WriteTek Northwest » Photos and Videos

Kelley and Paul on the National Trail

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:50:43 +0000

When Paul and Kelley were on their recent six-month biking tour of the Southwest, they hit the National Trail on South Mountain in Phoenix. Nice vid from Kelley. And, no, it’s not raining there. [Continue Reading]

A-Bomb Snow Ride

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:39:18 +0000

Great vid of Eric Shew and a friend riding A-Bomb in the snow on Monday. [Continue Reading]

GGR Hits Colonnade, Duthie

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:50:59 +0000

Fourteen riders headed to Seattle to take a look at the bike parks at Colonnade and Duthie on January 14th. The crew included Paul, Mel, Seattle Fred, Jerry D, Joe and Marie Klemmer, Shannon, Dave, Doctor Brigman, Ryan McMaster, Kelley, Kevin, Cage and [Continue Reading]

Spectacular Legacy Photos

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:49:19 +0000

The view up there won’t last so soak it up while you can. Ten years from now, you’ll be telling the newbies, “In the old days, you could see all the way to the Olympics.” Photos courtesy of Mark Sanchez [Continue Reading]

Phoenix Vid

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:54:30 +0000

Another good vid from Kelley, this time at Scottsdale. This ride included 1,600 feet of elevation gain over a four-mile stretch. [Continue Reading]

The Boys in Bakersfield

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:49:04 +0000

This isn’t Paul and Kelley in the vid, but this is the trail they rode in Bakersfield earlier in the week. They liked Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride so much that they hit it four times. [Continue Reading]

Failure on JLS

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:42:27 +0000

I was a teacher for 30 years. Fortunately, the vast majority of my students did well when test time rolled around. Apparently, I have lost my touch. On Sunday afternoon, a small group of us headed over to JLS to session some log-overs. The lesson did not go as [Continue Reading]

Check Out the A-Bomb Line

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:47:42 +0000

If you’re wondering how the A-Bomb trail turned out – here’s your chance to take a look. In addition, the Hawg Trail, all of A-Bomb was completed in approximately 3:15 by a crew of 32. If you try to ride it up instead of down, it might take you [Continue Reading]

Kids and Bikes

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Great feel-good bike story courtesy of Paul Norris. [Continue Reading]

Stella, Growlers Vids

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:08:30 +0000

Compilation vid from Stella, followed by a ride down the new line in the Secret Garden at Growlers. Courtesy of Kelley Hinkle. [Continue Reading]

Goat Mountain Ride Report

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:43:54 +0000

Brian Mahon and Ken Noble recently completed a ride from Ryan Lake up Goat Mountain and eventually down into the Gren River. To say the scenery is spectacular is the grossest of understatements. Things begin with an ass-kicking climb up Goat Mountain and then to [Continue Reading]

Bike Porn of the Finest Kind

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:47:21 +0000

Chris Akrigg is an incredible athlete. Vid forwarded by Cage Aaron. [Continue Reading]

Incredible Trials Riding on Huge Rocks

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:41:31 +0000

Great vid courtesy of Aaron Dennis and Andy Crump. [Continue Reading]

Pump Track Technique

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:28:18 +0000

Watch the video. Then when you hit the Castle Rock Bike Park you will know what to do and how you are supposed to look. [Continue Reading]

Mel’s 40 @ 40 Vid

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:49:25 +0000

Photos and vid clips courtesy of Kelley Hinkle, Jim LeMonds, and Paul Norris. This ride covered 43.1 miles with nearly 5,000 feet of climbing on the Ape Canyon, Blue Lake, and Falls Creek trails. Mel completed the ride in memory of Bob Clouse, Warren Martin, and [Continue Reading]

Pump de Post-Pumptrack Jam Race

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:00:58 +0000

We’re not there yet, but this is what we’re shooting for at the Castle Rock Bike Park. Video courtesy of Paul Norris and Vital MTB. Pump-De-Post-Pumptrack-Jam-Race – More Mountain Bike Videos [Continue Reading]

