INZANE 17 Beartooth Pass adventure

[JimC]

I am posting this message for Lothair (98T) as he has been swamped with work after returning from Billings.

I will leave the actual message and first hand experience to 98T, Mad6gun, and Psychotic Bovine, as they are the ones that actually went through this adventure. The pictures were taken from one of their spouses as a good Samaritan picked them up and gave them a ride down the mountain in a car after seeing their dilemma.

Going up to the Top of the World





30 minutes later, heading down.











That ride had to be the ULTIMATE PUCKER FACTOR!

Jim

[..]

 

[pocket aces]

Holy Shitake 

[3fan4life]

I wouldn't be very happy about that turn of events either!

I would probably be scared shirtless.

[solo1]

Chris told me that it WAS the ultimate pucker factor.!

No brakes, no sudden changes in throttle, just get offs with no warning.

[JimC]

Wayne,
Those pictures are what I was referring to in another post about maybe not wanting to see all the pics.

Jim

[Serk]

 

It was snowy, cold and miserable when I did it I think 2 days before this in the cage with the family.

I've suddenly got NO regrets about doing that road in the cage, the weather can change on ya' so quickly there!

Glad the get off wasn't any worse, with the drop offs on that road..... *Shudder*

[vanavyman]

Wow, knew there was a lot of snow last week up there and highs in the 40's. This is the one road Trish and I passed on during our time in Billings. Was concerned about this type of scenario. Sure hope everyone made it back safe.
Dan

[98 T]

Thanks Jim C for posting pics...

So... we had a VERY enjoyable ride to the top... a little drizzle but nothing serious. Great views on the way up. We stopped at the scenic overlook - took pics... and headed up.  We crossed over the summit and there were people skiing up there and a some people stopped to watch.  The plan was to go just over the top and see a little of the other side.  We went to the  Top Of the World store there and spent a little while there.  Then we headed back up and over.  

About 2 miles up we hit a little sleet but the road seemed fine.  In just a couple turns later it was slushy but seemed ok.  Then in just under 1/4  of a mile, it turned really ugly!!!  Plowing a couple inches of snow with our tires.  Couldn't turn back... couldn't go forward.



I'll let  Mad6Gun (Mark) and Psychotic Bovine  (Chris)  fill you in on their take as they were behind me.

We had a "delay" at the top for a while and I was seriously worried about getting snowed in up there. No cell signal... no tow trucks... nothing!!  Then the pavement looked like it was melting a little better so we started out. My wife  and Mark (Mad6Gun)'s wife got a ride in an SUV behind us 3 and we started out.  The first 2 miles were ok.. riding in wet car tracks... but then it got WAY worse a little farther down and the last 2 miles back to the scenic look out point were very scary... the "pucker factor" was at 100+%.  
We stopped there for a while and  talked to people who said just a "few turns back" the weather was better.  So, after a long wait there,  we found another nice couple in a small  RV who were going to turn back and head down to Red Lodge and they offered to take our wives in their camper back down.

Here's a pic while we were holding up at the scenic view parking lot.



We headed out and sure enough - about 1000 feet lower in altitude, we were blessed with only wet pavement.  Another 1000 feet lower and it wasn't even wet!!!  What a difference!!

So glad to be back on dry pavement and not in snow/sleet/ice!!!

At the scenic lookout, I advised a group of adventure riders NOT to press on.. but they had knobby tires and were sure they could make it through.  I wonder how they made out?? A couple  other Harleys rode by while we were there.. I wonder how they did?

For all I know, it was warm and sunny at the top 45 minutes later!!! Man did the weather change fast up there!!

I live in Wisconsin and am very used to driving in snow.... but I've NEVER done this on a bike and don't ever plan to again.

Our guardian angels ( an sheer adrenaline)  kept us warm and kept us pressing on hoping to find better road conditions farther down the slope.  

Mark or Chris...you have anything to add???
The whole ordeal seems like a bad dream now and I probably left some stuff out...


Cross   "riding in snow on a Valk"   off my bucket list.
 

[DirtyDan]

I got some snow pictures but ......

DANG !!!

Hats off

Do it while you can

Dan

[fudgie]

Whew Wee!  I woulda turned around and waited it out in Cooke City for the day or night. Its only less then a hour from the store. I been lucky all the times Ive gone in Aug. Cooke city had snow 2 days before we got there 2 yrs ago.

[Moonshot_1]

The last Inzane I was at the cycle games were the slow roll and slalom course. You all are getting hard core now!

Wow. Glad you guys made it out alive! 

