Copper Harbor Fattyfest

[FarmerBEN]

spent the weekend up on the KP of the UP and had a great time, on some absolutely killer trails, Some of the best in the midwest and possibly beyond I would have to say. Had a great time and would have to say that anyone who is planning an extended weekend at the camba trails should considering passing them by and heading northeast. It is a much longer drive but definately worth it to get elevations that most midwesterns can only dream of. I haven't seen any GPS to confirm it, but the locals estimated that the race contained 3000 climbing feet per lap and what goes up must come down, and in this case you come down on some of the most technical white knuckle descents I have ever seen. Hopefully sometime you get a chance to ride these trails and see what Minnesota's northshore/lutsen area should be like.

[krazykatie]

Any pics?:D i'm bummed i really wanted to go. :hit:

[daviebee]

That's where I learned to ride, hence my DH skills :)
Say Ya To Da U.P., Eh!

[FarmerBEN]

Any pics?:D i'm bummed i really wanted to go. :hit:


I didn't get any of the trails, but I am hoping to find some on MTBR or somewhere else online. The event was fun, but in terms of actually riding it would probably be better just to head up there on your own for a long weekend, the town is really pretty crappy (gift shops, and old motels/cabins) but recreationally speaking it is an awesome area, great trails for biking and hiking, kayak tours by the same shop that is responsible for the bike trails plus some nice sandy beaches on the most beautiful body of water in the world. I think we need to kidnap Sam from KAC and imprison him somewhere on the northshore so he can work his magic in a closer locale.

[GettingFaster]

. . .the most technical white knuckle descents I have ever seen.

Are you referring to Paul's Plunge? If so, I've got a couple of pics of that descent from my trip there.

[FarmerBEN]

I thought all the descents were pretty rough, I definately see the advantage of a full suspension on those trails, Paul's plunge was awesome, and not as painfull as the others due to the fact that I was full brakes the whole way down and not going as fast, can you post up the pics of the plunge por favor?

[GettingFaster]

can you post up the pics of the plunge por favor?

I'll post the pics tomorrow, as I'm having some technical difficulties. I got pics of the 4 foot drop on Paul's Plunge, a few of the bridges, and one of the endless array of rocks and roots on the Kamikaze Trail.

My rigid SS held in there, but full suspension would have been much more comfortable! :D

[GettingFaster]

Here you go Ben.

Approaching Paul's Plunge, there are several small bridges that look pretty cool.

http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/518/medium/Copper_Harbor_MTB_bridge1.jpg
http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/518/medium/Copper_Harbor_Bridge2.jpg

Paul's Plunge that hard some loose, steep descents. This is a photo of a drop on a more advanced line choice.
http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/518/medium/Paul_s_Plunge1.jpg

After that crazy downhill, it was time for the Kamikaze Trail, a 2 mile long trail of roots and rocks that were placed there in a rather random pattern by Mother Nature.

http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/518/medium/Kamikaze_Trail.jpg

What a perfect place for a rigid SS!
http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/518/medium/Kamikaze_Trail2.jpg

[Shickdawg]

Some more pics of the trails can be found at http://www.moronacity.com/images/Copper_Harbor/

They were taken by some of the locals, and feature some genuine Keweenaw residents.

Here's some pics taken by Lori Hauswirth (ccrider here) of Sunday's race, featureing a particularly nasty rock that only a few brave and talented souls can actually ride: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12651100@N03/

Arlyn Aronson also has some pics up at MTBR: http://gallery.mtbr.com/showgallery.php/cat/500/page/1/ppuser/260112

[xterrabuzz]

Did the Fat Tire Fest two years ago and had a blast. Have not been back to Chequamegon since. What I liked about the FTF is that you benefited from having mtb skills and not a race for roadies on mountain bikes. Glad to hear you had a good time. Looking forward to FTF and Ore to Shore next year. Peace.

[SwampYankee3]

I haven't seen any GPS to confirm it

Here's some GPS files from my buddy Nick. Interpretation is the big key, these are his comments:

There are three files attached. The .kmz can be opened with Google Earth. The .kml file can be opened with Google Maps I think. And the .gpx is a GPS data exchange format I think. I not very good with the GPS stuff. Garmin Training Center says 2853ft of climbing, MotionBased says 1914ft with Gravity Correction and 4033ft without gravity correction. So I have no idea what the actual amount of climbing is. I'll lean towards 4033 though. ;)

This was for the 13 mile course (actually my computer said it was closer to 14.1). Probably double the vertical for the 23 mile course, then subtract about 300 feet (from the rollout road climb)

The race was a blast. Our buddy Greg has a ton of photos... mostly from the rollout uphill, and from sitting on Paul's Plunge.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juskuz/sets/72157601830114236/

A roadie course, this is not. Here's the [uncompensated] elevation map
http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/500/Elevation.jpg