We don’t usually think of New Jersey as bear habitat on par with, say, Yellowstone or Alaska.

But the Garden State has a surprisingly high number of encounters between bruins and mountain bikers, only an hour or so from the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Entrepreneur Alex Tiger of Newfoundland, N.J., was seeing black bears so regularly on his rides that last winter he and a few friends created an iPhone application, ScareBear Trail Companion, designed to ward off bruins.

Here’s the description:

“This application is perfect for hikers, bikers, walkers, birdwatchers, and anyone who’s trekking outdoors. It’s the only application that replicates bear bells, which for years have been recommended by safety experts and widely used by experienced outdoorspeople. Once activated on your iPhone, ScareBear Trail Companion emits a steady audible warning to alert any creature (animal or human) in your immediate area or up the trail of your presence and to prevent them from being unnecessarily startled and angered. Choose from 3 sounds – bells, clapping, or rock-filled can. Additionally, this application provides you with an air horn, recommended by safety experts as an effective means of scaring away any animal (for example, a bear, mountain lion, or coyote) in your path. This application is no substitute for using your common sense in the outdoors, so be smart and safe!”

One of Tiger’s partners, John Dowling, showed off the application at the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson while on a visit to Jackson Hole last winter. It seemed more likely to impress girls at the ‘Coach than scare bears on the trail, but now that bears have emerged from hibernation and snow is melting, perhaps we’ll get more field testing in the wild.

ScareBear generated a buzz of publicity after the release, reaching its logical culmination in an appearance on the Colbert Report, whose host is a noted enemy of bears:

It’s not easy to get motivated some days to do anything. Even living where I live, in beautiful Colorado, it can be tough. With all the heavy trauma I went through after a climbing accident seven years ago, some days my body is just not psyched to climb or mountain bike.

That’s when I lean on my partners. Most of my climbing partners are younger than me and ready to get out whenever they can. I usually can round up one or two fellas to go boulder when I need to. But biking can be a bit of a chore. I ride because it’s a great way to cross-train my body for climbing. I like to ride, don’t get me wrong; it’s a blast to rip down a single track in the mountains, cross a stream. I even like climbing. It has a really nice quality of repeated movement that is soothing to me. Watching the chain rings turn with my head down, watching the hill slowly glide past, is some days sublime.

And then there are the other days …

The guys I was riding with were of two extremes.

They either kicked my ass into the ground, where all I saw was their butts, or I was in front and quite frankly, I don’t want people to look at my butt. I have too many scars on this body to have people looking at me.

I needed someone new.

Someone psyched, but at my level so we could push each other.

I’ll call her the Queen because she comes from Queensland, Australia.

And she rips on the trails.

At first we had that weird “get used to riding with each other thing,” but I was into the way she was psyched to get out. It didn’t matter if I gave no advance; just show up with my stuff on and she was ready to take off.

Once we were out, she would always take the lead. At first I let her, but as we got used to one another, I started trying to keep up. She can climb faster than me, but on downhills she holds back a little and I can rip past with a laugh. Even in the rain and cold, when I’m less than psyched to go out, there she is, literally chomping at the bit to hit the trail.

It’s not a perfect relationship by any means, as my wife keeps pointing out.

She likes to play with tennis balls in a really annoying way. She likes to eat her food really fast without ever looking at you and then wants more, no matter how much you serve. Of course with her activity level, she never gains weight.

She also has a nasty habit of chewing on her butt. I don’t mean yelling at herself; I mean she actually turns and fleabites the part by her spine.

It’s weird. And loud.

Her worst quality, by far, is her love of tires.

Now I love tires, too, but there is a limit to my love. I buy them, I put them on, and I enjoy the feel of them biting into the trail as I lean into a tight single-track turn. But I have never — I repeat, never — had the desire to turn on my riding partner and bite his damn tire! I mean, seriously, what the heck is that about? We’ll be ripping through a great area, and she is right next to me matching me stroke for stroke when suddenly she gets this look in her eye … and then turns and bites my front tire. This usually results in me hitting her with the bike and then a stern talking to. Not that she cares; she does it every time. I was riding with my buddy Andy last week when she did it in front of him, not to him, but in front of him. All he did was laugh, which I think eggs her on, and then it was done.

