I had a bit of a crazy week before we started riding on an unseasonably cold Thursday morning and as a result I wasn’t as prepared for the trip as I would like to have been. In retrospect it is easy to see our deficiencies in planning and preparation so I thought it wise to share a few “Know Before You Go” tips for any multi-day ride for you here:

1. Difficulty

A multi-day ride, be it a road tour or competitive mountain bike race, is much more difficult, or at least different, than the sum of its parts. It is easy to look at a daily distances and think, “I got this.” In reality, you have to take into account sleeping in tents, camp food, little in the way of recovery options and everything else that may become part of your logistical dilemma. Just be sure to take all the ancillary stuff into account.

2. Route Finding

We were on a well-marked trail system with the occasional road thrown in for good measure. Where did we get turned around? The road, of course. The first day, one of the riders in our group got lost for several hours, even with two different GPS units on his handlebars. It happens, so be prepared. Get the right maps and review before you go so that you will know when to look for turns, not just where.

3. Details

A lot of comfort can be found in the little things. If you have the opportunity to go on a supported trip and are questioning whether or not to take a specific piece of gear, take it! The same goes for packing your pack in the morning. On the seventh hour of the third day of riding, you’d be surprised how nice some of the comforts can be.

4. Slow your Roll

Don’t come out too fast. On our Kokopelli trip, my partner and I were passed like we were standing still time and time again by others in our larger tour group. By the end of the first day ride we finished two hours ahead of the next rider, were rested and fed before anyone else and ready to ride the next day. The same pattern repeated itself again and again until day three saw 25% of the group’s riders take the day off entirely and miss riding the full trail. Pace and consistency is the key.

5. Bring the right Gear

Use your trip as a good excuse to upgrade some of your gear. It doesn’t have to be the bike either so think accessories. Again, it’s the little stuff that helps. Below are some of the upgrades I made for the trip:

Smith Parallel Max glasses   -           This is a low profile multi-sport glass with exchangeable lenses for a value price. After 142 miles of hard trail and single-track riding not only were they still in place, but they remained comfortable. MSRP is $129 and you can find more info http://www.smithoptics.com/products/#/sunglasses/Mens/Parallel+Max/view/

POC Trabec Helmet  -           The comfort of this full coverage helmet is unparalleled as is the protection. Designed to mimic the trabecular bone structure with a greater surface area and spongy interior it is designed to fit around your noggin, not on top. Total protection in a 340g package. MSRP $150 and you can find more at http://www.pocsports.com/en/product/1231/trabec

Pearl Izumi Veer Short         -           I rode the Veer Short with the bib liner on this trip. A durable, breathable short over the race proven bib from Pearl made for a great combination. Because of the bib short liner they gave me a better than expected ride for a pair of Dude/ Bro shorts. MSRP is $170. Get some here http://www.pearlizumi.com/content/pearlizumi/united-states/en/home/products/men/ride/apparel/shorts/shorts-11111343.html

All Good Goop from Elemental Herbs         -           We have actually written this stuff up before, I use it for everything — from a chamois crème to emergency wound salve and even face lotion if needed. http://outdoorcommunitydaily.com/2012/08/all-good-goop-from-elemental-herbs/

The POC Trabec and Smith Parallels at work

Before you go hucking yourself off of jumps into airbags you need to know:

1. A timid body position makes you scared.

If you have hunched shoulders and an uncommitted posture, it will make you more scared and affect how you go off of the jump — not in a good way. Even if you are scared, act like you own the jump and you will. Confidence is key!

      2. Go fast.

When I went off this jump, you had to ski straight down the mountain for about 50 yards and then you hit the jump. I wanted to check my speed because I was nervous but decided against it because I had seen a snowboarder do the same thing and she kind of fell off the jump and rolled onto the airbag. So, you need to keep that speed, for safety and so you can actually make it on the jump. Speed is good!

     3.  Start compressed and forward, then pop.

A few feet before the jump, bend you knees so that you are compressed. Lean forward while you are compressed to get better form. Then at the top of the jump, extend your body and pop off the lip of the jump. Mainly use your thighs to help you pop and extend your body. This makes you in control of where you will land and how much air you will get instead just riding off the lip and letting the jump take you.  Remember to pop!

      4.  Keep your heels down, pressure forward, and shins against boots.

When you are skiing some people tend to lean too far forward and their heels are not touching the sole of their ski boots. Try as best you can to keep your heels down while still leaning forward. While you are leaning forward, you should also keep pressure forward as well, this will be from your legs not your whole body. In pressuring your legs you should keep your shins pressed against you ski or snowboard boots. Something my ski instructor taught me was to pretend there is an orange in front of your shin and you need to make orange juice; press it that much.

