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July 25, 2017

Mike Saavedra: Sculpting in Paradise

Summer is in full effect out here in the southwest! Temperature have been hitting 105 for the last few weeks. So when I had to chance to get up to Tahoe to build a new set of trails for camp Woodward, you know I was looking for my digging shoes.
Tahoe is nestled on the summit of the Sierra Nevadas right between Sacramento and Reno. Surrounded by untouched forest and mountains the Sierras are truly a magical place. Ww Tahoe is one of my favorite set of trails I’ve got to build, so getting to come back this year and build more was a treat.

Sneaking a session in between getting sunburned and moving rocks

Sneaking a session in between getting sunburned and moving rocks

90° and snow on the ground?

90° and snow on the ground?

However building trails on the top of a mountain does not come without its challenges… Snow, rocks the size of beach balls, moon-dust for dirt, 7000+ foot elevation and not much in between you and a blistering sun. But a labor of love it is. With a deadline looming over us we had a matter of days to build and complete a new line for the kids by the end of the week. With the amount of element stacked against us, it wasn’t looking very promising. But nothing like a good challenge.

The right tools for the job

The right tools for the job

Getting closer...

Getting closer…

Within two days we had a whole new line roughed in and ready for clay. Its amazing what you can build in just a few hours with the right tools and little imagination. By the end of the week we had a whole new jump line and pump track laid down and ready to roast! It didn’t take long for the campers to get in on the action riding in all the new stuff. Definitely made all the back breaking work it to see how stoked the kidos were on getting laps in. Really makes it all worth it.

Foam pit shenanigans

Foam pit shenanigans

And she's all done.

And she’s all done.

Once we had everything running at camp it was time to enjoy the mountain life. With a day trip down to Lake Tahoe for a swim our dawgs were in much need of dip. A swim at the lake was the best way to end such a epic trip. I can’t wait to get back up here and spend a few more days in this amazing place.

This sums up the whole trip in one photo...

This sums up the whole trip in one photo…

— Mike Saavedra

 

July 25, 2017

COVID-19 UPDATE

We are taking precautions to protect our employees and follow CDC and state guidelines. In the meantime, our machine shop is still running, we're here to assist you and we'll be shipping product to help support bike shops during this difficult time.