5th Annual 100's in the Hills - Ouray, CO 7/31-8/02

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Ben, you need to go through the 4th HIH trip report tread and find @Bloomer post about his wife experience and the article she wrote for their local paper in Texas! It is hilarious!

Edit: just went and checked, post #55, trip report tread.
 
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benc said:
My fam and I will be there! All are excited but I made the mistake of showing my wife ntsaints videos of black bear pass:)
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The spot where Andy bounced off the wall and the truck jumped towards the edge is exactly where this Jeep rolled last year. The driver in this video loses focus for a split second (you hear them talking about Bridal Veil Falls) and this was the outcome. This is maybe the only spot after The Steps where you can roll once and not end up at the bottom. (there is bad language in the video)



In all seriousness, these trails are super fun and most of them are not difficult at all. But it's important to pay attention. If your kids are fighting, or your passengers are yelling at you to be careful, it can be very stressful. This is supposed to be fun. @Bloomer's wife almost punched me in the face when we made it down to the bottom. My own wife has a fear of heights and exposure. I know better than to take her down Black Bear. It wouldn't be fun for me, or her.

By the time HIH rolls around I will have been down Black Bear at least 3 times for the season. I am the Black Bear Trail Ambassador for the FJ Summit and will be on The Steps all day spotting folks down. I'm also leading a Black Bear Pass run that same weekend. I will know all the sketchy spots by the time HIH rolls around. If you can mentally get through it, that is, if you or your passengers do not have a legitimate fear of heights or exposure, this trail is not to be missed. It's also a very easy trail from a technical standpoint. @bluecruiser 's 16 year old daughter drove it last year.

Here's a video that I made from last year's FJ Summit. (The spot where the Jeep guys rolled is at 1:36)

 
Big props to everyone who takes the hard task of guiding people down Black Bear.
Last year was my first time doing that trail and I can't say enough times how freaking well of a job Stan does at leading and spotting! Thank you again brother! I think I remember you saying last year it was your 6th time running it in 2014 and it was only August!
Thank you and I can't wait! :)
 
paflytyer said:
The spot where Andy bounced off the wall and the truck jumped towards the edge is exactly where this Jeep rolled last year. The driver in this video loses focus for a split second (you hear them talking about Bridal Veil Falls) and this was the outcome. This is maybe the only spot after The Steps where you can roll once and not end up at the bottom. (there is bad language in the video)



In all seriousness, these trails are super fun and most of them are not difficult at all. But it's important to pay attention. If your kids are fighting, or your passengers are yelling at you to be careful, it can be very stressful. This is supposed to be fun. @Bloomer's wife almost punched me in the face when we made it down to the bottom. My own wife has a fear of heights and exposure. I know better than to take her down Black Bear. It wouldn't be fun for me, or her.

By the time HIH rolls around I will have been down Black Bear at least 3 times for the season. I am the Black Bear Trail Ambassador for the FJ Summit and will be on The Steps all day spotting folks down. I'm also leading a Black Bear Pass run that same weekend. I will know all the sketchy spots by the time HIH rolls around. If you can mentally get through it, that is, if you or your passengers do not have a legitimate fear of heights or exposure, this trail is not to be missed. It's also a very easy trail from a technical standpoint. @bluecruiser 's 16 year old daughter drove it last year.

Here's a video that I made from last year's FJ Summit. (The spot where the Jeep guys rolled is at 1:36)

Click to expand...



Stan makes Black Bear a lot easier for sure. My wife made the comment several times that she felt like it was no big deal as long as he was out there spotting.

The place where my truck slid some (and where that jeep rolled) is tricky. You've just finished the steps and driven under the waterfall, and losing focus is easy. Two years ago everyone was sliding over into well defined tracks there. Last year I kind of took that for granted and eased into it without paying as much attention as I should. Won't ever happen again :)
 
This will be a fantastic year for anyone in the bumper market. You will see every bumper available for the 100 Series, front and rear. If you're in the market for other mods for your 100, this is still the best event to attend. Not only do you get to see almost every product on the market, you get to see it in use, mess with it, even drive someone's truck with that mod done. RTT's, trailers, armor, camping gear, tires..... it's like the 100 Series forum, but in person.
 
This looks like a ton of fun, I've been wanting to go to Ouray and area for a few years. I'm about to buy an LX but my wife is due with our first on Aug 20. Thats probably closer than I want to push it but I'll be watching for next year.
 
