March 27 - 31, 2012.
Includes participation in Hell's Gate Hundred!

The original CORPScamp features five days and 300 or more (or less) miles of epic, one-of-a-kind cycling in and around “Mother Nature’s Greatest Sports Arena,” Death Valley National Park. We've been producing events here since 1990 and we never tire of sharing one of the world's most dramatic, inspiring, and unusual landscapes. From desert flowers to snow-capped mountains, we'll see it all by bicycle. Bring a camera or nobody will believe your stories!

CORPScamp Death Valley features a specific route each day, with route sheets, support vehicle on the course, and two or more ride leaders. The group is encouraged to ride together at a conversational pace for the first ten miles, then everyone is free to ride at their own pace; most routes feature various distance options, too. Each afternoon at CORPScamp features "The Yoga Social" with a rejuvenating yoga class taught by a fellow cyclist. CORPSyoga is designed for all camp participants, regardless of yoga background, or lack thereof, and is designed to help each camper unwind, accelerate recovery for the next day's adventure, minimize the chance of injury, and rejuvenate and restore energy balance. Social time before and after the actual yoga class gives everyone a chance to swap stories while enjoying herbal tea. Each camp also includes two group dinners, plus optional hikes and other outings. Every activity is optional, though; campers are free to "check out any time you like" if they want a break, extra rest, or private time.

Please understand that CORPScamp Death Valley is designed as a multi-day lifestyle adventure - five days of fantastic cycling and outdoor adventure in an otherworldly place - and the camp is only as difficult as YOU want it to be. Most days, participants can make their daily mileage any number they want! We're not timing everyone and we're not keeping score, so please don't be put off by the name - CORPScamp is only as hard core as you want to make it! If you love cycling and want to get away from it all and enjoy the company, and insights, of fellow cyclists, then you will enjoy CORPScamp Death Valley!

Registration & What's Included

Online registration opened at 1000am, California time, on Monday, November 14, 2011. Up to sixty minutes prior, the registration link was sent out via our email newsletter, giving a small headstart to newsletter subscribers. (Note that delivery time varies for the newsletter - no system can send out 10,000 emails simultaneously.) PLEASE NOTE: There is a $100 Late Charge if you register after March 1, 2012. (We don't want your late fee; we want to know if you are coming, so we can accordingly, so please don't delay in registering for the camp. Thanks!) Registration will CLOSE on at 900am on March 19, 2012, or sooner if the event is sold out.

Note: January 1, 2012 is the deadline to pre-order any Velo Club Death Valley gear during registration for this event. Thus, if you want any gear, please register for the event, and order your gear, before January 1. Thank you!

Your $495 CORPScamp enty fee includes:

• Five days of awesome cycling: Route slips and maps; two ride leaders
• Participation in Hell's Gate Hundred on March 31
• National Park Service Entrance Fee paid on your behalf
• The AdventureCORPS Map of Death Valley National Park
• Support vehicle with Hammer Nutrition Products and other cycling snacks, drinks, and energy foods on the road each day (but bring your own fuel, and/or bag lunch to put in the vehicle, especially if you have specific needs.)
• Dynamic Warm-Up each morning
• CORPSyoga: Yoga for Cyclists Class each afternoon with Tea Social afterward
• Two group dinners: Tuesday evening and Thursday evening
• Coaching and/or expert bike fitting, if desired (fee charged for the latter)
• AdventureCORPS 100% Organic Cotton t-shirt
• AdventureCORPS hat or cap
• AdventureCORPS water bottle

For non-cycling spouses and friends: For up to 20 non-riders, we offer a $75 entry option which includes participation in the daily morning Dynamic Warm-Up, daily afternoon Yoga Class, both group dinners, and any other off-the-bike activities. Does not include cycling, cycling food, goodie bag, AdventureCORPS gear, coaching, bike fitting, etc.

Registration is limited to 75 riders: First come, first served. Sorry, there is no discount for attending less than the full five day camp.

Refunds: Your CORPScamp entry fee is refundable, less $100, until March 1, 2012. After that, no refunds or other forms of credit will be given.

Where and Host Hotel

CORPScamp Death Valley is held in Mother Nature's Greatest Sports Arena, Death Valley. This is also the venue for the annual Furnace Creek 508 bicycle race, Badwater Ultramarathon running race, Hell's Gate Hundred, and the biannual Death Valley Century and Double Century, all also hosted by the CORPScamp Death Valley organizers, AdventureCORPS, and their Chief Adventure Officer, Chris Kostman.

CORPScamp Death Valley is based in Furnace Creek in the heart of Death Valley. Participants may stay at the host hotel, Furnace Creek Ranch, or at the Furnace Creek Inn, at one of the campgrounds in Furnace Creek (tent or RV camping), or 25 miles away in Stovepipe Wells. The Furnace Creek Ranch has just 40 rooms available at the special CORPScamp rate. The reservation code will be provided to each CORPScamp participant when they register (not posted here, so that only CORPScampers can use it). NOTE: If you call the FC Ranch, or look online, it may appear that the Ranch is sold out. However, there are still rooms available through our special, private reservation - you will get that info when you register. You must call the 760 number - not the 800 number - to make your reservations.