[Psychotic Bovine]

Ok, here is my story, well, the parts that Loth didn't mention.
I ended up dropping pretty far behind Mark and Loth.  The conditions were getting worse by then, and I could barely see between my glasses fogging up and my faceshield icing over..
I was taking it slow to say the least.  I felt the Valk trying to slide, it also felt like my steering inputs were doing nothing.  It was like the front wheel wasn't even connected to anything.  I was keeping a very delicate touch on the throttle.  Then, just like someone kicked the rear end, I was down and watching the Valk slide away and do a 180 ending up in the opposite lane facing the way we came.
Someone in an SUV stopped and helped me pick it up, there was no chance I could lift it on my own without any traction.  He also picked up my broken left highway peg.  
I got on the bike again and got it turned around (barely). I rode at less than a walking pace around the next curve and saw the turnout of the ski lift about 200 yards ahead.  I was barely moving and keeping my feet down, but ended up dropping it again (no damage).  Two blokes from Britain stopped and helped me get it upright again, but the road crown was so bad I couldn't get off of it to set up the sidestand.  One of them walked the 200 yards to the turnout and brought back a few people including two women from the ski patrol.  With 5 people pushing and me in the saddle steering it, we got it up to the turnout where I finally got off of it and put the stand down.  One of the guys while pushing it mentioned what a nice bike it was!
I guess Mark's wife, Twila was talking to someone that said I was down a ways back(this was before I got the bike picked up the second time).  She couldn't see where I was (visibility was about 100 feet most of the time), but the woman she was talking to told her I was down and "It didn't look good." People are so dramatic.  I was fine, just wounded pride.  As Loth said, the roads got a bit warmer and we were able to make it down to the next turnout that had restrooms and such.  After that, enough cars had gone by, and the temp was above 35, that we made it down the mountain.  I never thought I would be happy to see rain and 40 degrees!

[fudgie]

Dam! 

[Oss]

Any time you are above 10000ft you can expect snow and ice

Thats why I went over a day early a few years ago on my way to Seattle when the forecast said chance of thunderstorms.

So glad that other than pride and a highway peg no damage to you or the bikes.

Now you have a great story to develop into future lies at the next IZ when that snow will be a 12foot blizzard   

[F6Dave]

I rode Beartooth on Wednesday and talked with two riders (non-VRCC) who had been there the day before.  I couldn't believe they were doing it again, but Wednesday turned out to be great as you can see in my pictures.  I'd never been over Beartooth, but must say it's about the most spectacular ride I've ever taken.  I couldn't believe how high the posted speed limits were (65 WY/70 MT).

Montana side


Wyoming side

[Gryphon Rider]

So, the snow event pictures above are from Thursday, June 29th?  That was the day I was planning to do it with Levi, but I saw the 80% (or so) POP pretty much all day in Red Lodge, and thought that if it's raining at 5500 feet, it would probably be snowing at 10,000 feet, so we took the van with our ladies to the Little Bighorn Battlefield instead.  Glad we did.  Beartooth Pass with Levi will have to wait for another trip.

[BobB]

I had planned to go over Beartooth with TP on Tuesday, but that was cancelled due to weather.  In talking to folks that went, there was no problem that day.  I then joined the Colorado crew, Dick, Tom and Ron, on Wednesday.  Left GZ at 8:00 AM and had good weather all morning.  Sky's opened up while having lunch in Cook City, and rained speracitily through the journey down Chief Joseph highway.  We were lucky, some got hit at the summit of Beartooth pass.  At least it was liquid.  Got her done before that mess on Thursday.

I my younger years I spent many weeks sking in the Rockies and remember how quickly the weather can change at those altitudes.  You never know...

[gregk]

All I can say is unreal! Very nice shots. Sure glad yous made it out safely . I could imagine yous having to get lifted out. I had to sleep in the car at the top with the wife an kids close to 30 years ago.  Summer time  ah when sturgis was on so mayby 1wk of Augest. Left  red lodge and was looking for a campground. What campground, this is before we had these electronic things. It got dark , I couldn't find anything, all asleep an I was scared of driving off the cliff. Still remember a hell of a tight turn in the road an wounded how a semi could make the turn. We got to the top and I had no idea where we were. All I could see was a area where we could pull off and that there was two outhouses there so that was it. It got so cold I had to fire up the car a couple of times and it rained some. In the morning we awoke and couldn't believe we were at the top. I got out in a tee shirt for 15 minutes and froze my a off. I could see bikers coming up the swishbacks and felt sorry for them cause I knew they were going to freeze. There were patches of snow here an there. Thanks for the pictures, That was pretty hairy for yous.     
I'll never forget it and I know you guys will have a memory that you'll never forget!