Crump’s Nephew Learns by Trial and Error

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:06:22 +0000

Andy Crump’s nephew Spencer is learning to mountain bike. Apparently, Spencer has been taking lessons from members of the Killer Burritos – a now defunct biking group from Portland that rode in several TDGs. The video is only a minute long, but it is [Continue Reading]

Sign-up Now for GG Super D

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:24:23 +0000

Sign-up begins now for the GG Super D on Saturday, September 17th. This event is brought to you by Growlers Gulch Racing. Course: Some work is needed on Legacy, but the ride route is in very good shape. You will start at the top of Legacy, then hit WTF, Vortex, [Continue Reading]

South Coldwater Video

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:47:16 +0000

Great stuff once again from Kelley Hinkle. This is footage of our Monday ride on the 230A Trail at Coldwater Ridge, north of Mount St. Helens. We topped out at St. Helens Lake. In most cases, video doesn’t do justice to the terrain. That’s not the case [Continue Reading]

Under-employed Ride South Coldwater

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:53:18 +0000

I tried to get out of it. When I talked with Paul on Sunday at the bike park, his knee was hurting and he was fatigued from riding Smith Creek with Mel on Saturday. I got the impression that he might want to cancel our ride on the 230A Trail at South Coldwater. No [Continue Reading]

Expert Pump Track Nearly Completed!

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:07:14 +0000

Thanks to a great design by Kevin Knorr and Randy Toney and extraordinary work from a crew of volunteers from Growlers Gulch Racing, the expert pump track at the Castle Rock Bike Park is approximately 75 percent complete. We told Kevin and Randy we wanted them to [Continue Reading]

Smith Creek Vid

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:58:17 +0000

Thanks to Kelley for this vid. You can read his full report about the Smith Creek adventure here. [Continue Reading]

Eight Mile – Knebel Springs Report

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:43:25 +0000

Detailed report from Kelley Hinkle about a recent ride at Eight Mile – Knebel Springs at Mount Hood. Story. Video below. [Continue Reading]

Valmont Bike Park

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:29:27 +0000

Two vid clips from the Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, Colorado. Big dollars and plenty of creativity on display. The first gives an overview of the park. The second has some good stuff shot with a helmet cam. The third has some air shots and a nice view of the [Continue Reading]

South Coldwater Vid

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:25:02 +0000

Nice vid from Andy Plassmeyer showing the descent off the South Coldwater 230A on the work day in late June. [Continue Reading]

Travis Doesn’t Eat Feces

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:17:20 +0000

After making his debut at Growlers in the feature film Travis Eats Feces and then following that with a repeat performance at the Tour de Gulch, Travis Degn proved this weekend that he is ready to start schooling people. Check out his performance on the bridge on [Continue Reading]

Park City Bike Park

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:46:38 +0000

[Continue Reading]

Bike Park Photos – Additional News

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:48:20 +0000

The photos below are from last Thursday’s work day – with Ryan McMaster, Ryane Olin, Randy Toney, and Randy’s dad, John, on site to handle the layout, rocking of the access area, scrape-off and grading. Huge thanks to them for putting in 11 hours [Continue Reading]

3Minute Gaps – Biking Documentary

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:17:40 +0000

3Minute Gaps For two years the crew of 3 MINUTE GAPS have followed the world’s best mountain bike racers around the globe documenting them as they trained, prepared, rode, ate, traveled, raced, celebrated, commiserated, and made sacrifices simply because of [Continue Reading]

Video Footage from TDG XIV

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:18:12 +0000

[Continue Reading]

2010 TDG Vid – It Works!

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:39:14 +0000

Takin’ you back to last year’s TDG. Brought to you by Growlers Gulch Racing. [Continue Reading]

Three Vids from Kelley Hinkle

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:42:50 +0000

Thanks again to Kelley for providing several nice vid clips, this time from the Rocky Mountain demo day at Growlers on Thursday. Kelley rocking the Element on the Big Easy: Ken Noble (dark blue shirt) taters himself on the log at the bottom of Beauty. Bob [Continue Reading]

