This is not the case with the Metolius PAS (Personal Anchor System) and Sterling Chain Reactor which are full-strength daisy chains.

Metolius PAS

Sterling Chain Reactor

Since the PAS ($25.95) and Chain Reactor ($21.10) are full strength (that is each loop is full strength), they can be used as a single, bomber clip-in point. They can also be used as the central clip-in point when belaying in auto-block mode, which is my personal favorite perk of using these daisies. In other words, I belay the second directly off a loop in the daisy chain. (However, you cannot escape the belay when belaying the second in auto-block mode directly off  a loop in the daisy chain.)

The difference between the PAS and Chain Reactor is that the PAS is made up of 27% Dyneema and 73% nylon and the Chain Reactor is made up of 11/16″ nylon. The PAS is a few loops shorter than the Chain Reactor, which means you can’t reach as far with the PAS. Thus, the Chain Reactor is better for aid climbing/french freeing. Both items are compact and easily tuck away to the side of your harness when not in use.

The primary purpose of the PAS and Chain Reactor is to simplify and add safety to the climber’s anchor system. Using them also saves time. Thus, I religiously have a PAS or Chain Reactor permanently girth hitched to the tie-in point of my harness and use it every time I climb on a rope.

The PAS and Chain Reactor are recommended for beginner to advanced climbers, even guides.

www.sterlingrope.com, metoliusclimbing.com

Toor is a long-time Boulderite and bike-advocate. He also holds a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago. Fancy! He’s a great guy and has been in the Boulder trenches for three decades, flying the flag for everything from the EcoPass program to our current chip-sealing efforts.

Thanks, Will!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to use some these new products, such as the improved Ozone harness, the redesigned ATC Guide, and Nitron Screwgate. Other items that I’ve checked out but not used in the field are the Gridlock Screwgate, Hoodwire, Chaos and Ultra Distance trekking poles.

The updated Ozone has replaced my aging Aura harness. (Yes, the Aura is designed  for women — this doesn’t mean it is uncomfortable for guys; don’t ask why I have a girl’s harness.) One thing I immediately noticed about the Ozone was that the rigid gear loops are sewn slightly lower on the waistbelt than before. Essentially, the gear loops are stitched right to the bottom edge of the waistbelt which allows them to move. I cracked the plastic on the old gear loops when I slid into offwidths and chimneys, but with the new Ozone this is not a problem. Also, the strap that connects to the back of the leg loops has been improved.

Harnesses:

The Ozone/Aura use Kinetic Core Construction (This means the core moves).  These harnesses are extremely comfortable and lightweight. The Ozone and Aura are bullhorn shaped — the design mimics the shape of the hips — and come with a pre-threaded Speed Adjust waistbelt buckle, four gear loops (not two like before) and a breathable, wicking liner.  Though these harnesses are designed for sport, I take them on big walls and long trad routes since they’re so comfortable. The Ozone and Aura cost $99.95. They weigh 11.28 ounces.

The redesigned Aura (it has 4 gear loops, not 2)

The redesigned Ozone (it also comes with 4 gear loops, not 2)

Carabiners:

The big change for BD is that they now make hot-forged carabiners. Hot forging allows biners to have more unique shapes. The new BD biners are all keylock style which makes them snag free.

I mentioned the Gridlock Screwgate in a previous blog post, but it’s worth mentioning again since it’s one of many new biners by BD. The Gridlock is BD’s solution to belay biner crossloading. Other new biners are the Nitron Screwgate (1.8oz) and Nitron Bentgate (1.6oz). The Nitron Screwgate is a safe, secure ultra-light locking biner and the Nitron Bentgate is ergonomic and has a hot-forged gate.

The HoodWire is especially unique. It has a stainless steel wire hood that keeps debris out of the biner (which could keep the biner from shutting all the way), is snag free (which is super-important when cleaning the draws while lowering from a steep and traversing sport climb) and protects the nose from wear. I could go into how important a well designed hood is — I’ve done it before in other articles — but in this case I’ll just state that the hoodwire is a super-slick wiregate.

the new Nitron Bentgate, 1.6 ounces

The Gridlock is 2.7 ounces and costs $19.95

the Nitron Screwgate, 1.8oz

The new Hoodwire, $8.95, 1.6 ounces

Belay Devices:

The new ATC Guide is lighter and smoother than before due to its machined windows through the body. Though this device can be used on ropes 7.7-11mm, I used it on 9.4 and 10mm ropes. It worked perfectly for lead, TR and auto-block belaying.It also has a bigger auto-block release hole to accept all biners.

