Chuck:
Is there another option for going over the Riflesight Notch trestle on the return trip? Your route map has the course passing over this closed trestle. Can we just stay on rolling pass road or hike around?
Simon
Simon,
I rode over the trestle the other day. you should not have any problems. Its only closed to cars as far as I know.
Tim
Maps, route description, and downloadable files are all posted; linked on the front page. Pat, Jonathan, and I have been tweeking routes and pushpins so allllmost everything should be fairly accurate. Of course on ride day I’m sure we’ll find a few junctions that will require a bit of interpretation, so rely on the pushpins. Familiarize on the google maps page… you can even use Google Earth from there which is pretty darn slick (plugin required). Printable navigation pages can be found at the links also.
Lights? Having a backup is always nice but I think this is a sub 10hr ride with 12hr max so we should be fine. (I’ll have one for sure.)
Ken Cronin Submitted on 2012/08/13 at 8:12 am
Hey Chuck, gonna TRY to ride the course and get more info before i fully commit, females tell me i have commitment issues? anyone interested in scoping it out this week sometime? maybe there’s some minor trail maint. to be done too? thanks.
Tim Jones Submitted on 2012/08/13 at 4:49 pm
Hey Ken I have ridden everything but the piece at WP. its pretty clear except around the jenny creek crossing. tons o rocks on the snowshoe trail.
Ken Cronin Submitted on 2012/08/14 at 8:38 pm
hi tim, thanks for the reply. Might do some homework tomorrow, any chance i could email u with Q’s if need be? thanks. ps any of it paved? much of it NFS type roads? I’m at eatbikenap
Tim Jones Submitted on 2012/08/15
yep no problem paved roads at the beginning up to eldora and some at winter park bike path. I would say a decent amount of the climb on both sides of the pass are NFS type roads with the rollins pass and corona pass being railroad grade for the most part like 4-6% maybe but the start of the climbs both ways are steeper.
Chuck,
For the needle eye tunnel do you want us to take the trail up and over about 100 yards before the tunnel, or go to the tunnel and hike around on the east side?
Simon
I’m pretty sure I can come up for this one. Anyone have a good camping suggestion near Nederland? I don’t have GPS so I’m hoping to simply play follow the leader with someone who knows the route. – Kip
Chuck, You are the best host! Thanks for all the maps, navs, scouting, and hard work.
So amped!
Hello all. A couple of questions going around about route specifics and facilities on the other side. We’ll cover all questions at the pre-race and we’ll have the folks who have actually ridden most of this describe some of the important junctions so you can mark up your nav printout. I suspect getting over to WP will take about 3+hrs; the WP loop will take about 4hrs; and getting back to Ned will take about 3hrs so plan your stop(s) accordingly.
Happy Trails will open at 6:00 for us with a complimentary pot of coffee and any last minute supplies of fuels, but getting up that early is a big challenge for them so please spend a little something even if only in the tip jar.
Weather? Looks like a high of 70 but check the night before.
See ya soon!
I second Kip’s comment. Camping? Cheap pre-overnight acommadations? Garage floor to sleep on? Anyone want to play dogsitter? Kennel costs are killing me.
barring being jailed for sleeping in my truck I should make it to Happy Trails.
Hope that 4 hours in Winter Park includes lunch stop.
No KOA in town but south a couple of miles on the highway out of town is a dirt road, Magnolia / 132 (west Mag trails and forest access is closed for tree mitigation). Try going east on Mag a mile and on the north side is a little parking area that should work (intersection of trails coming up out of town). Wish I had a better option but I live down in the flat lands these days.
Chris Ellefson: DNF; done at Winter Park. Awesome course, awesome company. Can’t wait for next year!
tim jones dnf bottom bracket toast at end of winter park
Everyone accounted for. Thank you!
HA12 Bragging rights posted!
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-9mEeCU4NwvYktiQ1A4d0Nodmc
I’ll post up past routes eventually and we’ll look to change up a few things in how we map out a new route every year to make navigation a bit easier.
