We will resume our monthly trail work days as soon as conditions and weather permit.

You can also check the SMT website http://salidamountaintrails.org/ for updates.

In response to the Salida School district four-day school week Option 23, the nonprofit youth organization is offering another option, a Friday enrichment opportunity focused on ski and snowboard club racing at Monarch Mountain.  Option 23 gives local kids a chance to learn and compete in the sports of skiing and snowboarding in a professionally coached and fun environment.  In addition to weekly-coached sessions club members will have the opportunity to run gates on Freeway, participate in Ski Cooper?s Cooper Cup and join other club members for swims at the Salida Aquatic Center.  Club members are encouraged to coordinate trips to other ski areas outside of the nine regularly scheduled sessions.

Skiers and snowboarders must be at an intermediate level and above and provide their own equipment and transportation to all sessions. Salida Recreation Department and Monarch provide a shuttle for $5.   As appropriate, members will be separated by age and ability levels.  Class sizes will range from five to seven members per coach.

For more information for the Ski and Snowboard Club contact Kathryn Wadsworth at kathryn.wadsworth@gmail.com or call 719-207-1194

For more information for the freeride team contact Drew Middlemiss at ajmiddlemiss@hotmail.com .  For more information and registration forms visit www.option23.org

Deb Bass (left) accepts the award for MVP

The High Rollers wrapped up their inaugural season by hosting a “Roller Prom” and awards dinner to honor all the skaters as well as all those who helped make the season possible.

Awards were presented to the following:

MVP – Deb Bass (Pain)

Best Jammer – Amy Moore (Ace)
Best Pivot – Lisa Malde (Drew)
Best Blocker – Jessica Readmond (Bessy)
Rookie of the Year – Kim Bouldin (Nacho)
Most Improved – Carrie Smith (Smash’er)

Best Attitude and Spirit – Natalie Moore (Natty)
Most Dedicated – Michelle Ludwig (Merry)
Best Injury or Bruise – Jeannie Coble (Silver)
Penalty Queen – Jessica Readmond (Bessy)
Best Boutfits – Heather Adams (Annita) and Sheila Veazey (Rad)
Most Feared – Jessica Readmond (Bessy)
Most Lives up to Her Derby Name – Julie Mach (Cruise)
Life of the After Party – Sheila Veazey (Rad)  (Julie Mach (Cruise) – Honorable Mention)

Prom Queen – Cari Beasley (Queen)
Prom King – Rob Readmond (Mr. Black-eye)

An especially big thank you went out to all of the support staff, volunteers and all of the fans for making roller derby in Chaffee County a reality.

The High Rollers will be at Moonlight Pizza on Monday, January 9^th hosting a Meet & Greet during happy hour from 4:00 to 6:00pm. This is an opportunity to meet the High Rollers, learn about the sport and how to become a part of the league.  The High Rollers encourage anyone interested in skating, volunteering or refereeing to join them.

The first of two twelve week Fresh Meat training programs to be held in 2012 will begin on Monday, January 30^th.

For more information on the High Rollers or to join contact Lisa or Michelle at arkvalleyhighrollers@gmail.com.

On December 1^st, the Ark Valley High Rollers received word that they are now a full member league of the WFTDA, the national governing body for women’s amateur flat track roller derby in the U.S.  In the roller derby world, this is big news.

There are currently 1,108 roller derby leagues worldwide spanning 37 countries. Of these leagues only seventy are WFTDA Apprentice leagues and 130 are full WFTDA member leagues.  The High Rollers were one of only six leagues to graduate at this time and were joined by leagues from much bigger cities such as Melbourne Australia and Charleston, South Carolina.

“We have the smallest population base of any WFTDA league in the world”, says Lisa Malde, co-founder of the High Rollers.  “The fact that we were able to graduate from the apprentice program in a mere seven months is also no small feat.  Most leagues take a couple of years.  The High Rollers are honored and thrilled to join the ‘big leagues’.”

The WFTDA Apprentice program has nothing to do with how well the league skates, but rather ensures the organization’s structure is sustainable.  The High Rollers had to submit their training program, bylaws, policies, committee structure and letters of recommendation from other leagues.  They also were required to have two “mock sanctioned” bouts to prove that they can staff and operate a sanctioned event.

“We have something really special here”, Malde said.  “To not only have a 7-1 season on the track, but to also prove that our organization meets the requirements of the WFTDA all in our first season shows that we have amazing talent, commitment from our skaters and support from our community.”

The Ark Valley High Rollers will begin practicing for their 2012 season in January and will hold one of two recruitments for new skaters on Monday, January 30^th.

If you interested in skating with the High Rollers, contact Natty Dread at freshmeat@arkvalleyhighrollers.com or if you would like to referee, contact Refe Loco at refs@arkvalleyhighrollers.com.