GGG Stunt Riders

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:54:52 +0000

This video, courtesy of Cage Aaron, appears to show a group of North Shore types doing a variety of stunts. However, Cage told me this was actually filmed in Bend and features several GGG members following their weekend at the Dirt Series biking camp. [Continue Reading]

GGG Hits Dirt Biking Series

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:38:40 +0000

Ten members of the Growlers Gulch Girls traveled to Bend in early June for a weekend of skills development and debauchery. Mel, Sam, April, Deanna, Chris and Dara enrolled in the Trek Dirt Series mountain biking camp while Juntu, Ksenia, Denise and Amy rode a [Continue Reading]

Two Vids from Kelley Hinkle

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:04:05 +0000

Thanks to Kelley for his continuing work with trail reports and photo and video sharing. The first vid is of one of Vaughn’s “hidden trail” areas. Does it appear that a person with a pair of dull scissors cleared the remarkably spacious line? [Continue Reading]

Kelley on Jekyll

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:39:48 +0000

[Continue Reading]

World’s Largest Bike Park

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:47:29 +0000

Located on 2 ½ acres in Burnaby BC, Mountain Air Park opened in May 2008 as the largest public bike skills parks in the world. Its unique, custom-built features, central proximity in the Greater Vancouver area, multi-level design for the novice rider to the [Continue Reading]

Tour de Gulch XIV Slated for June 18th

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:48:14 +0000

Think of it as a party with a ride attached. The storied Tour de Gulch – the best mountain biking ride west of Castle Rock on the second or third Saturday in June for the past thirteen years – is set for Saturday, June 18th. GGR veteran Mike Van Hoose [Continue Reading]

GG 5K Video, Elevation Profile Now Up

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:45:12 +0000

I had to dodge a few copyright bullets in order to get my friend Jimi on this one. Turn it up. View complete results and check the elevation profile of the ride, courtesy of Marcus Faber. First you go up; then you go down. How hard could it be? [Continue Reading]

Even the Good Guys Wreck

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:46 +0000

Crash compilation. Courtesy of Kevin Knorr. [Continue Reading]

Cornering Clinic with Lars Sternberg

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Lars Sternberg of Transition Racing attends may of the same DH events as Eric Loney and the Project 529ers. Check this vid, which combines instruction from Lars and clips that show how to corner properly. Don’t be discouraged – he’s a pro. [Continue Reading]

Khadafi Trail at Stella

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:41:07 +0000

Check this clip shot by Ken Noble. This tough, technical trail at Stella takes approximately 20 minutes to ride and is filled with a variety of challenges. Contact Brian Mahon or Ken Noble for location. [Continue Reading]

2010 GG5K Vid

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:42:46 +0000

Ah, those fond memories. Dave says that getting your ass handed to you for five hours doesn’t seem nearly as bad when the pain has been reduced to a five-minute video. Yes, you can be in the 2011 vid. We will have people taking photos and vid clips throughout [Continue Reading]

Travis Eats Feces on Beauty

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:43:51 +0000

Travis is a beginner, but we’ve all been there. Too far forward. Out of control and trying to rein it in – and then the second obstacle shows up. [Continue Reading]

Carnage at Siouxon

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:46:32 +0000

Andy Plassmeyer’s buddy Leif Hansen at Siouxon last weekend. [Continue Reading]

Muddy Mamas Hit Growlers

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:01:40 +0000

Six members of the Muddy Mamas were at Growlers for their inaugural mountain biking ride on Sunday, April 10th. The crew included Tricia Allen, Amy Hartley, Tiffany Ostreim, Katy McEwen, Jenn Huffman, and Jessica Ness. All six borrowed rides, helmets and gloves [Continue Reading]

Urban DH in Chile

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:01:14 +0000

VCA 2011! from changoman on Vimeo. [Continue Reading]

Crump Fails at Post Canyon

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:43:53 +0000

Andy Crump suffered minor injuries while riding at Post Canyon last Friday. The video below – courtesy of Kelley Hinkle – shows Crump’s demise. The one-time intern for Portland’s now-defunct Killer Burritos failed to clean a gap on a log [Continue Reading]