We’ve had lengthy talks about this, and all she does is gives me that faraway look in her eyes that says,”Yeah, yeah, I’m doing it again next time, too, buddy. Watch yourself.” I guess every relationship has problems, and really this is not that bad. Most of the time she is the most awesome riding partner I’ve ever had. We just have this one thing we need to work on, and I’m sure it will work out.

I mean, she is a new dog, and you can teach them new tricks, right?

What were you thinking?!

Behave!!

Craig DeMartino is one of Cloudveil’s Inspired Mountain Ambassadors.

Dancers, cyclists and supporters will rally around Big Tall Dave Houlton’s recovery tonight at a benefit for the Jackson man severely injured in a mountain biking accident.

Houlton was riding on Parallel Trail off of Teton Pass on July 25 when he flipped over his bike and landed on his head. He’s recovering, but still needs a lotta love.

Come dance for Dave!

Like most outdoor blogs, The Mountain Culture is guilty of glorifying the sports that make us tick from aggressive skiing and alpine climbing to downhill mountain biking. But the reality is that the games we play are not all glory and sometimes one of our own goes down hard.

This was the case on Saturday July 25 when longtime Jackson Hole local Dave Houlton was knocked unconscious after overshooting a large gap jump on his downhill bike on the Teton Pass Parallel Trail. As the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported on July 27, Houlton was taken by helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls where he has been since the accident.

Houlton—who devoted hundreds of volunteer hours with the Teton Freedom Riders to building the bike trails on Teton Pass—spent five days in a coma but is slowly recovering and was moved out of the ICU this last Wednesday. Dave has been a big, tall, fixture in Jackson’s snowboard and downhill bike scenes since he moved to town over a decade ago and—as is the case in crisis and recovery—the support of these local communities has been welcomed by Dave’s friends, family and wife, Sarah Houlton, who has asked that positive thoughts and good energy be sent Dave’s way. Those who wish to track his progress can do so here — http://btdwyoming.blogspot.com — at a blog established by Fitzgerald’s Bicycles owner Scott Fitzgerald.

And, like many who experienced the nonstop positive energy and ridiculous dance moves of the Houltons over the years, we’d just like to say that our thoughts are with you during this tough recovery.

Keep the faith.

-Dan K

When I was a kid, I loved to play in the mud and rain. Living here in CO I get the chance to plat a lot in the crazy weather that comes through here on a regular basis.

Today was no exception.

It’s been raining here on and off most of the summer. We are not known for our rain here, so it takes a lot of getting used to. Its messed up my outside climbing, but has made for some fun mountain bike rides. As the rain came down and I suited up to ride, it looked as if it would clear by the time I was on top of the hogbacks behind my house.

Riding out the trial that leads to the climb, the trail was wet, but not anything to worry about, it was cool and the rain felt great.

Once I started up the climb, which is about a mile up, my tires started to cake up with gumbo. For those of you who don’t know the finer points of gumbo, let me enlighten you.

Gumbo is a soup; it consists of a whitish dirt, rocks, and water. When ridden through at any speed, it clings to all the parts of you bike and makes the trail slicker then snot. And that’s pretty slick.

About 300 yards into the climb, I knew that riding the hill at this particular moment wasn’t going to happen, so I did what any sane person would do, I got off and pushed. Now, on most days, this technique works fine. But it was a gumbo day and as I pushed, the wheels continued to collect the thick ooze. It got so think that my back tore began to skid because it couldn’t spin anymore.

That leaves you with one choice.

Shoulder the bike and hoof it to a solid ground spot.

Walking with a bike is one of those things that just aren’t right. I mean for all intents and purpose, we’re supposed to RIDE the bike. Not carry it.

But, there I was, and that seemed like the best choice.

After several hundred yards, I really don’t know how far, because my bike is not known for its lightness and it seemed like a lot of work to carry. The gumbo was nice and thick on my shoes. So if you can picture a one legged man, carrying his bike with moon boots on, you get the picture.

Once to the back of the hill, I could once again get on the bike, which I will tell you is much more fun then having to carry, and off I went.

Which brings me to the second fun thing about gumbo, as you pick up speed, yep, you guessed it, the mud flings off and it seems like you have a large bulls eye right on your face.

Several bone-jarring miles later I arrived back at my house where again, I did what any sane person would do.
I grabbed the camera and headed back out to do it all again and see if I could get higher on the hill this time now that a bit of time had passed and the sun was coming out.

After all, I still love to play in the mud.