The One Planet One Pass offers an array of deals from 26 resorts in the US, Germany and Austria. To celebrate this awesome pass I thought we’d go on a world tour and see what sort of deals a Monarch season pass holder can get at each resort. To do this I built a map. However, it’s more than a map – it’s an application that provides an interactive glimpse of all that the season pass holds. To explore the deals you can zoom in and pan around using the map (below) and click one of the map’s icons. You can also navigate the One Planet One Pass deals by selecting from the list of numbers below the deals. It’s meant to be fun way to explore the opportunity we have at our finger tips, and to provide some fun day dreaming material about all possible trips we may have cooking in the back of our brains.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start rallying a trip to Germany and Austria to take advantage of all that unlimited skiing. Nevertheless, this season will rock!

Intrepid reporter and potential Salida resident Jason Blevins pre rode the course with the team on Saturday in hurricane force winds. With night closing in fast he had a smile on his face as everyone high-fived and yelled to each other at the top of a howling ridge. Everyone waited to ensure that the team was together before proceeding off the mountain. No complaints. No questions. In an unspoken pact the team was looking after the slowest rider.

Judging by the excellent article below, Jason clearly got a dose of the team’s infectious energy. It’s too bad he missed the Olive Garden team dinner Saturday night where we likely appeared to the suburban masses to be a pack of extreme country mice naively fascinated by the bread sticks and evening traffic. In a packed chain restaurant full of families, even the wait staff commented on how nice our kids were. Like Fred’s award, their ride on Saturday in difficult conditions followed by such a relaxed energy at dinner made Sunday’s success a forgone conclusion. Check out Jason’s summary below. —BD

RESULTS POSTED HERE: Colorado High School Race Results

By Jason Blevins

When mountain biking math teacher Fred Maxwell dreamed up a knobby-tired bike team at his Salida High School three years ago, three kids joined. The next year, there were 15, with several students showing up riding rusty 10-speeds in blue jeans and batting helmets.

On Sunday, the 292-student school’s mountain bike team — now at 21 students, roughly the same size as the Spartans’ football team — placed four kids on the podium at the Colorado High School Mountain Bike League state championships in Castle Rock.

The strong Sunday led Salida High to second place behind 1,800-student Boulder High. With first-place state titles in junior varsity girls and sophomore boys, a second-place state title…. see the complete article here

P  H  O  T  O  S   :   B D

The Ark Valley High Rollers All-stars end their inaugural season with a 7-1 record.  Their only loss was their very first bout against the Pikes Peak Derby Dames Slamazons.  “We are very fortunate to have skaters that are very active off the track”, Malde stated.  “Because of this we are able to spend a lot more time working on strategy which is the biggest difference between new teams and more competitive teams.”

The High Rollers will end their 2011 season with a Halloween themed battle of the home teams on October 29^th. The Banana Belt-Herz will be skating as Zombies and the Hurt of the Rockies will be skating as Vampires. The High Rollers are encouraging everyone to dress in costume, as there will be prizes for adults and children.

The High Rollers continue to give back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds from this bout to the Boys and Girls Club. Some of the members from the Boys and Girls Club will also be participating in the special half-time “Thriller” dance.  This is open to the community and the dance lessons are being put on by CEDE Studios.  For more information, please visit arkvalleyhighrollers.com.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at Moonlight Pizza and Café Dawn in Salida and at Serendipity Yarn in Buena Vista for ten dollars. A limited number of thirteen-dollar tickets will be available at the door. The High Rollers anticipate that this event will sell out, so buy tickets early.

This will be the final bout of the 2011 season.  The High Rollers will kick-off their 2012 season in March, 2012.

The last High Rollers bout against the Pueblo Devil Derby Dollz A- team, the Jailhouse Jawbreakers, was a nail-biter until the end, where they skated away with a well-earned victory.  The bout against RMRG will certainly put the High Roller’s skills to the test.  The Kill Scouts skate with the 2010 WFTDA National Champions the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Fight Club. This will be the last inter-league bout for the High Rollers 2011 season.

The High Rollers will end their 2011 season with a Halloween-themed battle of the home teams on October 29^th.

The High Rollers continue to give back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds from this bout to the Chaffee County Mentors. The Chaffee County Mentors Program is committed to strengthening the community by connecting our young people to purpose and self-worth through positive one on one mentoring relationships. Chaffee County Mentors Program is modeled after Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

For more information on the High Rollers or to join contact Lisa or Michelle at arkvalleyhighrollers@gmail.com.

