Exitant

Has anyone done the Cascade High Pass Challenge and what was your training level beforehand?

This year I've done One Day STP and RSVP, but never anything of that elevation gain (7500 ft over 114 miles), so I'm trying to determine if its something I can hammer out or if it requires a lot more training.

I've got a touring bike with a granny gear, so I think I could slog it out on long stretches, but wanted to see if anyone had advice from past experience? It doesn't look like there is too much intense grades, just long stretches in the 5-8% range.

I also noticed they offer a "lower loop" easier ride, however 60 miles with 2000 ft is something I know I can belt out any day, so that wouldn't be much of a challenge.

busygizmo

If you can do STP in a day and back to back 100 mile rides you should be fine. I see that they moved the ride up this year so you don't have much time but it wouldn't hurt to get a ride or two in before that with some long climbs. Sunrise side of Rainier has lots of good climbs. Crystal Mountain, Cayuse, Chinook, Sunrise and even Paradise from the Stevens canyon side.

I've never done the whole CHPC but I've done the climb from the Iron Creek Campground to Windy Ridge and it is a pretty moderate grade that you can spin up. The only time it gets steepish is when you turn off FS25 onto FS99 were is kicks up to that 7-8% range for a bit. Can't remember how long but it passes quickly and eases again.

The climb itself is spectacular IMO and is well worth the drive just to do that. I wouldn't drive down there to do a "lower" loop since the scenery isn't that great.

Pacing and of course staying hydrated if it is hot is the key. 114 miles is no joke.

cwar

I haven't ridden it either, but if you don't have time to drive somewhere to train, there are a number of good climbs in the Seattle area for training including Squak, Zoo/Cougar, Hilltop, Somerset, etc... They don't give you the long continuous climb, they can be ridden to right from Seattle. Zoo is 1200 feet of gain.

karenashg

I haven't ridden the High Pass Challenge, but I rode the route last weekend. Unlike other mountain rides--Hurricane Ridge, Cayuse Pass, etc--which go steadily up for miles, this ride is very variable. You'll go up steeply for a bit, then the road levels off or goes down, then goes gently up, etc--the gradient is constantly changing.

If you generally feel comfortable on hills, this might actually be a good first mountain ride to try, as there are chances for a bit of respite on the way up. It's a challenging route, but it's also really beautiful--if you pace yourself and resist being caught up in the "race" atmosphere of the HPC, you'd probably be fine (which is not the same thing as saying it will be easy!), and it's a rewarding ride to do.

Zoo Hill is a similarly stair-steppy climb, but steeper--doing that a couple times in a row should give you the ease of mind that you'll be able to clear anything in the HPC. And if you can get out this weekend to do Sunrise or similar, that would be a good physical and mental booster too (plus a great way to spend your weekend!)

Medic Zero

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I've never done it, but I'm doing it this year!

I ride a minimum of 60 miles a week just going to work and back, and just came back from a short bicycle tour across Northern California where I chose to route myself through the mountains, so I'm hoping I'm in decent enough shape for it. I'm doing the 61 mile route, and I put in a 65 mile day with some mountains while loaded down with all my camping gear, so I should be good, but I'm slow and on a slow bike!

cwar

I'm signed up and looking forward to it, though the group I'm riding with will probably drop me like a sack of potatoes.

Medic Zero

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I'm starting to worry it's going to be smokey from all the fires. Going to have to do some research on prevailing winds, forecasts and such. I just rode through some forest fire smoke touring in California, and that's no bueno.

karenashg

We were up there again this weekend, and it was really smoky--enough so that we canceled our planned rides, and just had a relaxed weekend instead.

That's the bad news--the good news is that the smoke was brought in by a weather pattern that reversed the usual wind direction. Usually the air is moving from the coast (not on fire) to the interior (on fire), so your chances for clear air are still pretty good.

I hope everybody doing the HPC has a wonderful, safe ride!

Medic Zero

When I checked the forecast early this morning it was for wind out of the SW for the few days previous to the ride, and the fire appears to be to the south of the planned ride area... O.o

busygizmo

Most of the smoke in the Puget Sound has cleared up today and came from eastern Washington. Wind has shifted back to the normal flow and cleared out most of the smoke.


I'm not sure if this impacts the area around St. Helens but on the webcams it doesn't look too bad. Webcams on Rainier pointed south show some haze but it should be rideable. We rode yesterday on Whidbey and it was pretty hazy but according to the Cliff Mass it was well within safe levels.

Not so down south apparently, Portland was worse than Beijing. Sounds like that should clear out too since it was coming from the east through the gorge.

Cliff Mass Weather Blog

FWIW we are probably heading down there this coming weekend to ride because our planned trip to Crater Lake looks like a no-go because of a large fire there.

Our biggest issue looks like rain right now for Sat-Sun in the area. We are planning on riding Mon-Tues so hopefully it won't affect us.

Rain might help the fires if it makes it over the Cascades.

karenashg

There may be some little fires to the south--but the multiple large fires, whose smoke blanketed western Washington over the weekend, are in the north-central part of the state (to the NE of Packwood and Mt St Helens). When I got to Packwood on Friday, the winds were out of the SW (as they usually are) and it was really clear--I enjoyed how bright the stars were as night fell. It was when the wind reversed that all the smoke blew in. So if the forecast is for winds out of the SW, you should be good!

Medic Zero

The Cougar Creek fire isn't small and is to the south.
Cougar Creek Fire grows 5,000 acres as containment shrinks | Local | yakimaherald.com

karenashg

Yes, I certainly didn't mean to diminish the Cougar Creek fire, or the residents of Glenwood who are threatened by it. My apologies.

But as far as it affects the HPC, if the winds are in their normal pattern, it's not an issue for you. The usual weather pattern is for the warmer interior (= east of the Cascade mountains) to pull air from the cooler western portion of the state. The mountains act as a giant barrier, and the breaks in them as funnels for weather/wind--the topography is more important than cardinal directions. So, normally for the HPC route (and this is what I encountered a week ago) is that you'll be heading SW out of Packwood into a good headwind--but returning with a tailwind. If you look at the terrain, the Cougar Creek fire is on the east side of the mountains, so under normal weather/wind patterns, is not likely to affect the HPC, even though it is to the south. If a wildfire were to occur outside of Toutle, for instance, that would be much more likely to affect you.

Medic Zero

Cool, thanks!