HPT - Ketchum, Idaho

The fastest singletrack in the world

Is there a speed limit in the forest? This strange thought crept into my mind as groves of lodgepole pine flashed by my peripheral. Never before have I ridden a singletrack with such blazing speed. Normally, I would be too scared to go this fast, yet now there was no fear, no blurred vision, and no death grip on the handlebars. You see, I was mountain biking around Sun Valley, ID, home to the buffest trails HPT has seen yet.

This leg of the HPT started like many others; roll into town and start scouting out the good rides. This time I tapped a sure fire source of local knowledge, the Western Spirit Cycling guide house. The folks at Western Spirit travel all over the west guiding multi day bike tours. The guide house was full of spent carcasses, as a huge trip had just returned. Fresh off a five-day epic, the guides understandably prioritized resting sore legs and sorting out gear over getting mixed up with some HPT madness. They did however, draw me a treasure map of sorts, detailed instructions on how to get to some of the fastest, most rolling, rollercoastery type trails they had ever ridden. A 10-minute drive and hour-long climb later, I was on top of Lodgepole Gulch and the fun was about to begin. With slightly bermed turns, a perfect pitch, and windy trails that were so smooth youÂ’d think they had just been Zambonied, there was no need to hold back. Braking became not so important as the focus shifted between riding that fine line of carrying enough speed to keep the adrenal glands spewing, and avoiding a high speed crash and burn. Another climb to the top of Greenhorn Gulch delivered me to yet another dirt ribbon of perfection. As I sailed down Greenhorn, crossing streams, banking turns, and letting the wheels run, I almost felt as if the trail was controlling my actions. All I had to do was sit there, and it would take me for the fastest ride of my life. After breaking personal speed records, I was ready to head into town for a schooner and burger at the legendary GrumpyÂ’s.

The next day dawned as blue as the last. With the sun came the heat, so I decided to head further north, towards the Sawtooth Range. Fisher Creek is one of those rides that you just have to do when in the area. Not only is the climbing minimal, the payoff is more super fast singletrack that has you thinking how wrong it is to be going this fast in the forest. But since itÂ’s just so smooth you canÂ’t help it so you continue hauling ass for what seems like an eternity before you reach the car. After a delicious shake at the Smiley Creek Lodge on the way home, itÂ’s on to more refreshments at GrumpyÂ’s back in Ketchum. The next day I got to check out the Smith Sport Optics HQ where they have sunglasses on racks that wonÂ’t be in stores till next year. After drooling on all the new eyewear, I pointed the EuroVan out of town for the 12-hour push to Arcata, CA, where my next adventure awaits.