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Win A Yeti SB140 and Support Colorado's Trails

Sep 21, 2023
by COMBA  
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Words: Colorado Mountain Bike Association

Colorado Mountain Bike Association, Yeti Cycles, The Golden Mill, and Denver Beer Co. are partnering together to raise funds to support trail projects, with one lucky winner taking home a Yeti SB140.

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MORRISON, COLORADO. - Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA), a 501(c)(3) has announced their latest fundraising sweepstakes to support trail building in the Central Front Range. Teaming up with local partners to support their efforts, Yeti Cycles will be providing the grand prize being their phenomenal SB140 T2 build ($8000) in the winner’s color and size choice (subject to availability). Runner up prizes include two chances to win “Free Beer For A Year’ at The Golden Mill ($500 each), translating to one free beer per week for 52 weeks!* The sweepstakes closes on Monday, September 25 11:59 p.m MST.

Enter here for your chance to win
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COMBA is the number one driving force behind the many amazing trails in the Central Front Range area of Colorado. Most recently, work has focused on maximizing the experience for the rider, namely in the shape creating of directional bike-only trails. In the last 5 years they have opened 6 of them, with the latest being the widely acclaimed Rutabaga Ride trail. Supporting COMBA is your chance to keep this work sustainable and thriving for years to come. This includes their next project for five new bike-only trails coming to Idaho Springs in 2024.

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bigquotesWe’re grateful to have such great partners at Yeti Cycles that support our work year-in and year-out. The past few years we’ve brought two complete new trail systems for Front Range riders and we can’t wait for the third to open next spring! Colorado’s trails are among the busiest so bringing these new bike-only directional trails to the area is critical to keeping the peace and providing world-class MTB experiences. We have a lot still to accomplish though, and appreciate everyone’s support—Gary Moore, Executive Director, Colorado Mountain Bike Association

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Entry sales start: August 30, 2023 at 3:23 pm MST

Available until: September 25, 2023 at 11:59 pm MST

Drawing date: September 29, 2023 at 11:59 am MST

Enter here for your chance to win

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Contests and Deals Trail Advocacy


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Member since Aug 29, 2019
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65 Comments
  • 23 7
 COMBA has been doing great stuff in recent years, quite unlike Jeffco's efforts to neuter previously fun trails in and around Golden. That said, Rutabaga is absolute trash and was a complete waste of resources.
  • 8 2
 This man speaks the truth.
  • 11 1
 Rutabaga could be so much better if they didn’t build so many tight berms that have zero catch. Good ol “Colorado berms” is what I call em, since 90% of them in this state are built like crap
  • 3 1
 THIS. Rutabaga's existence is regrettable.
  • 3 2
 hahaha... 100% agree. has anyone not ridden anywhere else other than the midwest and learn how to build trail. i have tired several times to no avail... oh well, anyway, please keep moving here so my house value keeps going up so i can move...
  • 8 0
 For what it is, Rutabaga isn't that bad for what it's intended to be. I do hope they build a more direct bike only trail to the bottom with minimal pedaling. I actually think the berms are better built than say, Hard Money. That trail has some of the tightest switchbacks I've ever ridden.
  • 3 0
 @landon99: I suppose, but I have a hard time with the sudden and unnecessary uphill or pedal sections which are a bit out of place for a trail designed to be bikes-only and one-directional. But I hear you re: Hard Money, which is another really silly and uninspiring COMBA trail.
  • 2 0
 @landon99: It does suck that the draw of Rutabaga essentially ruined one of the most fun blue trail descents on the front range. Uphill traffic makes it near impossible to have a fun run down to the creek at Lair now.
  • 4 0
 @RogerMexico: When I first rode the trail I was expecting it to be full on DH with zero uphill like the main trail. After riding it a few times, I kind of like the main trail better, ha!
  • 3 0
 @texag: Trail was always full of uphill traffic even before the new addition of Rutabaga. You gotta be smart on what time of the day/what day of the week to ride that trail. I agree though, the initial descent is incredibly fun.
  • 3 0
 @landon99: I'm aware, I'd only ride it early AM or at last light M-Th, never bothered trying it on the weekends. Last time I tried the original descent on a Wednesday evening after Rutabaga opened and stopped over a dozen times. At least it seems to be reducing traffic on Apex.
  • 3 0
 @landon99: the main trail is way better. Rutabaga is really disappointing. I’m really confused why so many people think it’s a destination trail. It’s flat, smooth and really boring.
  • 1 1
 I’m a fan of Rutabega, more jumps, more tech, longer overall, no uphill hikers or bikers
  • 16 8
 I am always mystified by both how COMBA builds trails, and why they are so ungodly expensive. Maryland Mountain is a promising zone and I’m forever grateful that they contracted Jagged Axe to build Ore Chute — if they did more of that I’d become a member and would donate on a monthly basis. But the average COMBA trail is way less fun to ride than the 40 year old hiking trails we have like Longhorn and Apex. And the “pro” lines they build like the 3 foot drop on Floyd or the “rock chute” at Floyd are just intermediate features masquerading as “pro lines.”

