Primal Quest

Primer on South Dakota

noreply@blogger.com (Yak) — 2008-09-26T07:23:08-07:00

If you're headed to Primal Quest Badlands in August, you can bag some beta on the tourism website dedicated to Rapid City:

http://www.visitrapidcity.com/

Primal Quest 2009 Tease Begins at Outdoor Retailer Trade Show

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-08-06T11:53:06-07:00

I'm in Salt Lake City to cover the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show, and just got a fascinating media invite from the PR folks over at SPOT, LLC. Looks like Primal Quest's Dawn Taylor Mann is expected to reveal details on PQ 2009, and maybe even 2010, here at the show. On Friday, Aug. 8, during a media event at the Paddle Lounge, SPOT and Primal Quest will let those in attendance know what lies ahead for both companies. Two days? I gotta wait two more days? I'm ready now!

Primal Quest Expedition Returns in 2009 Sans Support Crews

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-02T17:50:19-07:00

Yes, there will be a Primal Quest expedition adventure race in 2009. No, there will not be support crews. That was the word from Don Mann this evening as he spoke at the closing awards ceremony for Primal Quest Utah 2008, now wrapping up in Big Sky, Montana.

Lips were officially tight about just where the next Primal Quest expedition adventure race will occur. Rumors say the race will go international for the first time. And around here, the rumor mill is usually right.

PQ Montana Ends as Werewolves Cross Finish Line

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-02T17:31:37-07:00

Werewolves, the final team out on the Primal Quest Montana course, just crossed the finish line here at Big Sky Resort.

It's been 10 days of wild Rocky Mountain landscapes for these teams. Whether they completed the full course, or had a little bit of the original course lopped off due to time constraints, we're still proud of all you have accomplished.

Will there be a Primal Quest next year? I think it's in the works. I'll see what I can find out at the awards ceremony and banquet later today.

Intrepid Bike Bath

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T13:30:18-07:00

Joel, support crew for team Intrepid, douses a dirty mountain bike with a bucket of Gallatin River water. Keeping his team's bikes in working order was no small task during Primal Quest Montana. After each bike leg, Joel would wash the bikes, repair any damage, and lube them up again so they'd be ready when needed.

Beautiful Blooms Surround Manly Markley

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T13:20:15-07:00

Markley of team Intrepid treks through wildflowers on his way to the ropes and orienteering section of Primal Quest Montana. He's a burly sort of guy, so I thought it would be good to show him surrounded by beautiful blooms.

Chipmunk! Chipmunk!

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T12:56:29-07:00

Adventure racing team CareerBuilder.com hardly noticed me laying in the grass when I photographed them along the Gallatin River Trail. That fella in front, not sure of his name, was telling a scary story about a chipmunk. No, really, it was scary. A scary story about a chipmunk!

I spoke to CareerBuilder.com's support crew, Chuck Clark and Sheridan Chilcote, about an hour later at Storm Castle and told them I saw their gang. Chuck and Sheridan were not at all surprised to hear the team was enthralled with a chipmunk story as they scooted down the trail. Turns out, some of these team members are in fact deathly afraid of chipmunks!

Shasta Treks to Ropes

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T12:37:34-07:00

Here comes team Shasta/Core Concepts, trekking along the Gallatin River Trail on their way to the ropes and orienteering course. All were in good spirits. Scott Wazny, second from the right, is a fellow Portlander. His wife, Dana Wazny, was part of the Portland-based all-newbie Rookie Rampage adventure racing team in 2007. Hi Dana!

Columbine, I Think, Gallatin River Trail

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T12:27:14-07:00

I've been resisting the urge to post my pictures of wildflowers, but now that Primal Quest is winding down, I think it's time to share a little. This one is of a columbine, I think. Got it along the Gallatin River Trail while hiking with the Dancing Pandas.

Tiny Purple Flowers, Gallatin River Trail

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T12:18:17-07:00

While hiking with the Dancing Pandas, I saw a wide variety of wildflowers. I don't know what these are called, but I like the way this shot of them turned out.