The redesigned ATC Guide, 3.1 ounces

Trekking Poles:

BD also has new trekking poles coming out soon. The new Z Poles are three sections of carbon fiber which snap into place with “speed cones.” They have lightweight EVA foam grips and moisture wicking straps. 9.5 ounces a pair, $149.95. Available in sizes:  100, 110, 120, 130 cms.

Ultra Distance trekking poles, 9.5 ounces

www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/default/locale/choose/

I lined up and told myself, “This is the last day. You always try to finish strong, but today you will leave it all out there because there is no racing tomorrow.”

The grand sock finale were the pink mustache socks. Dejay had some sock mojo going on too.

The start was fast on the road, or maybe it just felt that way as I flogged my tired legs back to life. I positioned myself as close as I could to the front without being in the way. The singletrack wasn’t far, and there was still a bottleneck filing into it. I was thankful for the bottleneck because it gave me a few seconds to catch my breath. The fun part of stage racing is you usually find yourself racing with the same people every day. Most notable for me is the top three teams in the men’s duo field, and rallying with some of the singlespeeders like Doug Jenne.

I rode this stage last year as well for fun, so I knew it well. I loved the singletrack climb and I was hooting and hollering going backwards on the firecracker course to Boreas Pass Road. We went through there so fast that I had butterflies in my tummy (which is common when I mountain bike because I’m in love with riding singletrack, especially when it’s SWEET and fast).

I was definitely hurting a little bit on the road. Team Eriksen was on a tandem for the day. I think they are nuts, but they love racing tandem and they are quick on that thing. Even though we had a huge gap, I still was motivated to push. Stage 6 was more about how hard I could push myself (and see how hard I could make Jeff breathe behind me). After having my head down and receiving a few short pushes from Jeff, we made it to the top and Aide 1.

Passing Aide 1, and about to bomb down Gold Dust Trail.

The Gold Dust Trail is always a good time, but it wasn’t as “downhill” as I remembered. The flume trail swayed side to side, and we got into a nice rhythm. I was noting how green everything was, and the smell of the forest floor. After being dumped back out on the road to climb back to Boreas Pass, I was feeling a little tired so I backed off for about ten minutes, waiting for the aching in my lateral thighs to go away. We turned the corner for the final 20 minute climb of the race and something came over me. I suddenly felt strong. I told Jeff, “I am going to get up this last climb as fast as I can” well knowing he wouldn’t have an issue keeping up. I felt like a crazed animal going up the road. My head was down, it was very clear that I was working hard, but I kept applying power swiftly and almost angrily to the pedals. As Phil Liggett would say, “pedal strokes of anger!” We started catching guys groveling up the climb. Before I knew it, we were almost to the top and had passed about 7 folks finishing their final Breck Epic climb. I stood and charged up to the aide station. We got there, and I was fully out of breathe, and I laughed. I turned to Jeff with a smirk and said, “Let’s finish this up the right way” and we flew down the road and singletrack to the finish, taking the overall win.

Go team go!

Even though we won all 6 stages, it wasn’t easy. Each day, Team Eriksen was on our tail, applying pressure. We came out ahead 10-15 min+ most days, but if we putzed along, we wouldn’t have been in the lead. Taking the win of a 6 day event felt more rewarding than a one day event because I knew how much we put into it, all the pedal strokes, the trail… the trail wasn’t always easy. It’s like life. Sometimes it flows and you go through it glowing and everything feels easy. You feel on top of the world. And other times, it’s rocky and steep, you are fighting it at every corner and you feel like it’s against you, it’s out to get you… yet you still get through it and you are stronger for next time. Each stage had a little bit of everything, and we conquered it all.

The camaraderie of the racers as a whole was simply amazing. We were a big family for a week, suffering together, cheering each other on. Competitors or not, we started the adventure of each day together in a group, and each person felt the same pain, the same jolt of excitement crossing the line, the same gasp at the striking views, the same passion.

Standing on our final podium for the week, we all felt proud for enduring and loving the thrill of adventure.

We’ll leave you with the final video….

Breck-Epic Stage Race: Stage 6 from ergon on Vimeo.

All the finishers and people who worked extra hard to volunteer received a finisher’s buckle. I don’t normally wear belt buckles, but this one rocks and I will be sporting it. After all, how could I let something that says “Bad Motherfucker” sit on my shelf?

I wasn’t joking.

