Two sweet Left Hand Canyon sessions

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Two days, two great adventures at my favorite local OHV area.

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Friday: Moto-powered DH training




Random snow shower. Note the rope on the back of the moto.

Crew: Pro downhiller Zach Griffith and me, Lee

Equipment: Zach’s Intense M3 downhill bike, my Honda CRF450X trail motorcycle and a tow rope

Purpose: Coaching Zach. The moto lets us turn over lots of runs, and it lets me watch him rip up close. While he pedals I just braaap. “Pedal!” I yell as I twist the throttle.

Highlight 1: Random snow shower at the top of the hill. A curtain of white falling across a dark, silent landscape.

Highlight 2: Helping Zach improve. Smoother, faster, better.

Highlight 3: Pinning it! A fast downhiller is so dang fast! Following Zach’s lines on the moto, deflecting off rocks, front wheel pushing, just hoping the beast obeys. BRAAAP!!!




Nice low attack position over a monster rock.

A little manual action.

Nice setup: Shoulders low, eyes to the exit, foot forward (not just out to the side).

And … BRAAAP!

Saturday: Foot-powered DH training




The dudes. The weather was a bit nicer today.

Crew: Me, Zach and The Fix Monkeys

Equipment: Downhill bikes, baby!

Purpose: 1) Mega fitness; it’s a brutal 2,000-foot-vert hike. 2) Hella skills; the descents are steep, rocky, loose, raw and random.

Highlight 1: Watching the dudes rocking like hurricanes. These guys — from beginner to expert and beyond — are all on it in a big way. So fun to see.

Highlight 2: Pinning it! We were riding so fast on such gnarly stuff. Forget picking a line; just choose a general direction and leave it to fate (and fitness, and skill, and equipment …)

Highlight 3: After a brutal 90-minute hike and 10 minutes of pure violent downhill bliss, the dudes were stoked! “That hike was so worth it!” “It’s worth every step!”

We are strong. We are capable. We are pinned!