For the camera geeks:
Canon EOS D30 camera body
Canon EF L series 70-200 f/4 lens
1000/sec at f/4 exposure setting
ISO 1600

Now I better go check my image info to see if I guessed the exposure settings correctly!

Primal Quest Traffic Jam

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T12:00:09-07:00

That's a jogger on the left, running away from the camera. That's team Dancing Pandas in the middle, trekking to the Gallatin River Trail. And that's an RV on the right, throwing up a cloud of dust that forced everyone to hold their breath for about 10 seconds. It's a regular Primal Quest traffic jam!

Why Team Dancing Pandas Dance

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-02T17:25:53-07:00

Masha of Dancing Pandas shows off the team's trail tunes system, which includes an MP3 player in a case with integrated speakers.

"We just carabiner it on and go," said Masha, as her team was about to depart the Storm Castle transition area and climb to the orienteering course.

So who's on there? "Everything from Jane's Addiction to The Cure," Masha said.

Party on, Pandas.

Soldier's Chapel Sanctuary

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T11:31:32-07:00

There's a chapel on Highway 191 near the junction of the road to Big Sky Resort. It's called Soldier's Chapel, and I wrote about it on day two of Primal Quest on my personal blog.

I talked to my dad in Idaho Falls, Idaho, about this place, and he said he knew it well. He asked if I went inside, and I told him no. He told me to go back. "The best view in Big Sky is behind the altar." So I did, and this is what I came out with.

Thank You Dawn Mann and Don Mann

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-07-01T19:20:16-07:00

This afternoon when I was about to leave the Storm Castle Campground, I spotted Dawn Taylor Mann (she's the pretty one on the left), and her husband, Don Mann. I asked them if I could get a photo of them for my Primal Quest blog and they said sure.

I'm very proud of these two. When it looked like Primal Quest was going away for good, this couple stepped in to make sure that wouldn't happen. Clearly, it has not been easy.

What I see at headquarters in Big Sky is a shadow of what "Primal Quest HQ" was when I worked inside it in Moab in 2006, and in the San Juan Islands in 2004. Every staff member in Montana is stretched thin, but they do their best. The days of the seven-digit budget are gone. But the fire in the hearts of the staff is as strong as ever.

Every volunteer is stretched thin as well. Volunteers have had to slingshot from one part of the course to another to cover checkpoints and transition areas that were not in their original scope of work. Did they complain? Not at all. In the spirit of adventure racing, they dealt with the unexpected, even though it was at times uncomfortable. Primal Quest volunteers give up their vacation time to be here. They pay their own fare to and from Montana. They are here because they want to be part of Primal Quest, the biggest brand in adventure racing.

And the teams? Most of them are so physically ruined right now, they may not have a lucid opinion of the "New PQ." From an organizational standpoint, teams have told me that Mann and his team have been finding their legs a bit this year. From a race course standpoint, every team I've spoken with has raved about the scenery. Even if PQ disappointed some teams with its organizational approach, I think it won teams over once they began to experience Big Sky Country.

Teams I've spoken with tell me they've had a once in a lifetime experience. No matter what went "wrong" or may yet not happen according to Mann's plans, teams came for an amazing racing experience, and that's exactly what they got. Good on ya' Don and Dawn. Can't wait to hear where we're headed next.

There's a First Time For Everything

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-30T16:30:32-07:00

There's a first time for everything, as evidenced by the list of new experiences Autumn of team Intrepid's support crew continues to write. And the list is out there for everyone to see, carefully written in dry-erase marker on the outside of their support trailer. What did you do for the first time at Primal Quest Montana?

'Silver Surfer' Foot Tape for Nike ACG/GORE-TEX's Ken Meyer

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-29T15:49:28-07:00

Ken Meyer of team Nike ACG/GORE-TEX told me that before Primal Quest Montana, he'd never used duct tape on his feet. Much to his surprise, he's had to use it for most of this race.