Despite my differences, I was going to become an annual member until I just saw that they are building 12 miles of trails in Virginia Canyon for $350k. That’s what, $29,000 per mile of what will be super mediocre, machine built flow trail nonsense with rock kicker lips that are hacked together.

Any trail development is better than no trail development and I get that Jeffco is a major pain in the ass to work with but I just wish that Jeffco would commit to building better trails that aren’t so obscenely expensive. The best pirate trail systems we have in the front range were hacked together for free by dudes and gals with stoke and shovels, and COMBA wants $29,000 per mile to build some Jerry networks.

Open to being told I’m wrong or thinking about this wrong. I want to be a contributing member of our community, I just wish we could have a Bellingham-like model here in the front range. As the door mat to the Rockies, we should have a beautifully robust trail network built, supported and paid for by our local business and communities. But instead we have some awkward trails hacked together in random places dotted 40 minutes apart.

Oh well. Maybe I’ll enter and get that Golden Mill gift card. $500 to that place will at least buy me a beer, a sandwich and some fries (gratuity not included even though I’m serving myself and bussing my own table). Wink
  • 4 1
 Have you looked at the Virginia Canyon plans? It looks pretty sick to me
  • 2 0
 Agreed on all counts.
  • 2 1
 @Kruton: I have been following the project for the last two years. I would be more excited if Jagged Axe was building the whole thing, but as it is I remain extremely skeptical that these trails will be any better than the existing trails in Virginia Canyon.
  • 8 1
 Also, since I see COMBA in this thread, FYI your Form 990’s are not generating on IRS.gov for any year after 2020. Would be great to have more transparency on financials before becoming a member. Not sure if the fault is on the IRS end (likely) or if COMBA isn’t filing.
  • 11 2
 Really appreciate the COMBA trails nearby and looking forward for more, thanks!
  • 12 2
 Thanks for the support, we're excited about what's to come in Idaho Springs next year!
  • 10 3
 Haters gonna hate. COMBA literally exists to build and expand mtb trails, which have come a long way in the decade I've been here. It's always amazing how many ungrateful bastards we have here! COMBA, keep 'em coming!
  • 1 7
flag rzicc (Sep 21, 2023 at 21:29) (Below Threshold)
 thats cause you have never obviously been outside CO and spend any time in a real MTN area... IF SO PLEASE DO TELL...
  • 6 1
 Did any of the trail haters here show up to a single trail building session? Voice your concerns during the extensive planning phases either to COMBA or your local gov't? (. . . crickets . . . )
  • 3 0
 yup several. times. all of the above.
  • 3 1
 No more buffing hard climbs or making rat nest trail systems please. There are not many achievements that I appreciate COMBA for. I liked climbing up Apex for the descent and like knowing where to go without trails continuously going in and out. Maybe I'm just old school before everything was a fire road climb for the "enduro" descent. Long Horn would be my one, and possibly only nod to COMBA that I can think of.
  • 4 0
 I ain't bitchin, COMBA has turned out for Clear Creek. Thanks!
  • 2 0
 $500 for a year of beer??? Lol
  • 1 0
 Since you're in Golden, I'd assume you may have tried the Golden Mill. We went once. That place is absurdly expensive. They're the only bar on the creek, so they ream you on prices.
  • 2 0
 @Explodo: One beer you pour yourself for $8 - $9. Chicken sandwich and fries that you order yourself and pick up yourself: $24. Total = $33 for one beer and a super mediocre sandwich with cold fries. Then you bus your table, and drop off your card where they charge you 18% mandatory gratuity.
  • 1 0
 I hope I win, but I'll take solace in donating to getting more trails when I dont.
  • 11 14
 As someone who lives basically halfway between Yeti and the golden mill: But then you need to support COMBA's shitty trail building, including the taming of long-standing goods (for example, the recent changes to upper Belcher).