May 31 is the registration date...not today.
 
Glad to see so many new guys/gals planning to come out this year. Keep watching those YouTube videos and looking at pictures of past events. I guarantee you will still have your mind blown when you see this area in July/August, in person. Rain or shine, the San Juans are a special place with some jaw dropping views. Start buying those A/Ts and getting the camp setups put together, we aren't all that far away from HIH V!! I know that I can't wait.
 
Black Bear Pass....yup, Mrs. Bloomer did not like it and you'll never again find her on the side of that mountain. But, have to give her credit, no matter how scared and apprehensive she was about doing it, there was no way she was leaving without having done Black Bear. I'll let y'all in on a little secret, knowing that she was apprehensive about doing Black Bear, I offerred to pack up early and head back to Durango. Her comment was, "I came this far, there's no way we're leaving without doing Black Bear." Sure, she was second guessing that decision as we made our way down the steps.

Stan does an incredible job spotting on that run. There was literally no surprises. Stan made sure I knew every move the land cruiser was going to make before it happened. Can't tell you how much I appreciated Stan doing that for us. Looking forward to this year.
 
^^Thanks for the compliments fellas. You guys are very competent drivers and don't need me standing there, but I'm a firm believer in having a spotter on some of those sections..... or any sketchy section on any trail.

Last year, IH8MUD's own @woody was our spotter on Poughkeepsie Gulch. The year before that @sleeoffroad was the spotter. That makes for a pretty good opportunity to learn something new, whether as a driver or a spotter. There is never any pressure and there is never any rush. We travel as a group. We had a blown front diff last year on Poughkeepsie Gulch and guess who was there as part of the run? Carl Montoya (@just differentials) of Nitro and Just Differentials. Not a bad guy to have around when you snap some teeth off the ring gear. The guy who broke also won a Nitro Gear gift card at the raffle...... perfect!

There isn't a breakdown or a trail spot that cannot be handled. Our sponsor list is growing daily and we're fielding a ton of questions from potential sponsors and attendees. We're going to be debuting a few parts brand new to the 100 Series market at this years event. If there's something you'd like to see from a vendor/sponsor, please let us know and we'll see about getting it there.
 
So, do you base camp near Ouray those three nights, or do you camp on the trails? Just wondering.

Considering bringing two of my boys with me. My wife will have no part of camping or narrow mountain trails with steep dropoffs, so she gets to stay home!
 
@phippsj Base Camp, Ironton Park CG.
 
@tabraha has it correct. We will establish a basecamp at Ironton Park. It is one of the few suitable places in the area that can accommodate 30 plus rigs. Also, nearly all the trails end up right back in the vicinity of Ouray and Ironton Park. Any families, wifes, kids, etc. that do not camp can stay in Ouray in varying levels of accommodations (motel, hotel, resort style). Ouray is about 9 miles from Ironton. One more thing, we realize that getting further away from the Highway 550 would be preferable to some of the hardcore guys for camping, however, like I mentioned, there are few places in and around Ouray that can handle the number of trucks we have. Also, the proximity to the trailheads from Ironton really cannot be beat. If you play your cards right, this could be a great excuse to your wife to pick up the offroad trailer/rooftop tent you have always wanted. - pic of Ironton below.
camp pano.webp
 
I've been checking the 100's in the Hills site for months hoping to find the registration date. Before I saw it here I clicked on registration on the site and it said a password was required. I really want to make it to this ride but is a password required to actually register? Thanks.
 
slomofo said:
I've been checking the 100's in the Hills site for months hoping to find the registration date. Before I saw it here I clicked on registration on the site and it said a password was required. I really want to make it to this ride but is a password required to actually register? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Tomorrow the password requirement will be lifted as registration opens...

Registration:
Registration will open at 5pm COLORADO time (MDT) on Sunday May 31st.

That will be 7pm EDT, 6pm CDT and 4pm PDT.
 
I was the lucky one to blow my front diff on the Poughkeepsie run. I didn't win the JT's gift card, but I did gain a lot of info from Carl that night at camp. I ended up with new Nitro ring and pinion gears front and rear and air lockers. When I placed my order Carl again took lots of time on the phone and helped me out with my order. The community at HIH is second to none!
I'm planning to make the trip again this year with my family. I'm also looking at switching my trucks up so we will see how all that shakes out. If you are on the fence about this trip, just do it! Great people and amazing area!!
 
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