ACC – Smuggler Hunter Creek XC – MTB Race

The Aspen Cycling Club has a great race schedule planned for the 2016 season with 9 road and 9 mountain bike races starting on April 27th and ending with their banquet at the Limelight Hotel on September 14th. The race schedule features “classic” ACC races, new variations of some of the classics, as well as a revival of the Hospital/ Ashcroft/South Hayden race.  Races are on Wednesday evenings, registration opens at 5pm, race starts at 6pm.

If you’re not a racer but want to meet other riders, consider volunteering as a marshal at one of the ACC’s Wednesday evening races.  The ACC has also scheduled a volunteer trail work evening, set for July 13th.  Huge thanks to the ACC and it’s members for supporting RFMBA with matching challenge grant in 2015!

Smuggler Hunter Creek XC – MTB Race

This year’s course has been redesigned to take advantage of the some of the new trails on Smuggler Mountain. Please read the course directions carefully!!

From the start line at the base of Smuggler Mountain in Aspen, racers will head up SmugglerMountain Road (SMR).  At the top of Smuggler near the observation deck, continue STRAIGHT onto the Behind the Sign Trail (BTS). Continue on BTS trail staying LEFT at all the intersections.  Take a LEFT where the trail intersects Smuggler Mountain Road, continue through the wooden gate and then take a RIGHT on the southern portion of Tootsie Roll and ascend. At the top of Tootsie roll, take a LEFT  for a very short descent down Smuggler Mountain Road and then a quick RIGHT back onto Tootsie roll and continue to descend. At the bottom of Tootsie Roll take a RIGHT onto Lollipop and traverse.  Take a LEFT at the lollipop cutoff (LC) and  descend.  At the bottom of LC take a RIGHT at the Hunter Creek Cutoff road and descend.   At the capped mine area, make a RIGHT onto the Iowa Shaft Trail and follow it for a short distance. Racers will take aleft onto the new Iowa Shaft Cutoff Trail and descend this to the bottom.  At the bottom of Iowa Shaft Cutoff, take a RIGHT on the doubletrack and follow it upvalley. Racers will take A LEFT BEFORE CROSSING THE BRIDGE onto the hunter creek single track.  Take a RIGHT onto the 10th Mountain Division bridge.  Once over the bridge,  continue STRAIGHT onto a short trail to the Four Corners Rd (FCR) and take a LEFT to begin the next climb.
All racers will continue up this Four Corners Road.

WAVE 3, WAVE 4- Follow the Four Corners Road to a right turn onto NEW HUMMINGBIRD TRAIL  . At the bottom make a RIGHT onto the Hunter Creek valley floor trail, continuing to the finish a 1/4 mile later near the old mining cabins.

WAVE 1, WAVE 2-  Continue up Four Corners Road all the way to Four Corners. At the top, take a RIGHT onto the Hobbit Trail. Follow this to Van Horn Park, bearing left at a double track intersection in the meadow. Descend through Van Horn Park and bear right onto the Hunter Creek Overlook Trail (aka Rim Trail). This group will finish by descending back down the 4 Corners Road to a left turn HUMMINGBIRD. At the bottom make a RIGHT onto the Hunter Creek valley floor trail, continuing to the finish a 1/4 mile later near the old mining cabins.
Location:  Smuggler Mountain Rd.