High Country Aspen

We want you to have the best experience in Colorado, so it’s important to be sure that this is the perfect mountain bike adventure, with the right level of challenge, for you.

You ride your mountain bike on trails around once per week, and would be comfortable riding a variety of trails including: rooty singletrack through forests; rocky double track climbs; muddy singletrack descents; and loose, rocky trails. Read more on our intermediate+ skill level.

Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other MTB tours that may be a better fit for your mountain biking ability.

Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.

Skill level: Intermediate+

• You are generally comfortable riding most types of terrain in different conditions: singletrack, double track, muddy, dry, loose, bedrock…
• You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively
• You’ll have a go on moderate technical features, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections, but may get off and walk certain technical features
• You mountain bike two or three times a week throughout your biking season
• And the ‘+’ part of ‘Intermediate+’ means that you will be aiming to tackle more of those moderate technical features

Fitness level: 6/7

• You have an excellent level of bike fitness, exercising four or five times every week throughout the year, for at least an hour at a time
• You are comfortable mountain biking up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for four or more consecutive days
• You can tackle several serious climbs a day, up to 600 metres each

Typical trails you’ll be riding

• Much of the riding you’ll do on our mountain bike tour Colorado is over 7,000ft/ 2,000m with exposure present on some trails
• Double track: undulating forest roads made up of hard-packed dirt and small rocks
• Singletrack: rustic singletrack, high alpine trails and forests trails with roots crossing, and at times you will encounter golf ball-sized rock gardens, and occasionally purpose built flow trails
• The trails in the Rocky Mountains are hundreds of years old, so are not always buff purpose built trails, they are natural high alpine walking trails that link regions and surfaces may be soft and muddy at times

Training for your Colorado MTB adventure

To get the most out of your mountain bike tour in Colorado you should plan plenty of training in advance of your tour.

The ideal bike for the Colorado trails is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 130mm -150mm of travel front and rear.

We recommend that you travel with your own bike, and have some handy tips on how to do this.  When travelling with your own bike, you must ensure that it has been properly serviced before the trip.

If you don’t want to travel with your own bike, we can arrange a Trek Fuel EX 8 rental bike for your backcountry MTB adventure in Colorado.

We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will generally be between six and 10 people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour Colorado is four.

Our High Country Aspen mountain bike tour Colorado caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 55-years-old. Regardless of age, you must have the appropriate level of physical fitness and mountain biking skills to participate in this adventure. Please refer to clause 14 of our terms and conditions of booking to find more information on rider age.

This mountain bike tour Colorado is a guided mountain bike vacation, ideal for intermediate+ mountain bikers. The terrain you’ll be riding on consists of double track and singletrack through thick forests, villages and across mountain passes. You’ll encounter some steep climbs and rooty sections, as well as fabulous, swooping descents. Altitude is a factor in this trip and we have some tips for riding at high altitudes and managing the effects of altitude.

The distances we cover each day range from 20km to 50km, in accordance with the altitude and height gain/ loss on each stage.

Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.

No, you only need to carry a 20-litre back pack with you whilst riding. We have your large kit bags transferred to your next accommodation each day, and have it ready and waiting for your arrival.

Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills training during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your Colorado adventure.

If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk. You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!

Your mountain bike guides are local, qualified, experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking in Colorado.

Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of the tour. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip. Meet your guide in Colorado

On this mountain bike tour in this beautiful region of Colorado you will be staying in a mountain condo in Snowmass mountain village and a wilderness mountain hut.

All lunches starting on day one, all breakfasts starting on day two and a welcome BBQ with a celebration last night meal. Colorado has a diverse and high quality offering when it comes to food, pulling on influences from around the US and further afield with its dishes.

Whilst not all dinners are included in the tour price, we will eat together as a group every evening.

The ideal bike for the Colorado trails is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 130mm -150mm of travel front and rear.

Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your Colorado mountain bike tour.

Yes, you will have the chance to have laundry done most evenings.

Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety. 

Aspen, Colorado is well-served by many major airlines from all over the world.
For up-to-date timetables and booking visit: www.delta.com; www.aa.com; www.united.com; and www.swiss.com. You must book your bike on to your flight in advance, otherwise you could face a heavy charge at the airport.

Here are some handy tips and video on how to pack your bike for travel.

Visas

Canadian Citizens generally do not require visas to visit USA. You must have your passport as proof of citizenship.

All other citizens should check the Visa and ESTA requirements on the travel.state.gov website. A tourist/landing card may be given to you during your flight to the USA.

It is your responsibility to find out the visa and passport requirements to enter the United States from your country.

Arrival and departure details

Your mountain bike tour Colorado will start and end in Aspen.

You should arrive the day prior to your tour start date and spend one night in Snowmass, allowing for any delays to flights and luggage. Your guide will meet you in the foyer of your hotel and he will be holding an H+I Adventures sign and wearing an H+I ride top.

On the last day of the tour, your guide will ensure you are dropped off at Aspen airport on time to catch your flight home. Therefore, we would advise booking your flights home no earlier than 11am on your day of departure.

Our mountain bike guides in Colorado are of the highest level.

They are qualified in first-aid and they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these remote, wild and beautiful parts of Colorado.

Our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the trails of the Centennial State and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.

One of the things that sets our holidays apart from others is the unique local accommodation we use. We aim to use the best, locally-run accommodation in each country, and that which is traditional to that specific area, whether it be city or mountain.

On our mountain bike tour Colorado you’ll be staying in a mountain condos in Snowmass and a wilderness backcountry hut, where a warm welcome awaits all mountain bikers.

Most of the food you will enjoy on our mountain bike tour Colorado is traditional food influenced by surrounding states, all prepared with the greatest of care and skill.

Whilst not all dinners are included in the tour price, we will eat together as a group every evening.

No vaccinations are required for visiting Colorado.

We recommend you check before drinking tap water, but 99% of this is safe for consumption. Bottled or filtered water will be readily available throughout the trip.

Also, please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.

You should always consult your own doctor or physician before travelling to new countries to seek their advice on matters concerning your health abroad.

Your health and safety on tour is our top priority and when you travel with us you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.

The official currency of the USA is the US Dollar and is the only currency that will be accepted. ATM machines are available in Inverness.

Tipping

It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Colorado, but if you feel that you have had a good service or experience on your mountain bike tour Colorado, you can tip at your discretion.

It is not compulsory to tip in restaurants, but it is expected. We suggest you tip your servers around 15% – 25% of your meal cost.

You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage, including your bike.

We work with Global Rescue whose policies are specially designed for adventure travel and you can arrange your insurance cover directly with them.

H&I Adventures Ltd. operates in partnership with Blazing Adventures and COBC with all riders operated under their special use permits from the USFS and BLM.