July 30th, 2008 by 
Francois
On July 2008, I got the opportunity to ride in Durango, CO at the Trek/Fisher press camp. It was my first time in Durango and it was quite an experience. It was one of those places that I’ve always heard of since I started mountain biking fifteen years ago. It was one of those places that I haven’t been able to fit in the busy schedule. It was one of those destinations I feared I would never reach.
But the opportunity arrived and I seized it. And it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I arrived at the small Durango Airport on a 40 passenger turboprop plane. There’s no direct flights from San Jose so a stop and plane change in Phoenix is standard fare. My hosts chartered Hermosa Tours to take care us during our stay and there was a smiling Pete Basinger from Hermosa waiting for me at the airport. From there started a fantasy ride of four days in Durango. We rode four rides during those days, two small rides and two big ones. We stayed in a ranch then we moved and stayed in downtown Durango. We got a taste, of what this wonderful place had to offer. Enjoy!
All photos were taken by Sterling Lorence and Geoff Waugh. They rode with us applied their immense talents to capture Durango in these images.
(Since these photos are best viewed with music, please click the Hilltop Hoods link and let it play the background music in another window: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKq5pp31tv4)
Intro.
Home base was at the Silver Mountain Lodge just a few miles from downtown.
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July 30th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Sick trip Francis. Almost makes me jealous that I ended up at Whistler. Almost
Though those pictures from the photo crew make me want to take a road trip!
July 30th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Wow! Now I have to get down there for sure. Thanks for sharing the great pictures.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Incredible photos of an incredible place. Gotta love the Canon G9 in the hands of a capable photog.
Thanks for sharing!
July 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
>> Gotta love the Canon G9 in the hands of a capable photog.
Just fyi, all these photos were taken using big SLR cameras. It was interesting to see the power of SLRs as these guys swapped lenses and filters quite a bit.
fc
July 30th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
It’s nice to see the Michael Jackson’s jacket from Thriller is still being used.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:55 am
Hey Francois,
A great big thank you for posting all those images and putting our names to them.(many sites don’t bother!) It was sweaty work but the trails were worth it right?
Cheers
Geoff
July 31st, 2008 at 10:03 am
Geoff,
It was an honor to meetcha. We had an amazing crowd right? It should have been a CLUSTER every step of the way but it was just so chill and smooth.
I’ll post a link to your site at the end of the article. What’s the music you used on your portfolio? http://www.waughphotos.com/spaces.php
francois
August 1st, 2008 at 9:32 am
Something a DJ friend of mine knocked up. I can send it ya. Mail me. Raining here in the UK. Tacky trails? Nope, crappy trails!! SoCal SchmoCal!
G
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
that’s just about the most interesting thing I’ve seen a suspension link used for. suspension link -> pine derby car. gotta love it
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:02 am
Great photos, really nice to see so many pro shots of one trip. Gives much more of a feel for the riding than the number of pics magazines are usually able to publish.
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
>>that’s just about the most interesting thing I’ve seen a suspension link used for. suspension link -> pine derby car. gotta love it
Isn’t that cool? Yes that is a suspension link for the Roscoe. One of the engineers from Fisher built all those and the track. Those guys are serious about their fun.
fc
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
>>Great photos, really nice to see so many pro shots of one trip. Gives much more of a feel for the riding than the number of pics magazines are usually able to publish.
Yeah! They gave me over 500 photos. Nice to be on the web and be able to publish a lot.
f
August 4th, 2008 at 4:21 am
Also read the UK mag article but it wasn’t as evocative as this photo essay. Is Durango really that laid back? Looks perfect.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:35 am
>>Also read the UK mag article but it wasn’t as evocative as this photo essay. Is Durango really that laid back? Looks perfect.
Evocative - provokes a mood, memory or feeling.
Thanks for that. I think our photographers and I have succeeded in transporting the reader to another place.
Yes, Durango is laid back. There’s a few tourists from Texas this time of year. There’s a lot of families milling about. I hear they don’t like roadies though.
fc
August 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Those are awesome photos… you have to drop me a line and tell me what body and lenses you were using!
August 5th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Great photos, looks like an awesome trip.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Thanks a lot, you gotta keep this place a secret for the locals. I was born and raised in Durango and can’t beleive the expansion. Great pictures.
P.S. why ride a road bike there when the trails are that good? Leave the roads to the four wheelers and Danielson.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Great stuff ! I get to Durango a couple of times a year, I am on my way there tomorrow. It really is a joy riding all that buff singletack after the gnarly, twisty and wet Northeast ! Thanks for the images to get me ready for the trip.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Saw your link…looks like a fantastic trip…we have to ask (me and three friends considering Durango, Moab or some places in California…) what would you have done differently? If you could criticize this trip at all?
August 11th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Francois - nice article on DGO. Yep, DGO has got it all from desert riding to alpine riding and everything in between. Moab is only a 2.5 hr drive away and Fruita is a 3.5 hr drive. Durangotangs are some of the nicest, laid back people you will ever meet. We have more restuarants per capita than San Francisco and FOUR mini-breweries in town that produce some of the finest beer in the west.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Who was shooting the Canon setup and who was shooting the Nikon? Awesome trip though. Did you ever dream you’d be doing something like that when you launched little ole mtbr.com?
August 13th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
i have been doing Durango for a few years now and going in a few weeks.
here are some videos we shot of the same trails in this write up.
2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftsrexCaScc
2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qP852yGuBs
warning.. we geek out pretty hard on doing DVDs of our adventures.
Molas Pass Rules
August 18th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
wow!! that looked like a great trip!
April 18th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Wow. Some really nice photos and trails there. Summer is nearly over here in NZ and i’m missing it already!