Stone Brewing released their annual special brew last month.



This month it was time to release ours.

But exactly how much vertical constitutes epic? For starters, add in 100% pure singletrack hops. And to make the taste complex, change the hops every time. Most importantly, it must all be bottled in a single day. It was purely a mad idea to create this colossal brew. Skeptics doubted the final outcome, but a plan was devised and a stacked team was assembled. So while the annual Kernville Fat Tire Festival was going down, just a few blocks away was base camp for the Vertical Binge Fest.

Friday afternoon, the San Diego crew arrived in Kernville to set up camp.



Instead of a light trail ride, we did a thorough shake down at Sherman Park.



I foresee Sherman Park implementing a policy of only one bike at a time on a feature.



Possibly some height restrictions due to Air Mike.



Apparently the shake down worked better than anticipated. Carnage included a busted chain, shifter housing, and a frayed rear derailleur cable, all needing replacing.



Bikes, gear, and food were prepped for the next day and D-day got underway at this hour



Local Kernville crew arrives and breakfast is served




Shuttle drop #1



Morning wake up with day break hike-a-bike



Conditions were phenomenal



So were the views







First number of the day




Shuttle drop #2

The Fat Tire Festival folks couldn’t fathom what we’d be throwing down today



More hike-a-bike





Last week’s Sierra snow in the distance



More singletrack





Dano dropping chunk



Small run, but necessary



Unfortunately, Barcy discovered this horror on his frame



Barcy would get the MVP award for sticking it out with a slammed seat post and climbing out of the saddle for the rest of the day.


Shuttle drop #3

Then it was on to some real fun



Chris shows off his MX skills



Air time



The infamous DFT



Now we’re getting some where




Shuttle drop #4

More hike-a-bike



More views



Barcy still at it



And more numbers




Shuttle drop #5

With the sun officially setting, there was barely time to snap a slightly blurred group photo.



A bomb fest ensued to cover trail before we completely ran out of light (which we did). Although these weren’t the exact numbers, the goal of 20k in a single day was achieved.



Fitting meal to end an epic day: Filet mignon, Grilled vegetables, Stone Vertical Epic



Cramming nearly a week’s worth of DH in a single day…Priceless


Day’s Stats
Shuttle driving: 253 miles
Ride mileage: 52.1 miles
Unrepeated singletrack: 44.0 miles
Ascent: 3,106 feet
Descent: 20,856 feet

It was a phenomenal day of riding in absolutely perfect trail conditions from the mid-week rain. For most of the San Diego crew, at least 3 of the trails were completely new. Mechanicals included one flat tire on the trail and a broken frame that didn’t stop Barcy’s determination to finish out the day. Planning for this day was nothing short of a scripted play, but once set in motion everything fell into place. Special thanks to Danny for driving nearly 14 hours for we couldn’t have done it with out his tremendous help. Thanks to Jeff for letting us use his place as the base of operations. This wasn’t your typical single ride epic. It was a lot of fun, but even more work. So much so, we all agreed it will be quite some time if we attempt to break it in the future.

Another awesome ride and report.....all I can say is WOW! 20,000 feet is supposed to be done on a heli-ski trip not a mountain bike.

awesome.

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

Wow, that was an awesome TR!

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Normal is the halfway point between what you want and what you can get.

very nice!

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strava:instagram:activejunky

The sheer magnitude, quality and repetition of your awesome adventures is staggering. Keep on posting and we'll keep drooling.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

vertical epic indeed. well played sir.

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-Deniz

-17k? you were going the wrong way

Freaking Sick

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If you have any Real Estate questions, or looking to buy or sell a home, PM me.

It was a good day. I can't seem to post any pics. I can't view dirttreaders at home and photobucket is blocked at work?

But I'm sure they all heard about it by the end of the day. Everyone else in town had. Imagine you've paid $125 to come to Kernville and do what you think is going to be a sweet ride, only to find out that this other group is doing a ride that is much, much better .

Here's a few of my pics:

Skinny's to start with


Then the log rides


Mike tries a new line off the rock


Then some jumps...Sherman Air


Air Mike


Air Barcy


Air DFT



More Mike



Next morning, riding in the early sunlight


Had to cross a few meadows before getting to the plunge


This was the incredible view we were greeted with - DFT rails a corner


GP_pilot with another great view as backdrop


Brief rest stop


Feeling small


The fire we saw near Shirley meadows on Friday turned out to be a prescribed burn. Unlike the one in Flagstaff, this one did not get away. But the smoke did burn our lungs for a few minutes.



Mike on JO log ride


GP_pilot rock air


DFT airs off the spine


Mike conquers the spine


Andy looking smooth


Shuttle #3 had a pretty painful HAB. Brent finishes the last bit riding


Trail turns downward, finally


10 hours before we were high above the opposite side of Lake Isabella.


GP_pilot in late afternoon light


Final stretch to the van



And, the ride home....

I thought I had totally missed the boat with this picture. OK, not the boat, but the mattress. Homie in the suburban next to us had just lost one of two mattresses that was lashed to his roof. DFT looks on in amusement as the other mattress is now at a 45 degree angle on the roof, barely held on by a strap. You can just see it through the sliver of window on the right side, and you can also see the shadow on the freeway.


As the 'burban backs off, Mike and DFT watch the impending carnage behind us.

Dude watching that matress come off the top of the 'burb and slide past us on the freeway was just absolutely classic! I can't believe people strap the box spring down first, then the softie on top of that...

Many thanks go out to Sean for setting up the trip and to Jeff for letting us totally take over his pad for the weekend. Big props to Danny for showing up at Sherm Park at 4:30AM, driving and waiting for us all day and not going home until like 9PM or something. Also, thank for everyone else for hauling some SERIOUS ASS down these trails to try to keep up with the schedule. It was a blast that I don't think will be beat for a long time and I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of it!

What's next, 29,028 ft.?

I have one word for you guys: SICK!

Hah, you'd have some tire pressure issues on that one. Not the least of your worries though...

that was one killer day indeed! i was happy to be a part of it. good memories.