Craig DeMartino is one of Cloudveil’s Inspired Mountain Ambassadors.

As remote, unsupported backcountry races go, the TourDivide has been a ball to spectate from the LCD. Competitors carry GPS tracking devices, updated online constantly. A good many phone in daily reports; Joe Polk assembles them into an entertaining 20-30 minute podcast at MTBcast.com.

Their stories are familiar, unique and rich. Helpful cowboys, dubious bears, shortcut intrigue. It’s been a rainy year along the route. The recordings paint a portrait of the collective cyclo-tourist soul: a constant reminder of disheartening conditions without sounding disheartened. (There’s a lot of laughter in the background.)

Take Jill Homer’s call from Steamboat Springs. Her brakes failed. She crashed hard. From the confines of my iPod, whose sound-seal earphones blocked the roar of a power mower, the delicate arch of Jill Homer’s emotions made me cease my athletic endeavor of battling tall grass and sit down for a bit. She’s a clear thinker on her feet and probably a superb writer.

Other MTBcast delights:

Paul Howard started off a bit whiney about the ol’ route-finding/map-making conundrum. Now he’s filing goofy, charming bits, like adopting a Russian accent as he files from Kremmling, Colorado.

Deanna Adams rambles amusingly.

Jackson Hole locals Jay and Tracey Petervary are the big draw. Their tandem mountain bike, the Love Shack, sounds like it’s been relatively bombproof. I made a wisecrack early on that I came to regret as callous, about the potential disadvantages of Tracey’s riding position from an olfactory point of view. Turns out I was merely empathetic; hear Tracey’s call from Del Norte.)

The Petervary’s are currently running third overall, a real feat of endurance and companionship. They should hit the Mexico border finish at Antelope Wells, New Mexico on Wednesday.

Matthew Lee closes in on the Mexico border, 18 days from the Canada start. Source TourDivide.Org.

To be updated as soon as DS can wrest himself from an estate on Lofty Lane.

No. They had lost their GPS doodad.

Jay and Tracey Petervary, a Jackson Hole couple, are riding a tandem mountain bike from Banff to the Mexican border. Last Friday at 10 a.m. in Banff, Alberta, Canada, the Petervary’s and 41 solo cyclists took off heading south to follow a 2,700 mile route to Antelope Wells, New Mexico along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

On Monday, Steve Romeo posted on Facebook a casual mention that the Petervary’s were running fourth. With that I instantly became addicted to tracking their progress, neatly packaged online with an elegant amalgam of Google Maps, Spot (a GPS tracking and messaging service) and all sorts of time-trial slice’n'dice computations.

Later Monday JayP and T-Race had dropped to fifth due to a 30-mile wrong turn. Then on early Tuesday, around Lincoln, Montana, they seemed to have come to a complete halt. I found it difficult to get any work done. After all, another couple had reported having to bully a grizzly and brown bear from the trail. Thankfully, JayP phoned from Helena, Montana at 3 pm to report they had lost their Spot handheld unit. Any panic was mine alone, fueled by incessant mouse-clicking.

The event is called Tour Divide. It’s not an official race so much as concurrent individual time trials, the cyclotourist’s version of the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. The rules are few, designed to add up to one thing: a lean, low-impact bike trip of pluck, luck and long-distance grace. No sag wagons. No caching food and supplies. No drafting. You feed and shelter yourself along the trail as you would on any bike tour.

As of Thursday evening, Matthew Lee, who set the record last year in 19 days, 12 hours, is leading the pack by a hefty margin. (Both Lee and Jay Petervary have set Tour Divide records.) The Petervary’s progress is back online and they’ve resumed fourth place, about a day behind Lee.

The route dips into Jackson Hole via the Ashton-Flagg road, follows a good chunk of pavement to Moran Junction, heads over Togwotee Pass and heads south along the Union Pass Road. The Petervary’s should hit this section over the weekend. Cheering section, anyone?

As of 4:44 a.m. Friday, Matthew Lee was on the the move into Jackson Hole. Jay and Tracey Petervary, on a tandem mountain bike, are about a day behind Lee:

David J. Swift is a photographer, writer and now, filmmaker. He’s also an excellent cheerleader.

For a glimpse at what Friday night will bring, take a few minutes from counting the falling rain drops check out the latest from Gravnetic and KGB Productions.

What: Freedom Riders, THE MOVIE.