Kevin Thomas, on his way to winning the 2008 Vapor Trail 125

On Saturday night, September 10, at 10 PM the 7th Annual Vapor Trail 125 Ultra-Endurance Mountain Bike Race will start on the F Street Bridge in Salida. Riders will ride west into the darkness behind a police escort. By midnight, all of the riders will be on the Colorado Trail northbound toward Chalk Creek, ready to ride through the night and well into the next day.
The Vapor Trail 125 is a unique race. It was created by Absolute Bikes and has become an annual late summer celebration of our rugged and beautiful mountains. Riders apply to be part of the event and are accepted only if their accomplishments and experience meet high standards.
The 125-mile course takes them over the Alpine Tunnel west of St Elmo, Tomichi Pass, Granite Mountain at 12,600 feet, Old Monarch Pass and Monarch Pass, and south on the Monarch Crest Trail to Marshall Pass. There are 6 major climbs of more than 2,000 feet each. Total climbing is almost 20,000 feet. Weather is often an obstacle. Cold high mountain air is a certainty overnight, and the day can bring hot sun burning through the thin air and possible thunderstorms, or even snow. The riders have to be ready to deal with any outcome. There are only 5 aid stations across the 125 miles so help is rarely close at hand.
If you would like to see what goes on during this event you could be at the F Street Bridge at 10 PM to watch the start. Or you could visit an aid station. The Cascade Aid Station is near the west end of County Road 290, west of the Mt Princeton Hot Springs. The action there takes place between 1 and 4 AM. Aid Station 2 is at Snowblind Campground just south of Whitepine, near Sargents on the west side of Monarch Pass. Riders will begin to arrive there at first light, around 6:00 AM and the last riders should get there by about 10 AM. Aid Station 3 is at Monarch Pass, riders should begin arriving around 7:30 AM and the last should be there by noon. Aid Station 4 is at Marshall Pass. The first riders should be there around 9:00 AM, and they pass this aid station twice. The last riders get there around 3 and then again around 5 PM. The final Aid station is at the Rainbow Trailhead at Silver Creek. The first riders could be there as early as 11 AM, and the last ones by 6:30 PM.

The High Rollers last inter-league bout was in June against Greeley’s B team, June’s Cleavers, where they rolled away with a victory.  Since then they have been training hard and are stepping up the competition even more by taking on Pueblo’s A team.  There will only be one more opportunity to catch the High Rollers in inter-league play this season when they take on the Kill Scouts from the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls out of Denver on September 17^th.

The High Rollers continue to give back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds from this bout to the Chafee People’s Clinic (CPC).  The Chaffee People’s Clinic is a 501c3 community supported safety-net clinic that provides primary healthcare services to uninsured persons of modest income who live or work in Chaffee County. The clinic is funded by individual and business contributions, foundation and corporate grants, public grants, donated services and fundraising events like this one.

The High Rollers are currently working through the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Apprentice Program which includes doing two “mock sanctioned” bouts.  This event is one of them.

“This is a great way for us to see what will be required of us once we become a WFTDA full member league”, said Lisa Malde, the leagues interleague representative.  “This process requires us to have a total of twenty-one refs and non-skating officials assisting with the process.  This is more than double the amount of skaters on the track at one time which shows just how important the level of play is.”

At this time the High Rollers are the only league in Colorado working through the apprentice program and would be the first rural league in the state to become a member.  There are currently seventy-two apprentice leagues and 117 full member leagues in the world.

For more information on the High Rollers or to join contact Lisa or Michelle at arkvalleyhighrollers@gmail.com.

July 7th
$5 donation OR the equivalent in school supplies at the door get you in
Doors at 6pm, scrimmage begins at 7pm
Beer will be available for those 21+

This is the last public scrimmage of the year which means the remaining events will be formal bouts against regional competition.  If you want to catch roller derby in a laid back setting without as much of a crowd, this will be your last chance this year!

AVHR now has a total of 28 skaters which has allowed them to split into two home teams so they can scrimmage and bout each other.  On July 7^th at 7pm, the two home teams, the Banana Belt-Herz and the Hurt of the Rockies, will play each other at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds.  Cost of admission is $5.00 or an equivalent donation of school supplies for local children.  AVHR merchandise and beer will be sold at the event and doors open at 6pm.

On July 11^th, a new round of “Fresh Meat” Mondays will begin to train those interested in becoming a future member of AVHR.  Beginner skaters will practice every Monday from 6-8pm and will receive instruction from AVHR’s experienced skaters.  Once Fresh Meat become more stable on their skates, they will begin attending a second practice each week on Tuesdays.

“I am very impressed with the talent, ambition and community consciousness of the High Rollers”, says Kim Bouldin, a recent graduate of the “Fresh Meat” program.  “The practices are run very professionally, are well organized and all of the team members contribute to the success of the team, on and off the track.”

After 12 weeks, new skaters will be able to take a written and skills test to earn their derby name and can begin skating with the team in scrimmages.  Anyone interested in becoming a new skater or receiving information can e-mail:  nataliemoore81211@gmail.com.

Volunteer, on-skate referees, non-skating officials and volunteers for bouts and scrimmages are always needed and interested individuals can contact AVHR at: arkvalleyhighrollers@gmail.com.