      5.  Go for max air and be committed to being in the center of the bag.

This is where the pop and leaning forward come in. If you want to go higher than the jump will take you, you will pop well and try to go high. Also, it is a good idea to set a goal for yourself on where you want to land on the airbag. Mine was right in the middle of the airbag, on the logo. I also met a lady who was trying to get in the farthest third of the bag, so it really just depends on you. “Be a monster of airtime!” Is what Tyler told me before I went off the jump.

1. Win a $16K Alaskan Heli Skiing trip, from of a Facebook contest simply for entering in your email address.
2. Be only allowed one friend to bring with you, for the all-expenses-paid trip of a lifetime.
3. Be on every social media outlet: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, tumblr, etc.
4. Create an easily recognizable hashtag, make it something obnoxious like #OperationAK, #Coulierthanyou, #SuckitDeskJockiesIWentToSchoolWithWhoNowEarnMoreThanMeIGetToHeliSkiAndYouDont, etc.
5. Proceed to document everything and anything you see or do: drinks at airports, boarding passes, planes, rental cars, shit-eating grins, 8,000ft lines of untracked powder and of course the helicopter itself, shot from every angle imaginable.
6. Immediately after taking, upload said images to all social networks possible after applying no less that seven filters, and remember to assign one of, if not all hashtags mentioned in Step 4.
7. Do this roughly every 15-35 minutes, that you are awake, even schedule 2 or 3 to post while you are asleep that night.
8. Start using terms when you get back to the “frontcountry” in everyday life. Terms such as: Frontcountry, LZ, Heli, Shots, Zones, BC, Cordinates and a few you make up that sound plausible. For example “Now that I am back in the frontcountry I would love to come to your potluck, I am at my home LZ, shoot me your coordinates and I will be there after I swing by the wine Zone and grab some Pinót, I can tell you about my recent Heli trip.”
9. Make claims like “That was just the beginning”, “Can’t wait to go back”, “I think that it is my calling”, “I’m gonna quit my job and wash dishes for Rendezvous Heli next year” make sure to lie and make them think you have the $8K needed to do it all over again.
10. Last but not least, never, I repeat NEVER stop talking about it! Bring it up in any and every situation possible. Remember to remind your friends, not only of how cool the trip was, but also of how cool you, yourself are for going on it. Of course they want to hear that story of that air you hit, they have only heard it three times so far tonight.  

What’s that? You want to see more photos…

A good warm up is key.

A fresh blanket of snow, is just what town needed to cover the grimy streets of spring and remind me why I love the shoulder season — flip flops one day and freshies the next! The bright colors, quietness of fresh snow, promise of rides to come, joy over a few more good turns and silliness of the season struck me as I wandered through town this morning, think my soul needed some snow too.

12.6ox unisex sizing   MSRP $200

RIO addresses all three with Quickshooter, its new, appropriately named line with a short head for close range rod loading. In addition to testing by actually fishing it, I laid out 40 feet of line on the water, and left it there. After 30 minutes, the Agent X coating kept the line floating high.  This is especially important when wading the flats.  There is a welded loop at each end, which most find helpful, though I cut off the front one and tied a nail knot.  I used an 8# which has a feel of an 8+. You can find more information and purchase at www.rioproducts.com for an MSRP of $79.95.

Gigante Waves

Depending on the tide and swell, we jump up as close to dawn as possible and head north.  Minding our meager budget we opt out of the boat ride and hike it. Rounding the first slab of rock we are able to first check Playa Amarillo–a pristine stretch of sand that is reportedly one of the most highly contested beaches in the country.  This sand bottom break picks up swell better at higher tides, yet if there is a fair amount of size you’ll see racy lines up and down this beach.  I caught one memorable little tube here a few evenings ago, then snapped my board in the shallows a few waves later.

It’s not quite right this morning so we push on, the sun rapidly heating up at our backs.  After scrambling over the rocks at the north end of Amarillo (sandals are a good idea), we’re facing the posh development that affronts Colorado’s.  This well-known break can get a bit crowded, but the heaving barrels can be worth the jostling and wait.

Still not ideal, we continue further up the beach to playful Panga Drops. Panga’s breaks further outside over a decently deep-water reef so it’s struggling to push through this morning–my Noll Surfboards 5’11” Fish was a great call.  After a bit of waiting I drop into a right that jacks up at the last second, carve a deep bottom turn and hustle for the shoulder.  My speed slings me forward to the pocket, I cut-back across the face, pump the fifty or so yards toward shore and kick out; just another beautiful morning in this tropical paradise.

Two hours later our arms are shot and we saunter the forty minutes back to town.  For those of you with money to spend, the $7-9 boat ride from Camino del Gigante Hostel up to Panga’s will cut down on the commute significantly.

On the Hunt

Charged up after a long siesta and a bite at the Party Wave Internet Café and Bakery, we grab our masks, fins and Hawaiian sling and head toward the reef at the south end of Gigante.  The water clarity improves with every kick off the beach and soon we’re engulfed by the underwater wonderland.

