Bikes and Clogs in Eagle-Vail, Colorado

Jeff in his Black Oil Mountain Clogs tuning
a GT Sensor Elite 65OB bike

   Clogs are nothing new to Eagle-Vail locals, Jeff and Dominique Mohrman, owners of Colorado Bike Service. Jeff has received a new pair of clogs almost annually, personally delivered by Chris Manning, for the last 8 years. As I took in the impressive inventory of their store, Jeff described his experience with clogs. When I asked him what a 29er was, he was nice enough to share his knowledge on bikes as well.

   When Jeff moved to Stockholm, Sweden in 1982, he realized something about the footwear of the locals--they were wearing wooden soled clogs. Determined to have the same comfort as his local friends, Jeff bought his first pair of clogs. He brought those clogs back to Colorado, and he was wearing them when he first met his wife Dominique. As most who move to Colorado and prefer to do something they enjoy more as a profession, Jeff worked part-time ski bum and part-time bike bum. After being frustrated with the lack of year-round bike shops, Jeff and Dominique opened their own store, Colorado Bike Service. 

Jeff's' preferred Black Oil Mountain Soles and my
Ultimate High Black Oil clogs

   Chris Manning, being the clog-wearing-biking enthusiast that he is, happened upon the bike shop, and it didn't take long for Jeff and Chris to come to an agreement. When Jeff's wooden soles were getting worn, he calls Chris, and Chris drops of a fresh pair of size 42 clogs. Recently, Jeff got a pair of the mountain soles ,which he prefers because the tread helps in the wetter season. 

  After Jeff's' clogs have retired, he lines them up on his stairs, all the way to his first pair he bought in Sweden. Curious as to how steps are lined with a pair of clogs? Ask Dominique or Jeff at Colorado Bike Service.

With spring season here, check out Jeff's preferred Mountain Sole Clogs. With summer just around the corner, check out Tessa Clogs sandals!

-M

We live HERE

I am by no means bragging but stating a fact - WE LIVE HERE.  HERE is a place that many people visit all times of the year.  I always remind myself and family that many people make sacrifices to come and spend time in our beautiful little gem spot in the world.  If you take a peek at any social media sites - people are sharing their adventures of their vacation time in Vail.  We on the other hand just share our everyday adventure being that WE LIVE HERE. 

Ski with School Day

Part of our ordinary everyday adventure - our public school district for those in K through 8th Grade - get 2 days during the winter to ski Vail or Beaver Creek.  Pretty Cool

Svea trying on her Tessa Clogs

What is difficult for our friends and family to understand is that we make sacrifices to live here.  These sacrifices that we sometimes argue and cry over are forgotten when we are living our everyday adventure.  These normal for us activities include skiing POWDER!  How do you describe a rainbow to a blind person or how would you explain skiing powder to those that can not. 

One of the best quotes that I read religiously is by Dolores LaChapelle -
One can never be bored by powder skiing because it is a special gift of the relationship between earth and sky. It only comes in sufficient amounts in particular places, at certain times on this earth; it lasts only a limited amount of time before sun or wind changes it. People devote their lives to it for the pleasure of being so purely played by gravity and snow.

As Warren Miller would say - if you don't move to the mountain this year, you will only be one year older when you do. 

Tessa taking her lunch break - ordinary life