Where: Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming

When: FRIDAY. At 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

How Much: It’s only $10 … you definitely have that in your change jar by the toaster.

Buy your tickets HERE before Friday or at the Center for the Arts for this screening that will benefit the Teton Freedom Riders.

In addition to the film, the benefit will feature a huge raffle, beer from PBR and the Snake River Brewing Company, and an afterparty with a DJ, pizza and drinks at Café Ponza.

Web site: www.freedomridersthemovie.com

If you live in Idaho and don’t want to drive The Pass, The Freedom Riders are having a showing in Driggs at Tony’s Pizza on Friday June 26 at 8 p.m.

Freedom Riders are a core group of riders from Jackson Hole, who evolved from covertly building rough unsustainable trails, to creating a precedent setting relationship with the US Forest Service by creating some of the best freeride trails in the country. Take a look at the evolution and progression of trail building in the US and see the inside story of a group of riders that would never see their passion die.

Keith Cozzens works for Base Camp Communications in Jackson.

If you’re familiar with the Cloudveil line you may recognize the shirt Andrew wears in the video. It’s my favorite yellow Highline top and I always take it out when I shoot because I know that no matter what it wont blend in with anything. For this particular shoot, Andrew showed up without any bright colors, so I substituted my shirt and we got down to business. Of course we had to put a little yellow piece of tape over the Cloudveil logo, but nonetheless, I would like to nominate myself for “Guerilla Marketing Team Ambassador of the Year.”

If you ever get the chance to check out the Downieville Downhill, I highly recommend it. On the last day of the shoot my assistant Nelson Carayannis and I borrowed some bikes and went out to sample the trails we had been filming, and they are incredible. Long, smooth and exciting.

And if you go, don’t forget your yellow shirt.

Chuck Fryberger is a Cloudveil Ambassador and badass filmmaker and athlete. Check out his Web site and Blog.

Cloudveil’s, from Carbondale, Colorado rode with Lance Armstrong, had personal bests and generally kicked ass in the 12 Hours of Snowmass this past weekend. The seven-mile course features over 1,500 feet of climbing and technical singletrack.

Here are some dispatches from the crew:

Len Zanni – who works for Big Agnes and Honey Stinger, represented by Backbone Media who also does PR for Cloudveil – rode on a team with Lance Armstrong. Zanni, Armstrong and Max Taam of Team Aspen pulled of a huge victory at the 12 Hours of Snowmass. At the last minute, Len was forced to ride the race’s final anchor lap and he successfully held off a strong late stage push from world champion Mike Kloser of Team Beaver Creak. Len got a standing ovation when he showed up at the office Monday morning.

Velo News has a great recap of the race, in which Len, “categorized himself as a B-level pro with a couple of kids” (we know better) and Lance brags about eating Honey Stinger.

Ian and Sari Anderson did the race together, racing at their own paces and switching off laps (and babysitting duty). They teamed up with buddy Rob Russell and entered the Co-Ed Trio category.

Ian also had an awesome conversation with Lance. His report:

Lance: Rider Up!

Ian: (gasp) How’s it going? (gasp)

Lance: Passing on your RIGHT!

Ian: (gasp) So, I hear you’re training for the Tour de France again? Don’t you think races like this are more fun? Hey, my wife is an adventure racer, and she’s sponsored by Nike too! You guys should totally do an adventure race together.

Lance: (now 50 yards in front of Ian) grunt.

Ian: Go get em Lance, you da’ man!

Ian reports that Sari, a pro adventure racer on Team Nike, lived up to their lived up to their team name “Chicked” (a term guys use when they’re getting beat by a girl). Sari clocked the both the fastest lap on the team at 47 minutes, as well as the fastest overall female lap for the day, netting her a nice cash prize and a sweet tent from Ground.

The team placed first in the Co-ed Trio Division, finishing a total of 14 laps (5 for Ian and Rob, 4 for Sari).

“Just for fun, we all raced on our singlespeeds,” Ian said. “My favorite part of the day was when Sari showed up at the race after letting Juniper sleep in, and almost killed Lance. Sari was in a hurry, head down, pushing Juniper up the hill in the Chariot. Lance was doing some warm up in the grass and very nearly collided with Sari, Juniper and the Chariot. In a move that was eerily reminiscent of Stage 9 of the 2003 Tour de France, Lance narrowly avoided Sari, et. al.”