Small reef fish frolic everywhere you look, while grouper, snapper and a variety of other meaty fish can be found lurking along the perimeter.  We poke around for a half hour and take a few harmless shots, but our luck is running thin.  It’s my first time firing this type of spear, and you could say there is plenty of room for improvement!

Sunset Surf

With the sun dipping toward the horizon we once again grab our boards and trek up the beach to the north end of Amarillo for the evening’s high-tide push.  The wind–which rips off-shore here some 300 days a year due to the effect of Lake Nicaragua–drops considerably at sunset, leaving glassy barrels to pipe down the beach.  We paddle out and trade fast, steep waves with a handful of ex-Pats and locals, taking in the spectacular sunset and jungle backdrop. Muy tranquillo.

After the sunset surf we scarf down a phenomenal Big Kahuna Burger at Brice’s Surf Camp, sip a Tona in the hammock and call it a night.  The roosters crow early here and another round of dawn patrol is exactly what the doctor ordered.

So I had to say, “thanks, but no thanks”. Until I saw it was oat free! And dairy free, and soy free – I know, I’m sooo much fun! The soft, chewy bar, had just a little crispness (from rice nuggets), and the mango and coconut flavor brightened even my gray-inside-a-convention-center day! At 300 calories, it’s makes for a great meal on the go or something to munch on throughout a long workout.

If you like nutrition stats, here you go: 5 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, 19 grams of fat and 16 grams of sugar.

Kate’s Real Food Tiki Bars Msrp $2.79

Nicaragua was chosen as a strategic launch point for multiple reasons– most notably its warm water and consistent off-shorewinds, which make for well-groomed, barreling waves.  The country is also home to a variety of hulking volcanoes, lush jungles and a colorful variety of wildlife.

Rolling into Gigante on a balmy Wednesday evening, my back was fully loaded with two boards, mask and snorkel, mosquito net, camping pack, trail shoes, spear fishing sling and a SteriPen.  The settling in process has been easy, as the local Nica’s are quick to offer help and the ex-pat/surfer community is well entrenched.

Every morning I’ve awoken somewhere between the hours of 6 and 8AM, applied copious amounts of sunscreen and made my way to the nearby breaks. Though the surf has been on the small side, I’ve certainly had a fair amount of luck and a few highly memorable sessions.  It was following one such session, that I had my first stumble of the trip.

While life here is fantastic, whenever I arrive in a foreign country I undoubtedly make the common gringo mistake of gross negligence with the local currency and end up on the short end of a wholly straightforward transaction.  I was fresh out of the water, bliss radiating from my face after beholding in the sunset’s impressionistic display of yellow, orange, purple, and pink, when I sauntered down to the local Pulperia (general store) to grab a few items for dinner.  Lining up a nice mix of fresh fruits and veggies, tortillas, a beer and a small tub of peanut butter, I handed the cashier a fresh new 500 Córdoba bill.

Giving me a quick opportunistic look, the seniorita quickly returned 225 in change. I walked out, my head thick with that odd sensation that something was amiss. Going over the math a few more times in my head, it soon became clear that I’d been had.  I’ve been the target of swindles large and small and this time felt no different.  A bit of frustration, then the realization: yep—I’m an idiot.

While these sorts of losses should be chalked up to a local donation (they most likely need it more than you do), minimizing the number of occurrences can’t hurt, especially when you’re adventuring on a budget.  Here are a few things to consider when learning the local currency in order to avoid being that gringo.

• Do your Due Diligence. Figure out the exchange rate before you leave the country.  Here in Nicaragua the exchange rate is roughly $1 to 24 Córdoba’s.

• Devise a straightforward equation system. When you get your exchanged currency, spend some time getting acquainted with it.  What does their smallest bill relate to? What do the coins correspond to?  For example, the Nicaraguan 20 Córdoba bill is slightly less than one America Dollar, the 50 Córdoba is roughly $2, and the 100 Córdoba is just short of $4.  It is with larger bills, such as the 500 Córdoba, that things tend to get confusing.

• If an item does not have a visible price tag, ask the cost before you get to the counter.  Then take a few moments to perform some math in your head before checking out.   Once you have the rough total in mind you’ll know how much change to expect.  Quick tip: the less items your buy at a time, the easier it will be to do this pre-purchase check.

• In addition to your close-to-body travel wallet/passport satchel, carry a “fake” wallet containing a limited amount of money in your back pocket or bag.  Other items to consider carrying in this wallet could include an expired credit-card, old season passes, business cards and a picture of your guinea pig.  This will reduce the amount of cash you have to present when making a purchase and gives you an expendable wallet to forfeit should you have the unfortunate experience of being pickpocketed or fleeced.

Stay tuned for more dispatches from the road!