News
Greg Cummings Eyes Incline Ascents in a Year Record Once Again
In 2011 Greg Cummings became the first person to climb the Manitou Incline 500 times in a year with a total of 601 times. His record was broken by Roger Austin in 2013 when he climbed it 719 times. Greg reclaimed his record his record in 2014 with 1,400 times in 330 days. Roger once again broke the record in 2015 with 1,719 times.
Roger’s record has stood for a few years but Greg, now 61 and recently retired has set his eyes on the record once again. Greg’s achievements and new effort are even more impressive considering he has Type 1 diabetes. He caries a blood sugar monitor and regularly pricks his fingers to make sure his blood sugar is where it needs to be as he hikes up and down.
I chatted with Greg on Wednesday, February 27th as he made his way down from his 6th climb of the day. He said he had just completed climb 247 in the 47 days starting January 12th. Most days he’s making multiple climbs but on Saturday he only completed one since he spent 8 hours sweeping the several inches of fresh snow off the top couple thousand of steps.
Greg is using his record attempt to fund raise for Camp Wapiyapi. The camp near Woodland Park is for kids with cancer.
Firefighters 9/11 Tribute Climb 2018
RJ Gerry, a firefighter at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, once again organized a 9/11 tribute climb up the Manitou Incline on 9/11/18. In addition to firefighters in bunker gear, two Air Force wildland firefighters and 18 Fort Carson soldiers made the climb up the Incline.
Not only were the firefighters carrying 60+ pounds of gear but it was in record breaking heat. The high for the day was 90 degrees which broke the previous record set in 1895. The Incline climb was a tough feat but first responders are out in their communities giving their best all year long.
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Incline Closing August 18th and 19th, 2018 for Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon
The 2018 Pikes Peak Ascent is August 18th and the Pikes Peak Marathon is August 19th. Colorado Springs Parks and Rec has decided to close the Incline for the entire weekend.
Runners will be on Ruxton and Barr Trail Saturday morning and most of the day on Sunday. Much of the parking near the Incline base will be closed off. Also search and rescue is involved with the running races so resources will be limited for potential injuries elsewhere.
Barr Trail Mountain Race July 15, 2018
The Barr Trail Mountain Race is this Sunday, July 15th, 2018. The Barr Trail Mountain Race is one of the Front Range’s historic summer mountain running events. The race starts in front of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway depot at 7 AM. Racers go up to Barr Camp and then come back down to finish at the Barr Trail parking lot.
Runners will be going up and down Barr Trail until around 10:30 AM. The Manitou Incline and Barr Trail will be open but it would be best to avoid the area until the race is over. If you really want to do the Incline during the race, please respect the runners and don’t slow them down since they’re racing.
Manitou Incline Phase 3 Repair Photos
Photos of the Incline repairs from the false summit to the top. The Incline re-opened on November 22nd, 2017. These photos were taken about a week before the re-opening when Timberline Landscaping was doing the final touches.
2018 Manitou Incline wall calendars are available now. Click here.
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Manitou Incline Re-opens Early
The Manitou Incline closed August 21st for repairs that were original expected to take until mid-December. With good weather throughout the falls the expected re-opening date was moved to December 1st. Today, November 22nd, Colorado Springs Parks and Rec unexpectedly announced that it was open for hiking in time for Thanksgiving.
An official reopening celebration will take place on Friday, December 1 at 8 AM at the base of the Manitou Incline. The Gazette has some interesting stats for the Phase 3 repairs.
Enjoy the Incline or the scenery in the area? You can purchase a 2018 wall calendar that benefits the Incline through the Incline Friends. Find all the 2018 Incline calendar info on this page.
2018 Manitou Incline Calendars
2018 Manitou Incline calendars are now available for ordering. $3 from each calendar will be donated to the Incline Friends.
For more information and to order now, go to the 2018 Manitou Incline calendar order page.
Enjoy the photos but a calendar isn’t your thing? Use coupon code calendar2018 to get 25% off photos here.
Manitou Incline Closure 2017
After uncertainty about funding for the 3rd phase of repairs for the Manitou Incline, Colorado Springs has announced that the Incline will be closing this fall. The City of Colorado Springs, in conjunction with the City of Manitou Springs, will start phase 3 improvements to the Mt. Manitou Incline on August 21.