The trophies were really classy. Each rider got a photo of themself riding during a stage of the race. This was during the Wheeler stage. Typically Sonya Looney suffer face, head down…and Jeff comfortably joy riding behind me. haha

Once again, thanks to everyone. Stage racing is tough, and having the support of your friends, family, fellow racers, volunteers, and race promoters helps tremendously. Having sponsors that provide you with the best equipment around also contributes to a successful week! Thanks to the Breck Epic for putting on one hell of a race, creating a community of friends I hope to see again and won’t forget, and for teaching us all a little bit more about ourselves – both in and out of the pain cave.

There are ample resources on the Web for researching the topic. I just came across this informational video produced by the Welsh company, DMM. The bottom line is Spectra/Dyneema offers fantastic properties in some respects, but is dreadfully suited to certain applications–like daisy chains, or essentially any system without a dynamic component. In general, the rope acts as the dynamic link in the chain, though other gadgets (like an energy-absorbing sling like a Yates Screamer) could do the trick.

Watch and check out the tests. Nylon does admirably as a tried-and-true, inexpensive material. Spectra/Dyneema is absolutely fantastic, save its low melting point (100 degrees F below nylon’s; NEVER use Spectra/Dyneema in any situation in which it might run against another fiber, particularly when under load) and inelasticity (less than five percent). So, use your ultralight Spectra/Dyneema slings and ‘draws…but just always make sure the rope is part of the system.

Check out the vid and enjoy! Thanks to DMM for posting.

Myself (l) and my pal Kyle topping out the Loveland Pass finish at the 2010 Blue River Century.

Another 100 miles I’ve traveled across the Earth.

The start this morning was different from all the other days. It wasn’t neutral on the road, it was a tough climb from the get go. They started us in 30 second waves based on category to keep the trail from getting balled up, and we were in the 4th wave.

Party on, batman.

Video:

Breck-Epic: Stage 5 from ergon on Vimeo.

I was surprised – course traffic sorted out without any drama. My legs were sore, but I was able to set the suffer bar high for the day and ride right on it without crossing the red line. I rode this stage last year for fun, so I knew what was coming – climbing, technical trails, a heinous hike-a-bike, and sick views.

I’m happy to report there was no drama for me today. No bonking, no puking, no need for survival mode. Jeff and I rode smart from start to finish at a good pace and had fun in the process. In fact, I probably should have gone a little harder, but that’s ok. The hike wasn’t as bad as I remembered although my calves felt like they were about to explode out my legs. Pushing a bike is hard work and I found it easier to carry my bike on my shoulder because it’s a different hiking position(more upright). I wish I could have enjoyed the view on top a little more, but I was on a mission. WIN.

We were greeted by the Peaks Trail for the last 12 miles of the race, and I was happy because it’s a fun and classic Breck trail. I know it well which made it all the better – rocky, technical fun… techy singletrack is so much better when you’re not bonking your brains out! In fact, racing is more fun when you’re not bonking hard like I did the last 2 days. I’m lucky the repercussions were not severe because sometimes a bonk can effect you for multiple days. Maybe that’s why I felt so bad the last 2 mornings?

Today was another day we finished strong, and I was sad the stage was over. Our race time is right at 21 hours over the last 5 days. One to go.

…and the finish amenities were grand. I ate lots of watermelon, potato chips, and pb&j sandwiches. They also had pretzels, oranges, fig newtons, and race nutrition products.

I loved the description so much for Stage 5 that I want to quote it here:

” Ok Breck Epic’ers- you’ve seen just about all this old battle axe can dish out. You’ve suffered through the gut punch of Penn Creek on day one, possibly fell victim to the CT’s sweet siren song on day two and absorbed the blow of the thundering hand of the angry mountain goddess Guyot on day three. And if you’re reading this, you faced the rabid Aqueduct stage down, met its stare and made it look away. You stood your ground. Well this old bitch has one more card up her sleeve, one more knife in her boot and one more cruel sucker punch to throw before she’ll kneel before you. And its name is Wheeler. You’re going to top out at 12,500 feet, but only after hiking your blown ass up there. And you’re gonna curse us all the way. But to the intrepid go the spoils. Once you get up there you’re going to be treated to an experience few on earth can ever lay claim to – at that point on top of the Ten Mile Range you’ll truly be at the top of Colorado and witness to our state’s magnificent landscape. So sack up riders. You made it this far. Do NOT go gentler into that good night. Do not give Wheeler the satisfaction. Do not break against the shoals of despair. You’re almost there. Get ready to punch it out one last time before the big-ring, big-grin glee-fest of Gold Dust on Friday.”