Plassmeyer and Friends at Growlers

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:59:41 +0000

Andy Plassmeyer, his sons and some friends came out for a ride at Growlers recently. They were grateful to be able to hook one of the kids up with a ride from the Bikes for Beginners fleet. Check the vid. Near the end you will see Andy go over the bars on the [Continue Reading]

Driver Decimates Critical Mass Ride

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:46:14 +0000

[Continue Reading]

Snow Ride

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:34:55 +0000

Dave, Denise, and I were the only ones dumb enough to show up for the Saturday morning snow ride at Growlers. There was a minimum of 3-4 inches of snow under the canopy, with 6 to 10 inches in spots. I was in 1-3 for almost the entire ride but it felt like 2-6. [Continue Reading]

Legacy-WTF Vid

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:29:06 +0000

Probably the best video to date of the DH run off Legacy and down the new WTF line. Thanks to Kelley Hinkle. [Continue Reading]

Vortex Vid

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:19:09 +0000

Kelley Hinkle shot some vid of the new line on Christmas Eve day. There is even flow in a couple of spots on the way down. Check the vid at the bottom of the post. Greg Ogden, Miles Olin and Ryane Olin are handling the maintenance on Vortex. Big thanks to them for [Continue Reading]

Photos of Al

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:18:13 +0000

A few photos of Al Hansen, winner of both the Super D and Climbing Championship at Growlers Gulch in 2010. [Continue Reading]

New Trail Gets Wheels

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:25:47 +0000

Dave, Lance, Lipton, Rob and I rode the new line on Sunday. There was 3-4 inches of snow in places, which complicated things. But as a guy told me once, “That just makes you a better rider.” I put together a very short vid to give you a peek. [Continue Reading]

More Grandsons at Growlers

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:44:38 +0000

I finally got my eight- and five-year-old grandsons to Growlers for a ride last week. The footage is from Beauty, Belly, and Eddie. I was a little disappointed that they weren’t able to clean the big stuff on No Problem. Carter was on a loaner from Ken [Continue Reading]

Growlers Retro Vid – Mr. Rogers

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:54:22 +0000

Ryane Olin put this together last year. Makes me nostalgic for Mr. Rogers. [Continue Reading]

Loney Grabs Fluidride Crown!

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:45:36 +0000

After finishing second at the World Masters in Brazil in early September, Eric Loney capped the month by claiming the Fluidride Cup pro DH championship on Sunday at Ski Bowl. Loney placed third in the season finale, giving him enough points to capture the season [Continue Reading]

2010 GG Super D Video

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:41:52 +0000

It should be illegal to have this much fun. [Continue Reading]

GGG Hits the Big Time

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:44:21 +0000

The following story, written by Cathy Zimmerman, appeared in the Daily News on September 14, 2010. Check the video at the bottom of this post. They back their blog videos with a heart-racing rock beat. But when the Growlers Gulch Girls careen down the trail, [Continue Reading]

Sol Vista Vid

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:03:53 +0000

Great video from Ryan, Darrell, and Chase’s recent trip to Sol Vista, Colorado. Courtesy of Dr. Hicks. [Continue Reading]

60 @ Sixty Video

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:25:06 +0000

It’s sometimes difficult to explain why riding 60 miles of trail in a single day is a significant challenge. This video does a pretty good job of laying it out. We rode through alpine meadows, east-side pine forest, and blast zone. We were in old growth [Continue Reading]

Mount Sentinel – Missoula, MT – Vid

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:45:58 +0000

Beautiful views from the top of Mount Sentinel (5,131 feet) looking south onto Missoula. Also, great foliage above the 4,000-foot level and a clip of a short, sweet descent through pine forest. [Continue Reading]

Video – Donkey Punch

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:45:42 +0000

Jeff Muldoon shot this vid with an HD helmet-mount camera. Jeff is following Mike Van Hoose down the Donkey Punch trail at Growlers. Van Hoose — Donkey Punch from Dooner on Vimeo. [Continue Reading]