Most of what's good in CO has been minimally influenced by COMBA. Change my mind.
  • 20 3
 Going to respectfully disagree with you as someone who lives in the same area. The fact that they've been so helpful building entire new systems of trails in the last 4 years is amazing. Floyd Hill Maryland Mountain Rutabaga Warren Gulch Virginia Canyon on the way. Not even to mention Buff Creek, etc. Of course they have to come in and make it more sustainable but we have very large rider numbers. And it will erode soon enough and you will soon have your rowdy riding again So, in my opinon, hats off to COMBA
  • 8 1
 As someone who lives next door to the Golden Mill, this would be helpful. But, HOLY DANG upper Belcher is so bad now! The easy solution would've been to just turn it directional. Also, I know EPA must factor into many decisions, but why is it when we get a new trail we have to lose an old trail? Looking at you WR and South Table.
  • 24 0
 I think you're confusing JeffCO Open Space decisions with COMBA. COMBA has made significant improvements over the last few years to partner with land managers to build new mountain bike areas including Floyd Hill, Maryland Mountain, Warren Gulch, Rutabaga Ridge at Lair, North Elk Creek connecting Cub Creek to Staunton and others. Funding and the new trail builds for Virginia Canyon in Idaho Springs are a huge win for mountain bikers. I agree that the changes on upper Belcher and Deer Creek are a huge step back, but COMBA can't force land managers to consider their input or help when they make changes on their open space trails. Since COMBA is a volunteer organization, feel free to pitch in to make it better.
  • 6 3
 I'm very appreciative of the quantity of new trail work, but COMBA's obsession with stone sidewalks and berms that end uphill is fascinating.
  • 15 0
 I agree with @Kruton. Comba has been killing it with new bike specific directional trails. Maryland Mountain and Floyd Hill are fantastic. I don’t think Comba had anything to do with Belcher maintenance, that was jeffco open space, but they were involved in making Longhorn bike only one-way.
  • 10 1
 When did you move to Colorado? I ask because when I started riding in 2014 the MTB options were not great. Literally not one single directional, mountain bike trail unless you wanted to drive up I-70 and spend money. 9 years later, I could list all the DH-only MTB trails and MTB-focused trail systems but it'd take a while and you know what they are anyways.

I get it, the Front Range is not Bellingham (news flash: it never will be). And the recent Belcher reroute SUCKS GIANT DONKEY BALLS. But things are way, way better than they used to be. Not saying there isn't still room for improvement! But on the whole, COMBA has really improved the quality of MTB around Denver.
  • 15 0
 @bocomtb: It always drives me crazy when people say the riding in CO will never be like Bellingham/Whistler/Whatever other riding destination. We have AMAZING terrain here, it would be different but acting like CO can never have great mountain biking trails is ridiculous.
  • 4 0
 @dthomp325: I'd like to know if it's true that COMBA had nothing to do with the Belcher reroute, so I can be pure of heart in my sanctimonious condemnation of Jeffco. It feels so much nicer
  • 6 1
 Mind not changed. Yes. I remember when there were fewer trails/no directional trails on the FR and realize that COMBA has helped, but it doesn't change the fact that our quality to potential ratio is way off. A trail organization run by folks who actually knew how to ride a mountain bike would be a great first step to correcting. Our flow trails suck (yes, including sluice and hard money), and the good technical trails are all pirate built or hiking trails built long before COMBA was in the picture.
  • 4 1
 @bbachmei: Yeah, not Bellingham? Who gives a shit? I think the proper response is Bellingham will never be Crested Butte, or Fruita, or Carbondale or name your town. We got a lot of great things going on here. It’s just different.
  • 2 1
 @bocomtb: stop saying Bellingham. There are so many other places. First of, Chuck and Galbraith are good, not great. but its the acess. how about Seattle? WhiteFish? Jackson? so many place have good trials that dont allow uphill traffic. I tell people about CO and they are baffled how we run the system...
  • 1 0
 @sspiff: haha.. so true... wait... lets build a flow and you can also use as a climb trail... WTF!!!
  • 1 1
 @TheR: haha.. yeah, CB and Fruita suck.. youre right, def not like them at all
  • 10 0
 @sspiff: Maybe our trail quality to potential ratio on the FR is way off, not because COMBA doesn't know what they are doing or how to ride a bike, but because so may of the thousands of avid riders on the FR are really good at complaining, but don't actually donate time or money to the sport they say they love. There are over 25,600 members of the Front Range MTB group on Facebook, but only about 2000 COMBA members. If you want your trail organization to have more influence and be able to change public land managers minds about directional bike only, purpose built trail networks, the least thing you could do was empower your local MTB advocacy group with your actual support instead of whining like an entitled brat that their hard work isn't up to your hard core standards. COMBA is fighting for influence against much larger, better funded hiking/hunting/equine groups for access to every acre of public land on the FR.
  • 1 0
 @Davemk: This a hundred times over. It is the land manager who decides what gets built, not the volunteers/contractors.
  • 3 1
 @rzicc: Whatever, man. The point is, we have 50,000 square miles of mountains out there. Plenty of rad place to ride. No need to be wringing our hands about not being Bellingham. That’s such a weak ass mindset.
  • 1 1
 @rzicc: I said Bellingham because for some silly reason it comes up in comparison to the Front Range all the time. Which makes no sense on a number of levels. They are not comparable.