We stuck the knife in Wheeler, we stared down the rabid dog with a hard fight yesterday, we survived the thundering hand of Guyot, we danced to the siren song on the Colorado Trail without being hypnotized, and Penn Creek didn’t phase us. Tomorrow Jeff Kerkove and I will indulge in the rush of the Gold Dust Trail, rock Boreas Pass Road, and hopefully cross the line strong tomorrow sealing the big W for a rewarding, brutal 6 day stage race in the Rocky Mountains.

It’s been great having a partner in the race, especially one who is patient and who I know will be able to go my speed, no matter how fast I want to go. Thanks for everything, Jeff!

To review, BCDOT has chip-sealed several major cycling thoroughfares (Nelson Road, Olde Stage, and Highway 36) in the past few weeks. The Nelson Road resurfacing used a 1/4″ aggregate and a “fog seal”, which (according to Hugh) rendered the surface smooth and bike-friendly. The 36 section, however, turned out much rougher, with a less bike-friendly feel.

Dan Rowland at the County and Al Roys and CDOT have been kind enough to answer many of Hugh’s questions and they’re our ongoing contacts with those organizations. Hugh is trying to get the state to adopt a standard in chip-sealing when it comes to bike-frequented areas, so let’s stay tuned and offer our support when the time comes.

Below is Hugh’s latest recap. Thanks Hugh!

Oddly enough, I felt great at the start. Like, the best I’ve felt the whole race so far! I held back at the start to be safe, and then let it rip. I ripped through the first 20 miles of the course with ease and was having a blast while doing it. My partner was happy too because he got to rip it as well instead of being stuck behind me. Vomit Hill? Pshaw, no problem.

Stage 4 video:

Breck Epic Stage Race: Stage 4 from ergon on Vimeo.

We came through Aide 2 in a little under 2 hours and had the longest climb of the race in front of us. There was a huge difference in the way I looked between Aide 2 and Aide 3. Thanks for the pic, Yuki!

We went into the climb fast and furious. I felt good and was spinning the big ring. Max Tamm has been having mechanicals early in the race. For those of you who don’t know, Max Tamm is a very talented young pro rider. He came around us on the climb and I thought, “I’m feeling good, I’m going to grab his wheel and hold it for as long as I can. Why not?” STUPID SONYA. STUPID EGO. STUPID IDEA.

I was able to hang on for a little while, and even after he pulled away, I kept pushing hard to maintain a steady distance. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know what came over me. When he was out of sight, I slowed down to a reasonable pace and kept going. A handful of matches torched. Then mistake number 2 was made. The Duo Open Men 2nd place guys came by us. They are from Switzerland (I think) and I thought, “I want to hang with these guys.” So what did I do? I grabbed their wheel and ended up turning myself inside out to hang. STUPID. There was no reason to do that. And then I blew sky high. I thought I’d be ok if I backed off for a little while, but I never came back.

To make matters worse, I was overly ambitious with my fueling and took in too much sugar and too little water. 6 gels, 24 oz of water, and 24 oz of drink is a fail in a 1-1.5 hour time period is no bueno in the heat for me. I have been there before. My stomach started churning and I was nauseated. Too…much… sugar. My vision started to blur – dehydration from not enough water to process the sugar in my gut. I told Jeff, “I am hurting bad. I am in trouble, but I’m going to do my best to get through this.” You can imagine what happened next. My speed went down by quite a lot. The Colorado Trail was no longer fun… it was punishing and beating me up. Suddenly Mike McCormack’s analogy of the course from the night before became a reality – “it’s like a snarling dog that will not stop coming at you.” I was pedaling squares and groaning in pain, swaying side to side on my bike, and searching for Aide 3. We finally got there, and I was totally out of it. One of my friends was working the aide station and filled my water bottle herself and I did not even recognize her. I said, “That girl is filling my bottle right now.” I took some gels and 2 full bottles of water. I downed the bottle of water quickly, and started nursing the gels and 2nd bottle of water. We had 7 miles to go, but it felt like an eternity, and we had a couple more beastly climbs waiting patiently for our arrival, climbs in previous days I would have balked at and ridden strong to the finish. This time, I was barely turning it over and was demoralized to leaning over my bike trying to walk. “Keep moving forward. Don’t give up. Harden the fuck up. You’re almost there. Stop complaining. You’ll live.” were all things I told myself. My stomach was in bad shape. I started heaving into my mouth a little bit. It wasn’t bad… just tasted like gel and there wasn’t a lot of volume so… (if you’re eating back away), I swallowed it. I was in hell. I danced with the devil during the first 20 miles of the race, and he dumped me into the fire.

