Ride Reports
11 | 15 | '24
The snow level for the next couple of weather fronts is dropping close to the top of the Butte! I needed to get one more day of the hero soil before traction, elevation, and conditions, shut it down for the season. The ride began in early morning sun...
Submitted by tomvale on 11/14/24
11 | 05 | '24
With the recent wind, rain and snow, I went to Echo Ridge to enjoy the sunny weather aftermath and see what trails needed to be cleared. I parked at the bottom of Waterbar Heaven and climbed Bergman Gulch and began the Outback counterclockwise. The O...
Submitted by tomvale on 11/5/24
11 | 02 | '24
Had a couple days of rain lately so the Butte Downhill was hero. Climbing to the summit was enjoyable looking at the layers of clouds above the lake and all the snowcapped ridge lines in the distance. The snow line was about 4000’ so the Butte was al...
Submitted by tomvale on 11/2/24
10 | 27 | '24
Here in Chelan we had a full night of rain last night so the Butte Downhill would be hardened and hero. That was the main reason to go riding today but I also wanted to rake out the gravel from two key spots where there aren’t clear lines. Those spot...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/27/24
10 | 27 | '24
The snow is going to fly this weekend up high so I needed to complete my eastern high rides before trails get too covered in snow. Today’s ride would take me to an elevation of 7100 feet while going around Uno Peak. After getting my elder care tasks...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/26/24
10 | 22 | '24
Woke up early this morning to clear skies and 34 degrees outside. :-( Winter is coming! The sun was just coming out to warm things up so I waited a bit longer and finally started climbing about 9:30.
The climbing trail and Winter traverse are a litt...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/22/24
10 | 20 | '24
Our first, Fall, atmospheric river wave came through overnight but only showered on Chelan and made the downhill trail ideal for your tires. I started climbing from the trailhead around 6:30 this morning. After traversing over to the Butte...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/19/24
10 | 18 | '24
After the first threat of snow above 3000’ was forecasted, I figured I had to do an early morning ride to catch the snow, and make tracks, before it was all melted by the sunny day.
Trail conditions are clear and slightly damp from...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/17/24
10 | 12 | '24
Today, I put the new brake pads I installed to good use going down the Butte Downhill in the beautiful, Fall weather. Sure, the trail was dry, but for the most part, it is clear and it’s mostly a straight line trail anyway, except for the switchbacks...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/13/24
10 | 11 | '24
After changing brake pads yesterday, I took the bike and drone out to Echo Ridge to challenge the drone’s object avoidance capabilities. I tried to have it follow me up Bergmans Gulch but it was having a ton of trouble tracking through the Pines and...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/11/24
10 | 08 | '24
This morning, my goal was to test my new toy, a DJI Mini 4 Pro camera drone. The Butte area has some airspace restrictions so it complicated my drone test a bit but I got my first vids and was happy. I began my ride from the trailhead, I climbe...
Submitted by tomvale on 10/6/24
09 | 29 | '24
Started my ride at the trailhead this morning at 5:30 with the goal of getting to the summit to see the sunrise which was to happen before 7:00. The stars were out and the Chelan city lights and twilight sky were a beautiful backdrop for the climb to...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/28/24
09 | 27 | '24
I left the house as soon as I could this morning and got to the ski hill parking area a little before 6am. After gearing up and adding the handlebar light, I began the climb up the NUT under lights to the top of the Boa. I continued the climb up to R...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/25/24
09 | 22 | '24
Parked at the bottom of Waterbar Heaven again and began the ride by climbing Bergman Gulch and then went counterclockwise on the Outback. After visiting the Summit, I had a blast descending the rest of the Outback and then Waterbar Heaven. That is my...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/21/24
09 | 16 | '23
Really rough especially at the bottom1/3. Scary.
nice jumps and pumps.
probobly just take the forest service road up next time.
Submitted by Maryjacky on 9/19/24
09 | 08 | '24
09 | 21 | '24
This morning, I began my ride from the trailhead, climbed to the Winter Traverse, and then over to the Butte Road to get to the summit. Just before the parasailing launch site, I met up with some buddies from the Ram family. Luckily the father didn’t...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/19/24
09 | 16 | '24
I arrived at the trailhead around 7:30 this morning and wanted to get a few more of the gnarly features on PTD under my belt. However, after heading down, I balked at two easy features and psyched myself out. I wasn’t feeling like myself either becau...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/15/24
09 | 14 | '24
Today’s goal was to accomplish my “three V’s”. My riding style, defines those V’s as:
Views, Vertical, and Velocity.
I had a short amount of time this morning, so I chose a route this morning at Echo Ridge to satisfy my ne...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/13/24
09 | 11 | '24
Overnight last night, the Chelan/Manson area had a short rain shower so I went over to the Butte for a morning ride in the renewed trail conditions and cleared out atmosphere. The Butte trail was in great shape and would be ideal today if it had no g...
Submitted by tomvale on 9/11/24