Cheers!
mattschiff Submitted on 2012/08/19
Confirmation GPS – https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B4ZJFsm3u3HEVVUxMlc1TXFCdzQ
Bummed I barely rode with anyone on this route. The start was nervous energy, XC style when we hit the rocky Eldora section with people running around others off their bike. Chad must have gotten a big lead. Another guy just 1 min ahead of me on the descent. On the descent I spot a car full of people, they said the other two went right. I look at the GPS and go left, no way right is correct. Don’t know if they retraced their steps or what. I don’t stop in Winter Park, in fact, subtracting the waiting time before the ride and trying to figure out where to sign in at the end, stopped for about 9.5 mins total. I ride the winterpark loop but found the GPS track to be loose. What looks like Chads tire track doesn’t goes straight when the track says hike up the side of the bank and onto that overpass going to the left. Ride up the steep road, hike, follow the GPS track as it takes me up the side of the hill. Looks like I’m going the wrong way down mountain goat but then suddenly I’m on the track again with no intersecting trails. Never had that problem with my GPS. It’s never more than 20 feet off. Was the whole track ridden and GPS’d? After that decided if I’m less than 300 feet away it’s good enough because the discrepancies continue. Almost finish the WP loop and I bump into a guy hiking up to me, says I’m going the wrong way, but he missed a turn. I try to convince him I’m going the right way but he’s doubtful. (If you’re lost, don’t drag others down with you) Start the third section, thought that was where the WP refuel was but do the math and I’ve got the calories. 250 calories per hour each and every time I punish myself for an all dayer. Climb, wish it wasn’t so steep. Tip toe across the broken bridge. Meet up with some riders that skipped section 2. Ride down through all the rocky crap. Think how this really isn’t ideal for the less than expert riders. Finish and search for the sign in at the end of the GPS track (check the bar, then back to the coffee shop). Slept through 50 mins of continuous alarm in the morning, got ready while the morning talk took place, didn’t listen to anything, forgot my cue sheet, relied on GPS alone. Not my cup of tea, but I’ve got wrist problems and was hoping the dually would be smooth. It wasn’t.
Awesome ride! Thanks for organizing!
It was great riding with all of you guys, especially Dave who caught up with me while I was bonking hard on the Pipeline Trail. I look forward to next year’s race!
I think that I only made a few tiny course deviations, so 83 miles, 10,600′ climbing should be a pretty accurate number for this course. I think the extra miles come from some switchbacks that were missed and some corners that were only represented by one point. When I draw gpx courses from satellite photos, the same thing happens – you can expect the true distance to be 5 to 15% longer. Confusingly, the elevation gain from map-drawn tracks is often too large by a similar margin (as we see here). I think this happens because the GPS devices employ a lot of smoothing of the altitude curve and cheat you out of some of some elevation gain.
I have a fairly large library of gpx tracks for the Front Range and would love to do some recon for next year’s ride. Give me a holler when you’re sketching the next route.
Thanks again for getting us out there riding bikes on a beautiful day!
Cheers,
Dan
Great riding with you guys! Dan, you amazed me with the speed you launched down the Goat with that super stiff bike! Had a blast with Tiller as usual, glad I could provide some uplifting spirit when needed. Let’s get a group together for the epic Herman Gulch ride, maybe part of next year’s course? thanks for putting it on again Chuck! Pat
Jonathan, you were sorely missed…just not the same without your all day antics and passing us all at the eleventh hour in a energy bunny frenzy.
Great ride Chuck! Look forward to next years adventure.
I had 55 miles and 7,580 ft of climbing on my Garmin for the Halfass course that didn’t include the winter park loop, S1 + S3.
Memorable moments include losing my rain gear on the west side of the divide, having Matt pass me coming back on Rollins Pass a few miles before Riflesight Notch, amazing riding up high on the divide, riding with Aaron, and the start that seemed a little fast.
Simon
[...] I decided that it really was headed in the wrong direction and then turned around. According to Matt’s race report, it was during this backtrack that he rolled through, and went on to win the race by Two Hours. [...]