In this shot, support crewman Beau Johnson applies the miracle tape to Ken's left foot. So shiny and smooth, it kinda looks like a foot from the comic book character in that Silver Surfer movie that came out a while back.

Beau said, rather flatly, that Ken has Tenosynovitis, which is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon. Nah, don't be impressed. I had to look it up. Beau used a lot of big words while I was watching him tape up Ken's feet. Thank goodness for online dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Help Robyn Walk

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-29T15:00:46-07:00

When teams finish Primal Quest Montana, there's a photo op station a short walk from the finish line. Robyn Benincasa of team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure, got a little help from her friends this afternoon to get there. That's Corey Rosen on the left, and Nick Sisler on the right.

Corey used to write for what Yak and I call "that other adventure racing news website," but these days he's on his own. During PQ, Corey worked for Don Mann on the media relations team.

Nick, 16, is the son of Steve Sisler, the Zanfel Labs executive who helps sponsor the Merrell/Zanfel Adventure team.

Merrell/Zanfel Adventue Nabs Second Place at PQ Montana

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-29T12:53:47-07:00

They crossed the finish line in 6 days, 2 hours and 10 minutes. Hats off to Merrell/Zanfel Adventure! Team members include, from left, Travis Macy, John Jacoby, Aaron Prince and Robyn Benincasa.

The team is headed up the hill for some well-earned rest. I hope to check in with them tomorrow to get some tales from the trail.

Bones Orienteering Strategy May Secure Third-place Finsh

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-29T12:35:23-07:00

The question of who will win the battle for third place at Primal Quest Montana may have been decided last night on the orienteering course above Storm Castle. Visiting the O-course control points is not mandatory. Instead, teams who visit the points earn time bonuses. Some control points are worth one hour. Others are worth two. Teams can earn up to 12 hours of bonus time, to be subtracted from their overall finish time, by spending some time on the O-course.

So here's what happened with Bones (that's them in the photo) and DART/nuun. Both teams told me when they returned from the orienteering course that Bones earned more bonus time up there than DART/nuun. Two hours more.

So on paper at least, Bones now has a full two hour lead over DART/nuun. Even if DART/nuun turns on the afterburners and beats Bones to the finish line, DART/nuun would have to come in at least two full hours ahead of Bones to steal third place. I'm not sure DART/nuun has it in them to pull that far ahead.

DART/nuun team members Cyril Jay-Rayon, Mari Chandler, Aaron Rinn and Aaron Matzke all seemed in fair shape when I saw them in transition. Bones team members Roy Mallone, Jason Quinn, and Walter Brumniach all looked well, too. Ann Hall was clearly suffering with foot issues, but her spirits were undeniably high. She joked and giggled through much of the transition. She's suffering, but she's far from beaten.

Will DART/nuun try to make up those two hours? I bet they will try. For me, this has been the most interesting battle to watch at PQ Montana. Great work, teams!

Pardon Me, Could You Direct Me To...

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-29T10:23:37-07:00

OK, admit I'm stirrin' the pot a bit here, but do this for me. Point your browser over to YouTube.com and enter these words in the search field:

primal quest nbc montana

The video you want is titled "Primal Quest 2008: NBC Montana Coverage 2." In my opinion, these two guys from Butte/Bozeman NBC affiliate KTVM have provided the best coverage of PQ Montana. Their names are Jeff Friedman, who is the station's sports director, and Jake Zivin, a reporter. I blogged about them here a few days ago.

Jeff and Jake's "Coverage 2" video is two minutes and 18 seconds long (2:18). Let the whole thing load, it may take a while on a slow connection.

One minute and 11 seconds into the video (1:11), Jason Quinn of team Bones is seen talking to a driver in a car about a piece of paper the driver is holding. The clip of Jason and the driver ends at one minute and 16 seconds (1:16).

Does that clip show team Bones asking directions from a driver, or does it show Jason Quinn of Bones giving directions to the driver? It's one of those things that make you go Hmm.

