Trail Blazers Exchange

Steve Armstead forwarded this message -- any spare gear on hand?  While Tom is not a Trail Blazers member, he is one of theTrail Hosts.

Hey Steve,
Just wanted to let you know that I lost my host vest on Friday.  It went up in smoke with all my gear & stuff, the firefighters were able to save the trailer & sleds but the rest of my stuff is gone.  I talked to Ken Moran already, if you guys run across any snowmobiling clothing or helmets let me know.  I am waiting on the insurance folks to decide what they are going to do.  I am 5'11" & 180 pounds if you should run across anyone looking to sell their stuff. 
Looking forward to getting back up there & hitting the trails again.
Up until now I have 22 hours of trail hosting in & I sure hope I get allot more.
Talk to you soon.
Tom Dempsey

Tags: fire, gear, help, lost

Member Ron Bowen has some nice warm, fuzzy hats for sale:

Alpaca hats. Adult/Teen $25  Child $15.  All proceeds go to PATS PLACE (Home for battered women & children) Lima, Peru.  Call Ron Bowen 970-887-2054.  Please leave a message if no one is home.

Tags: for sale, hats, shelter

We had a nice group - 15 folks - up at Eagles Perch to watch one of the longest Grand Lake fireworks shows I've ever seen.  At the "finale" I checked my watch - it had gone on for 25 minutes.  Then, they shot off a few more every few minutes for another 10 minutes or so.  We had clear weather, and it wasn't nearly as cold as last year.

Happy New Year!

Tags: avalanche training, craig, northwest colorado snowmobile club

It is easy to get complacent.  "I've ridden here a hundred times and never had a problem."  But today is time 101 and it may not be OK.  That is the message you need to take from the recent avalanche deaths.  What was OK last year or last week or yesterday is not necessarily the same conditions as when YOU are out there on a different day.  Please, learn to assess avalanche danger if you want to climb hills or high-mark.  One of the men who died on Gravel Mountain had ridden there many times without consequences.  But this year's weather is different - it's been colder and the snow hasn't had that warm spell to firm up a good, stable base.  That means more avalanche danger and more bottomless willow areas.  He was also in the habit of checking the avalanche forecast.  He was riding to help a stuck snowmobiler when he triggered the fatal avalanche.  DON'T go help someone stuck on a steep hill like Gravel Mountain - it might be the last thing either of you does.  Let them work it out, tough as that may be to do.  One at a time on the climbing hills,...

Tags: avalanche, changing conditions, deaths, grand lake, gravel mountain, not the same this time

Saturday, December 27 there were four riders in the Gravel Mountain area when an avalanche swept down, catching three of them.  Only one of those three survived.  According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center*, "The avalanche was 5-7 feet deep, 200 feet wide and ran 300 feet vertically."  Please check the avalanche forecast before you ride, even if you plan to stay on the trails or on flat terrain.  Please get and wear avalanche beacons - you need one on every rider so someone is left with one to find whoever is caught.  Please be aware of potential avalanche signs.  Take an avalanche safety course.

Don't forget to watch out for logs & stumps out there, too, in those "new meadows", and be very aware of the trees around you when the wind comes up.  Many of those dead trees have been dead long enough their roots have rotted and weakened and they could fall.  

None of this is meant to scare you, just to make sure you think, and come home safely.

* http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub_bc_avo.php?zone_id=1

Tags: avalanche, grand lake, gravel mountain, trees

Well, the section of trail out of town, through the National Park, is open.  Snow cover is still thin, and the marshy area isn't fully frozen, but it IS open.  Please stay on the trail and watch for bumps.

This year's Snowmobile Safety Class was small, only 17 participants.  Of those 3 were adults who stayed, paid attention, and took the test along with their kids.  We only had 3 helpers running the driving course.  It would really have worked a lot better if we'd had at least 5 or 6 to run the course.  We're hoping you'll be able to help us next year.  We might also ask for a volunteer to help us grade the tests.  That's our bottleneck - the first couple finish and we're on top of it, then a whole bunch finish and we just stack them up until we can get them.  We'll let you know as we get closer.

Saturday the 27th - the Saturday after Christmas - is the Mystery Ride.  The destination will be determined by the riding ability of those who show up.  Meet at Idleglen at 10am.  The web site says Tom Mason will be leading it, but he's still recovering...

Tags: buck-n-rail, full moon ride, mystery ride, party, safety class, update, work

Yesterday, Friday afternoon, we did a bit of "poking around". To our surprise, both gates at Idleglen were open!  We had thought the snow a bit thin yet, but ... small berms are in place and the gates open.  At North Supply, the gate is still closed, but On The Trail started renting yesterday. 

For what it's worth, Mike & some of the other guys rode last Sunday and were pushing powder up at Willow Park.

PLEASE - be careful. There are more unexpected logs down and others can fall at any time.  Keep your eyes open, look all around and if the wind comes up, come on back.  Better to miss a day of fun than have everyone miss you.

Tags: go ride, open, trails

I have sold all of my sleds and trailers.

If anyone is interested, I do have sled lift for $45, three sets of dollys for $25, and a large dolly used to move a whole sled around for $120. 

I also have eight used helmets, most full shields, some with breath deflectors, if anyone might be interested.

Tags: for sale, helmets, snowmobile dolly, snowmobile lift

Tags: food, help, mountain family center