Video – Alley Oop

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:36:59 +0000

This was shot with my HD camera with a chest mount on the first part (the fun part) of Alley Oop. I didn’t include the second half since you would have seen nothing but a couple of fat boys huffing up the hill. [Continue Reading]

Carnage and Canoe Log Vid

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:14:43 +0000

These two clips courtesy of Kelley Hinkle show footage of the middle part of Carnage. In the first vid, John rolls the canoe log with his 29. Things don’t work quite so well in the second clip when Miles tries to do the same thing on his 26. [Continue Reading]

Video – West Side of St. Helens

Jim LeMonds — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:28:37 +0000

A big crew from Growlers Gulch Racing hooked up with Al Hansen and the boys from Knappa for a ride on the west side of Mount St. Helens in late October. We got lucky with the weather and had a great time. We started from Red Rock Pass, rode across to Blue Lake, [Continue Reading]

’09 Climbing Championship – Video

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:21:09 +0000

Some of the clips are dark but you’ll get the idea. The climbs don’t appear to be all that steep in the vids. Trust me – they were very challenging. On top of that, the rain made the tread seem like it had been saturated with olive oil. Eight [Continue Reading]

West Side of Mount St. Helens

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:19:29 +0000

Brian Mahon and I rode a great loop on the west side of St. Helens in late September. We started at Red Rock Pass and headed over to Blue Lake. From there, we rode up the Huckleberry Saddle and onto the Sheep Canyon Trail, which puts you on the Loowit. From there, [Continue Reading]

Growlers Gulch TT Video

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:47:04 +0000

Photos and more than a dozen vid clips of the 2009 Growlers Gulch Time Trial included. Complete story at Al Hansen Claims TT Crown. If you have trouble loading the vid below, check the link to You Tube and try watching it from their site. [Continue Reading]

Disneyland with the Grandsons

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:19:04 +0000

Slideshow and vid clips of our July trip to Disneyland with the two older grandsons – Carter (7) and Cameron (4). It was Cameron’s first time. Includes a classic vid of Cameron dancing with Tigger. [Continue Reading]

GGG Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

Jim LeMonds — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:19:45 +0000

Hard to believe, but it has been one year since the dawn of the Growlers Gulch Girls! Mel “Hot in Pink Armor” Norris is healed up and ready to get out and ride. To celebrate the one-year anniversary, Mel and her assistant – Dara [Continue Reading]

TDG XII Draws Record Crowd

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:15 +0000

Nearly 60 riders joined the party at the 12th Annual Tour de Gulch on June 20th. Billed as The Best Ride West of Castle Rock on the Third Saturday in June, TDG XII was another opportunity to celebrate good trail and great friends. Thanks again to our sponsors [Continue Reading]

Maui 2009

Jim LeMonds — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:15:41 +0000

This isn’t taunting. If I wanted to taunt, I would have sent this to you while Sher and I were on Maui in August. Instead, I’m here with you in the balmy PNW, hoping the gods that govern meterology haven’t forgotten that spring typically [Continue Reading]

Sunriver 2008

Jim LeMonds — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:41:38 +0000

Four days of chaos at Sunriver in August, reduced to three minutes of photos, with some music from Thin Lizzie to get your foot tapping.

A Week in Seattle with Nick and Sam

Jim LeMonds — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:49:06 +0000

Sher and I spent a week watching our grandsons, Sam (2) and Nick (1) while their parents jetted to San Diego and Las Vegas. The Nananator and I had nothing in the tank when we returned home, but the slideshow that follows helps explain the positives.

Tour de Gulch Slideshow

Jim LeMonds — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:54:02 +0000

I tried to get everybody in here. Apologies if I missed you. Thanks to Darrell, George, Lloyd, and the Jamieson boys for making this happen. I hope you like Springsteen. I’m already looking forward to TDG XII!

Biking Photos

Jim LeMonds — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:46:19 +0000

Boundary Trail 2006 Ape Canyon Compilation [Continue Reading]