'I Don't Know' is in Third

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-28T20:01:21-07:00

At times like this, when there's an obvious battle for third place, I like to refer to a baseball skit performed long ago by comedians Abbott and Costello. It's called, "Who's on First." Worth a read considering we're all wondering who's gonna take third place when Primal Quest wraps up over the next few days.

Teams Bones and DART/nuun have basically traveled together for the past two days. When not literally together, they've been less than 20 minutes apart. The teams are together right now, up above Storm Castle, hammering out an orienteering course that could earn them up to 12 bonus hours when they cross the finish line.

As the athletes punished themselves in the peaks above us, I chatted with support crew member Ryan Flemming of DART/nuun, who said he thinks his team will pull ahead in the end. "DART and Bones both have amazing athletes," Flemming said. "But I think DART is just a little bit stronger. I think we'll beat Bones."

Right next door in the Bones camp, support crew were a little concerned about team member Ann Hall, whose body understandably is deteriorating under the stress of overuse. But the Bones crew was confident that DART/nuun will cross the finish line fourth, not third. Third is Bones' place.

I'd kinda like to see a sprint to the finish, wouldn't you? Oh, wait, they bike to the finish. They'll be coming in hot off the upper elevations of Big Sky Resort's grassy ski slopes. Maybe we'll get to witness a little jostling. Bring it on!

Team BaseCamp Sends Big Thanks to Bozeman's Roundhouse Ski & Sports Center

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-28T19:38:15-07:00

Montana businesses have stepped up to provide all the goods and services Primal Quest teams and their support crews have needed. Talk about great customer service! Case in point, I heard today from the support crew of team BaseCamp that one Bozeman retailer in particular, Roundhouse Ski & Sports Center, has been especially awesome.

Not just once, but twice, staff at Roundhouse dropped what they were doing to solve pressing problems for team BaseCamp. Earlier this week, the team needed a very specific spoke for a high-end mountain bike wheel. Roundhouse came through. And yesterday, BaseCamp needed a high-end shifter for another of its mountain bikes. Again, Roundhouse staff delivered.

We appreciate your extra effort to keep Primal Quest teams on the course! Thank you Roundhouse!

Gallatin's 'Mad Mile' Punishes Montana Whitewater Fans

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-28T19:00:58-07:00

There's a section of the Gallatin River in Montana that locals call the Mad Mile. That's exactly where PQ Water Director Josh Galt wanted teams to experience the swim of their lives a few days back, but river levels were deemed too dangerous for competitors to run this section. Even before all the water sections were closed to racers, this spot right here, House Rock, was a mandatory portage. House Rock kinda kicks off the Mad Mile. These six buddies who braved the Gallatin this afternoon got through House Rock by wisely staying River Left, but soon found themselves in a hole about 100 yards farther down that they couldn't negotiate. The boat flipped, and the six buddies all swam. Everyone got out of the icy cold water just fine. It's a reminder that this is serious stuff.

Hey! I Think That's Tim Homlstrom!

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-28T18:45:48-07:00

Apologies up front to Paul "Yak" Angell, boss man at Checkpoint Zero, who's gonna freak because I loaded this photo of the PQ ropes section as a very large file. It's been saved as an 8 by 12 inch image at 300 dpi. It'll load slow when you click on it. But if you do, I think you'll agree, that the bloke in the blue shirt atop that spire is none other than PQ Race Staff Tim Holmstrom. Whaddya think? Is it him?

Orienteering? No Thank You

bitton.mike@gmail.com (Mike Bitton) — 2008-06-28T18:23:03-07:00

Dave Boyd, captain of team MOAT, arrives at Storm Castle and signs in for TA Boss Vernon Winter. Dave came back a few minutes later to ask Vernon some specific questions about the orienteering section of the course. Seems there are no penalties for SKIPPING the orienteering course! Instead, there are time bonuses, kinda like that extra credit work you used to to in school right before report card time. There are up to 12 hours of bonus time available to teams who hit all the orienteering control points. I think Dave and his MOAT teammates may take a bold strategy move and opt out of the O-course. I expect we'll see how that decision affects the team's final placement in a couple of days.