[kodiakfisher]

I looked at the National Weather Service and they were predicting 3-7 inches of snow and sleet. This was my girlfriends first trip and we had reservations at Lake Yellowstone. The initial plan was to go over Beartooth pass but after seeing the weather report we went up and around the weather and dropped in through Gardiner and then into Yellowstone lake. We only caught a touch of sprinkles but could see the dark clouds gathering up there. I kept point and telling Olga anyone up there on Beartooth pass right now is not having any fun at all.

We went out through Cody, WY on Friday, up Chief Joseph hwy and over bear tooth to that very same lookout (Vista point). It was tee shirt weather and darn hot up there 24hrs later. There where rumors from other Valks at the top of the world store that a few people went down on Thursday. Glad to see nothing serious. No worries on the pride making it down in one piece is more than enough bragging rights.

Kodiakfisher.

[MAD6Gun]

 OK here is my story.  We had lite rain when we left Billings. Not enough for rain gear. Continued off and on all the way to Red Lodge. We put our rain suites on in Red Lodge. We left Red Lodge and headed up the pass. Was beautiful scenery all the way up. A little light rain and sleet but nothing was sticking. Went over the top to the Top of the world store. Bought a couple of things. We were there maybe 45 minutes.

 We left and headed back up. Like Loth stated it started out with a little sleet then slush they a full blown snow storm. To late to turn back we trudged on. Neither Loth or myself  knew Chris went down until someone told us after I went down. We were slowing down when the bike came out from under us. My wife hit her knee on the bike and I got a bruise on my left leg from the handle bar.  After I got up and checked on Twila Loth helped me get the bike back up but when I tried to move it off the crown the tire spun and put me in the gutter next to the road.  I just laid it back down gently. By then ski patrol made it to us and they were tending to Twila. Four guys help me pull my bike back on to the road. Loth had moved his bike down the hill to another overlook. I rode mine down to  Loths. We both left our bikes there and went back up to check on our wives and chris. By then Chris had his bike upright and at the overlook.  We decided to ride our bikes off of the mountain. So off we went with the wives in a car behind us. I will tell you riding down that mountain in the snow sucked bigtime. After a short stay in another overlook waiting for cars to get rid of some of the snow we took off again this time our wives were in a nice couples RV. After another 1000 feet down the snow turned into rain and the roads cleared. I was never so glad to see rain and 40 degree in my life. We were reunited with Dawn and Twila in Red Lodge.  

We got back on the bikes and headed for Billings. I Never want to do that again. Minor damage to both bikes,broken highway pegs. Nothing I can't fix. Except for Twila's hurt knee we all came out of unscathed.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Whoa ! That looks brutal. Glad everybody is ok. I did a couple hundred miles of snow once, but it was in relatively flat west Texas. Can't imagine coming down mountain grades and hairpin corners.

[Crackerborn]

Riding in the snow sucks, riding in the snow in the mountains really sucks. Glad there were no more troubles than happened and it's good to hear there are still some good Samaritans out there. Your experience on the mountain makes my May snow troubles pale in comparison. I was on (sort of) flat terrain down in eastern WY and defiantly would not have wanted to be in the mountains in the conditions you were in. Glad everyone is safely down and the damage minor.

Keep the shiny side up

[old2soon]

Chris Mark Loth-GLAD my Bros and Sisters are all Okey Doikey cept as noted. Twila darlin-heal fast. None of y'all Know how happy I iz that no serious injuries were put on anyone. And Thank You GOD for putting the good samaritins Where they were needed When they were needed.  RIDE SAFE.

[Hoser]

I rode to council grove Kansas to meet up with some old guys for lunch as we do weekly,  some where in the great plains, with the the Romeo riders, in 90 to 100 degrees on my old Goldwing, I wish I was able, I would rather been on Beartooth with the Valkyries guys, but I'm still in the wind and I wish the best to my Valkyrie friends that can, Getting old ain't for sissies.  ride on, brothers. I'm still hanging in there.  Hoser   

[Woton]

Wow...knew that BikerGirl and I would give up some things if we missed Inzane this year.

Not sorry we missed THAT.  Interestingly, the number one thing BikerGirl wanted to do if we made the trip was the Beartooth Highway.  Could have just as easily been us. 

Kudos to the cool heads, the Good Samaritans, and the photographers!  Thanks for sharing and we're glad you all are safe.

[Gryphon]

Makes me very glad the wife and I rode Beartooth Pass on Friday afternoon on the way home from InZane.  The roads were dry and the sun was shining on Friday.  Still had snow on the ground, of course, but the roads were clear and the temps weren't bad.