The Incline will close for the Pikes Peak Ascent Marathon on August 19 and 20 and will remain closed for the repairs and renovations which are set to begin on Monday, August 21 and is expected to last into December. Construction will take place between Tie 2137 and Tie 2741, at the upper third of the Incline above the false summit. For more information on the construction project, visit www.coloradosprings.gov/incline.
The Incline project has four major goals: improved safety, enhanced user experience, long-term sustainability of the trail and increased accessibility. Work will include repairing and replacing damaged retaining walls, cleaning up the exposed rebar and loose debris, adding additional drainage structures, anchoring the existing ties, and stabilizing the surrounding slopes. Currently, there are several failed drainage structures. During construction, the failed infrastructure will be removed and new drainage structures will be installed. The increase in drainage structures will greatly help reduce the velocity of water, a critical factor in reducing erosion and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Incline.
Funding
The project cost is estimated to be $2 million. Funding is made possible by a Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. The grant money allocated is provided as reimbursement for documented eligible costs. The City of Colorado Springs is responsible for the general oversight, trail enhancements, general maintenance of the Incline and to apply for grants to fund improvements, per the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Manitou Springs. For more information on the construction project, visit www.coloradosprings.gov/incline.
Join Incline Friends at Manitou Brewing Company
Join the Incline Friends Board of Directors at 6 PM on Tuesday, January 31 at Manitou Brewing Company at 725 Manitou Ave. This is your chance to ask the Incline Friends board any questions you might have. There will be chances to win prizes and MBC’s special that night is a pint of beer and three tacos for $9!
Manitou Brewing Company is a big supporter of the Incline Friends. They donate a portion of the sales of their brand-named glasses to Incline Friends. They recently donated $624 from the pint glasses.
Incline Friends will also be thanking the folks from Timberline Landscaping for their work on Phase II of the Incline restoration. Come out and talk to the Incline Friends and raise a toast to Timberline Landscaping.
Manitou Incline Reopening After Phase 2 Repairs
Click here for 2017 Manitou Incline wall calendars
The Manitou Incline reopens on December 2nd, 2016 after a celebration ceremony and ribbon cutting with Olympic athletes at 8:30 AM. The Incline has been closed since August 22nd for a second phase of repairs. This time work was done from the bottom of the Incline up to where the repairs were made in the fall of 2014.
There are a few specials for the reopening. The Starbucks at 3104 W. Colorado Avenue will be offering ANY grande beverage for only $2.00 from Friday Dec. 2nd through Sunday Dec. 4th. Manitou Springs will be handing out free bottled water to riders of the free shuttle from the free Hiawatha Gardens Parking Lot on Saturday from 7 until 10 AM. Also on Saturday, the first 300 riders of the shuttle will a gluten free mini-donut and coffee from The Market.
While the Incline was closed, Manitou Springs drastically increased parking fees and fines close to the Incline. Upper Ruxton has also become part of the Residential Parking so parking is only allowed Monday – Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM. Parking on Ruxton when allowed is $10 PER HOUR. Letting your meter expire or parking outside of allowed hours will result in a $70 fine for first offense, $100 for 2nd and $150 for 3rd.
Parking in the Barr Parking lot is only available with a reservation from parkbarrtrail.com (redirects to the paid parking company’s website). Although the Manitou Springs mayor, Nicole Nicoletta, has mentioned a few times that reservations were coming, it was announced late Thursday afternoon that it’ll be effect on Friday for reopening. Details on how it works are not clear at this point other than it costs $20 (plus $2.40 fee) for a day or a 4 hour period. A $15 refund is supposed to be available at Barr Camp. Fines are also $70 for first offense, $100 for 2nd and $150 for 3rd.
Ok, it’s pretty clear the Manitou doesn’t want people parking near the Incline. They want everyone parking at the free Hiawatha Gardens Parking Lot at 10 Old Mans Trail. The free shuttle stop is across the street on the east side of Manitou’s Memorial Park. The shuttle runs about every 20 minutes from 6 AM until 6 PM this time of year.
If you’re under a time crunch and want to park close, Iron Springs Chateau is your best option. It’s $5 to park for the day until 5 PM. The next best option is to park at the Pikes Peak Cog. Their parking is $10 for up to 3 hours from dawn to dusk if they don’t need all the parking for cog customers.
Manitou Incline regulars are excited to have the Incline open again so it’ll probably be quite busy this weekend. If you go, please be safe and enjoy yourself.