Seattle is more of a "peer" to the Front Range. But are the progressive MTB options up there really that much better than the Denver area these days? You've got Tiger (which I've ridden) and Duthie...but what else?
  • 3 0
 With respect to the Upper Belcher changes, I assume everyone is talking about riding it downhill? I just rode up it for the first time this morning and was pleasantly surprised when reaching the top and my lungs were not about to explode. I can't imagine anyone actually enjoyed riding up the old trail, save for a few masochistic individuals. The new trail did seem uninspiring as a downhill ride so I can see why others were disappointed. They definitely should have left the old trail in place as a downhill-only option. Guessing that's a JeffCo decision.
  • 1 0
 @Kruton: Floyd is a bit lame and Buff creek; get your gravel bike out... COMBA didn't build Maryland Mt. to my understanding which is ironically the best trail system you mentioned.
  • 6 0
 Not here to change anyone's mind. People really get opinionated about Front Range mountain biking. These days I hear much less complaints from the lycra XC people than the enduro-bro folks. That seems strange to me considering the new trails are being built to please the enduro-bro folks more than the XC folks. The vocal folks still aren't pleased. They want extra gnar...so they say...but then a trail like Blackjack is overgrown with weeds. It seems like it is all about a hardcore image just like the Tacoma and 4Runners with all the cool overlanding parts added to them. Peacocking to stand out in the suburban wasteland of middle America. Meanwhile not many places with this much of a selection of mountain biking trails to ride on public lands. The trails are all different but the folks want some kind of uniformity. I'll keep riding the trails that are forgotten about. The sounds of silence.
  • 2 0
 @bocomtb: Short answer - the trails in Tiger and Raging River are better than anything the Front Range has to offer.
  • 2 1
 @Davemk: @Davemk: I do get that. That's why I've considered becoming a member. But then I ride a place like Floyd and see they've spent $750k on Virginia Canyon to build 5 trails and just get so frustrated.

If they wanted to change the landscape of mountain biking in the Front Range in a permanent way, they should have used that $750k to lobby local congress to draft legislation to make the JeffCo Open Space Director/Senior Leadership an electable position by democratic processes. That's the only way to get a geriatric, boomer-thinking, useless potato like Tom Hoby out of JeffCo open space so that we can start making real progress here. Otherwise it just feels like money wasted -- and Jeffco will continue to spend $62,000,000 a year (of tax payer money) for the sake of preservation that will never be enjoyed by any of us who pay taxes in Jeffco.
  • 2 0
 @stravaismyracecourse: Do you think that COMBA is trying to spend as much as possible to build trails? I understand that other places with other regulations seem to be able to build cheaper, but the combination of the required high amounts of rock work (not something they have to deal with in the PNW) and typical land manager requirements that all trail construction be completed by "qualified" and insured professional trail construction companies drive up the cost.
Local trail managers used to allow volunteer groups to build trail with limited guidance, but those times are long gone on the FR. One of my friends, back in the 90's when he was a teacher, led a group of students to build the Morrison Slide trail at Matthew Winters. Full volunteer projects like that are no longer permitted. Land managers are too worried about potential liability. So yes, just like everything else in life, trails cost way more than we'd like. The question is, are they worth the investment? And, will you actually start helping grow the MTB culture here by supporting COMBA?
  • 1 1
 @bocomtb: Ragging River, Snoqualamine. thats 4 areas that are all better than what we have. TIger MTN alone has more direction miles than all of the front frange combined.
  • 1 0
 After your complaints about upper belcher, I went and rode it today. You're right, Jeffco absolutely ruined that section of trail. I don't know if it got destroyed by the historic rains we had this year and they had to rebuild it differently or if they just needed it to be wheelchair accessible, but they took all of the fun out of it.
  • 2 0
 @ArizonaJack: Straight from the COMBA website about Maryland: The City acquired the 600-acre property just north of town to create the Maryland Mountain Recreational Park and planners are quickly moving to build approximately 15-miles of trail for hiking, running, and mountain biking. COMBA got involved during the design & construction phase and successfully advocated for the addition of three bike-only, downhill-directional trails to the master plan
  • 1 0
 @ArizonaJack: Also I will pay good money to see you ride blackjack at Buff Creek on a gravel bike. You lmk the time and date
  • 1 0
 @Explodo: are you talking about it from an uphill perspective or a downhill perspective?
  • 2 0
 @naturallight87: It was more fun uphill and downhill before. It is now much easier to get up than it was, but I prefer the challenge of the now-removed steps. It goes without saying that it was more fun going down before it was turned perfectly smooth.
  • 1 0
 @rzicc: stop crying and move then
  • 1 1
 @kmg0: not crying, just saying the trails suck here and it can be fixed. If you're triggered or whatever you snowflakes call it now, you should really work on that.
  • 1 0
 So will other parts of CO see any benefit from this, or just Denver?
  • 3 0
 COMBA supports the greater Denver area.
  • 6 0
 Hopefully just Denver. There are trails that I am even afraid to mention bc of what COMBA might do the them.







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