Moab 2022
Mountain Biking Moab Fall 2022
The ZOIC crew recently travelled to Moab, Utah to sample the renowned singletrack of this mecca of mountain biking. We were also on hand to exhibit at Outerbike, a premier bike demo event. Several of our staff met up with ZOIC ambassadors from the southwestern United States for epic riding and (for the most part) excellent weather, excepting an impressive afternoon thunderstorm here and there!
Slickrock, Steep Chunk, Tricky Tech, & Dirt Jumps! 
Moab boasts a variety of trails for anyone on two wheels to enjoy. Majestic views abound along even the most mellow routes, while more advanced riders can find plenty of challenging features and rowdier terrain to choose from. The following are ride recaps from our latest pilgrimage.
Or you can watch some highlights here.
3/4s of the Whole Enchilada
Our excursion began with a bite of the classic Whole Enchilada. Starting from Hazard County Trail at 9450 feet, we bermed, bombed, and bounced our way through scrub oaks, over slickrock, under pinyon pines, and off countless rocky ledges to arrive 22 miles later and 6,000 feet lower at the banks of the Colorado River. Along the way Max Mitchell maneuvered a harrowing rock hop along Upper Porcupine Singletrack, then later followed Owen Timm in finessing the crux move of “the Snotch”.
The Whole Enchilada trail description on MTB Project.
Moab BMX Park
After our first day exhibiting at Outerbike, ZOIC hosted a Jump Jam at the Moab BMX Park. This park features some pretty sweet dirt jumps right on the western edge of town. ZOIC ambassadors mixed with local legends to sample the various lines and test themselves on optional transfers. But the star of the session was mtb athlete Braydon Bringhurst, in town to premier his movie “8600 FT” the next night. Braydon wowed all in attendance with his impossibly smooth moves. However, his most impressive line was as rolling videographer, filming a young rider through a series of jumps using the boy’s own phone, and showing such humility and generosity through that simple act.
Link to map of Moab BMX Park: click here
Bar M Trails
The next day between working the event we got our legs pumping at the Bar M Trails, a series of loops that are well marked with color coordinated skill levels assigned to each trail: Green = easy, Blue = intermediate, Black = advanced. Ranging from singletrack to slickrock, the intermediate and advanced routes add in technical downhills and punchy climbs. As reward for your effort, this trail system takes you right up to the park boundary for Arches National Park, offering peek views of the visual treasures within.
Bar M Trails description on MTB Project.
Captain Ahab
For our final flourish, we headed west of town, passing the Moab BMX Park on our way to Captain Ahab. A quick 10-15 minute drive from town, Captain Ahab is a young trail by Moab standards, having been built less than 10 years ago. But this trail has quickly become a must for any advanced mountain biker visiting Moab. The trail name was inspired by Whale Rock, a notable natural feature which the HyMasa/Captain Ahab loop circumnavigates. HyMasa is a singletrack climbing trail, while Captain Ahab is a one-way (primarily) descending trail.
Because our crew loves a challenge, they opted to climb up Amasa Back/Cliffhanger, a 4x4 trail which is characterized by seemingly endless mandatory step-ups alongside many more technical options including a rock hop & drop combo Max proved quite proficient with, as seen in the accompanying video. Soon after turning onto Captain Ahab, you are rewarded with a breathtaking view down sheer cliffs to the Colorado River, with Canyonlands National Park in the distance. From this vantage point the bike brawl begins in earnest, with numerous rock ledges and boulder features to descend, drop and jump off of. Our riders made ample use of the terrain with all of the tests and thrills it afforded.
HyMasa/Captain Ahab trail description on MTB Project.
By the end of the weekend our riders were exhausted and exhilarated. And eager to know where the next retreat would take us. Stay tuned…
Riders Christian Peper @christian.peper Kai Mikuteit @kai.mikuteit Mark Hibdon @mjhibdon Max Mitchell @maximillianmitchell Owen Timm @sendy_lu_hoo Paul Wyandt @pablozoic Pete Campbell @mtbunicorn Rob Wessels @ride573 Tim DaCosta @tim.dacosta Thom Brooks @thom_corn
Post Script: What is Outerbike?
Outerbike is a bike festival where you can:
- Demo a wide variety of bikes
- Take shuttles to explore several different trail systems
- Shop awesome mtb products (like ZOIC!)
- Enjoy some tasty food