Poor Jeff Kerkove. He is the strong, silent type… never having a problem, riding whatever speed I choose to go, and dealing with going slow when I fall to pieces. Best partner ever.

“A few more miles” I was so frustrated that again, I felt the tears welling up and felt myself weaken. “NO. Use this energy.” and that I did – I transferred it to the pedals, and then I got angry. I told Jeff, “I am operating purely off anger and frustration.” I was groaning again in pain, snarling and drooling. Not a pretty sight. The last section of singletrack seemed to go on forever. I said, “Normally I’d love this piece of trail, but today I just want it to be over.” We rolled into the finish. I didn’t finish with a smile. I rolled across the line, dismounted, and couldn’t stand up.

I look like I have a shifted toupe. Sweet helmet hair… Thanks to Sarai Snyder for all the great photos!

After awhile, I gathered myself, sauntered to the tent, and ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches totally out of it. That goes to show you that it’s easy to go from being on top of the world to in survival mode. We got back to the condo and I went straight to my bed to lay down… in my gross bike shorts and wet socks. I finally motivated to get in the shower, and was sulking. DRAMA QUEEN!!! It could have been worse!

We still won by 20 minutes today, but Team Eriksen had some mechanical issues. We are now up 1:02 in the GC. Tomorrow, in my opinion, is the hardest stage. I better get some rest and ride smart tomorrow.

The added weather elements make you dig deeper and work harder than you would on an easy sunny day. And, the inclement weather also restricts your routes of travel, as you must limit your exposure above tree-line, and your ability to get deeper into the backcountry in a safe fashion is comprised.

The kind of training that I need right now necessitates long days in the high alpine. When you are threatened by storms, electrical or otherwise, it makes it challenging to get to the higher elevations, achieve the vertical ascent and cover the mileage that make you strong for an expedition in the Himalaya.

In three weeks, my three partners, Mark Fisher, Andy Tankersley, Todd Passey, and I head to Tibet to attempt to climb and ski Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest peak in the world. As one of our many preparation tasks for the trip, we decided to join up for a climbing mission in the Tetons.

Two weeks ago, I drove up to Victor, ID to meet up with the gang. We awoke at midnight to the sound of rainfall steadily hammering the roof of my Mark’s house. Ignoring the obvious, and hoping for a break in the weather, we made coffee, forced down peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and hit the road for Teton National Park.

Our objective for the next twenty-four hours was the Grand Traverse route. It is a serious and technical climb that crosses nine of the mightiest peaks in the range, and includes more than 12,000ft of vertical ascent and descent in fourteen miles.

Ascending trails and scrambling fourth class rock in the drizzle of a 3am storm is a questionable undertaking. We trudged steadily uphill over the next few hours with the summit looming then disappearing behind the curtains of storm clouds. Lightning and thunder cracked in the distance and the stars were veiled overhead. After climbing roughly 3,500ft we stopped to reassess. The weather was poor. With some careful evaluation, we decided to aim for the first summit and to keep an eye on the storm pattern as we moved up. Our team progressed silently over the rocks with an occasional stop to size up the weather trend.

As luck would have it, the bulk of the storm held off just long enough for us to climb another 2,000ft to the summit of Teewinot at 12,800ft. Then, it was time to make a serious decision. To move forward on the traverse would commit us to climbing peaks with no bail-out option for the next few hours, putting us at risk of an electrical storm and slippery conditions for rock hopping in rain, sleet, or snow.

With some heavy pondering and evaluating, we decided to retreat. Retracing our steps back to the Teewinot saddle, we began our descent to 7,200ft.

We made the right choice. By the time we arrived back to the parking lot near Jenny Lake, the storm had moved in and surrounded the entire Teton range. Our team had worked through its first challenge and, all in all, it had been an excellent exercise in mental focus, decision making and time management. It was disappointing to not finish the route, a long time goal and with the right crucial pieces of the right team and the right training. But, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, what can you do?

It has been a rainy summer in Colorado, but since this excursion I have had some luck with a few drier days in the mountains. Upon my return to Telluride last week, I headed out on another long training mission on Telluride’s Seven Summits traverse route, a climb that spans seven separate summits, two ridges, and six peaks above 13,000ft, all over twelve miles. This time, I got lucky with a one percent weather to sun ratio, succumbing to a mere five minute hail storm in a seven hour push that moved in and out so quickly it forced me to seriously question a fast retreat and yet remain safe enough to actually finish my day.

And, after all, what would training be without a little bit of raining?