Imagine cresting a climb that has commanded your attention for the past hour or so and finding yourself in an almost other-worldly alpine setting of indescribable beauty. The crystalline waters of a glacial lake, the snowclad jagged peaks still rising well beyond where you are at that moment, the shrinking snowfield that lingers as a reminder of what winters are like at timberline, the incomparably crisp feel of the air about you--these are a few of the trappings of a mountain bike experience that surround you.

Inherent in mountain biking, also, is an invitation to adventure that awaits those bold enough to ride the dirt into the backcountry and accept the challenges that are part of a true backcountry experience.

Timberline's off-road mountain bike program for 1998 in every sense is an invitation to adventure. Each component tour has been structured, and in some cases, restructured, to emphasize backcountry contact with a commitment to adventure.

Hut-to-Hut mountain biking has been an important part of our off-road program for the past two seasons and will be again in '99. Three separate itineraries are planned, each tailored for different ability levels, ranging from the moderate Frying Pan to the aggressive Aspen Extreme programs. All Hut-to-Hut programs will focus on the Tenth Mountain Hut and Trail system in the high alpine reaches of Colorado's Central Rockies.

Also returning in '99 is the San Juans Backcountry Adventure, a combined 7-day off-road cycling and hiking program that links Aspen with Telluride through the heart of Colorado's San Juans Range. We'll also offer Brian Head-to-Bullfrog and the Grand Canyon Mountain Biker/Hiker that we believe define the magical aura that surrounds mountain biking in the Great Canyons region of the Southwest.

New for the coming season is Kettle Valley Rails-to-Trails—a 7-day adventure along the abandoned right-of-way of the historic Kettle Valley Railway that traversed the wilderness of British Columbia's southern interior.

Custom Touring with Timberline

An important area of emphasis for Timberline again this season will be the creation of custom and charter programs. From our inception, we have always worked with a wide variety of special groups and have staged many different types of outdoor programs with these groups.

A custom program presents an extraordinary opportunity for a group of people sharing a common interest, or some other special bond, to share a very intimate, personalized experience. The custom program also extends the added opportunity for members of the group to participate in the process of shaping the content of that experience in a manner that will best respond to the needs and expectations of the group.

Any program described in this brochure can be staged as a custom tour. Itineraries can be modified to accommodate the particular needs of the group. Programs can also be structured through the cooperative input of group representatives and our staff, and can involve a number of activities as a supplement to cycling, including hiking, rafting, canoeing and horsepacking.

Moreover, we are not limited in our ability to structure custom programs by that which constitutes our existing proprietary program. In past seasons, for example, we have planned and staged programs in northern Vermont, California's Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Monuments, northern Michigan and in Canada's Atlantic provinces.

Dates for custom programs can be selected by the group, though governed by certain practical considerations. As a general rule of thumb, availability of dates is a function of advance notice in the planning of a program and particularly those focusing upon our national parks during peak summer months.

Drop us a line or telephone; tell us what you have in mind and we'll start to formulate some ideas with you that ultimately will materialize into that "special program" that you will not soon forget.