CORPScampers are responsible for making their own hotel reservations directly with the property of their choice. We will also be happy to match up would-be roommates, so email us if you have a room you'd llike to share and we'll circulate your offer with the other CORPScampers. You can also use the relevant section of our blog to find carpool buddies or roommates.

You may also consider staying in Stovepipe Wells, camping in Furnace Creek, or staying at Death Valley Junction. Perhaps treat yourself to a posh experience at the Furnace Creek Inn (just one mile up the road from the Furnace Creek Ranch)? Here are yet more hotels in the region.

If you need a hotel in Las Vegas, we recommend:

Las Vegas Hilton 3000 Paradise Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. Tel 800-732-7117. Website.

CORPScamp History: Reports and Images from 2008, 2009, and 2010

Click here for the 2010 CORPScamp Death Valley report and five slideshows!

Click here for the 2009 CORPScamp Death Valley report and eight slideshows!

Click here for the 2008 CORPScamp Death Valley report and five slideshows!

Daily Destinations and Schedule (some details - mainly ride routes - subject to modification)

Check-In: We will have check-in on Tuesday from 11am to 1230pm at Room 516. This is on the right, in the one-story row of rooms on the way to the far back of the whole Ranch property (last room on the right). Please come there to sign the waiver and pick up your goodie bag, t-shirt, route sheets, and such. At 1pm, right by Room 516, we will do a five minute off-the-bike warm-up routine created by Ron Jones, then we will depart on the ride. If you arrive later in the afternoon on Saturday, and thus miss that ride, look for us about 345pm at Room 516 instead to check in.

Each day's ride will begin at Room 516 at the Furnace Creek Ranch. All distances listed below are round-trip. All rides are non-competitive and can be shortened by simply turning around sooner. Civil twilight is at 610am each morning. Sunrise is at 640am and sunset is 710pm. We would really like to see us all depart together and spend 10-20 miles each morning getting a proper warm-up and getting to know one another, before we eventually "go at our own pace" and spread out - that means we stay together as a group for at least ten miles each morning.

Tuesday, March 27:
1100am-1230pm: Check-In for CORPScamp at Room 516
100pm: Meet, Introductions, Dynamic Warm Up
115pm: Depart to Badwater: 35 miles (regroup at Badwater Basin sign)
400-500pm: Intro to CORPSyoga: Yoga For Cyclists + Tea Social on the grass by Room 516
515pm: Meet at the front of the FC Ranch (archway) to walk to the Inn. Bring a flashlight for the walk back.
545pm: Dinner Party at the Furnace Creek Inn
700-800pm: Ranger Programs at the Visitor's Center. Info

Wednesday, March 28 (note two start times):
600am (98-mile riders) or 700am (72- or 50-mile riders): Meet, announcements, Dynamic Warm Up, CK's Tip Of The Day
615am (98-mile riders) or 715am (72- or 50-mile riders): Depart to Emigrant Pass (98 miles), Wildrose Station on Towne Pass (72 miles) or Stovepipe Wells (50 miles)
400-500pm: CORPSyoga: Yoga For Cyclists + Tea Social on the grass by Room 516
700-800pm: Ranger Programs at the Visitor's Center. Info

Thursday, March 29:
700am: Meet, announcements, Dynamic Warm Up, CK's Tip Of The Day
715am: Depart to Zabriskie Point for group photo. After that, ride options are riding towards Death Valley Junction (turn around at the "summit" - the 3000' sign = 36 miles), or all the way to Death Valley Junction (60 miles, gradual 3,000' climb)
100-400pm: Hike Golden Canyon and back down Gower Gulch (5.4 miles; 2.5-3 hours; option for 10 to 40 minute out-and-back hike in Golden Canyon only.) If you are hiking, meet at the Golden Canyon parking lot at 100pm SHARP (about two miles from the FC Ranch). THIS IS AN UNGUIDED HIKE; ALL PARTICIPANTS DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK. Bring sturdy shoes, jacket, hat, snack, camera, and at least one liter of water. Watch the Preview Video Slideshow of the hike.
400-500pm: CORPSyoga: Yoga For Cyclists
515pm: Meet at the front of the FC Ranch (archway) to walk to the Inn. Bring a flashlight for the walk back.
545pm: Dinner Party at the Furnace Creek Inn
700-800pm: Ranger Programs at the Visitor's Center. Info

Friday, March 30:
700am: Meet, announcements, Dynamic Warm Up, CK's Tip Of The Day
715am: Depart to Hell’s Gate via Scotty's Castle Road and Mud Canyon, then back down Beatty Cut-Off (46miles)
1100am - 300pm: Mid-Day is free. Suggestions includes R&R by the FC Ranch pool; visiting the pupfish at Salt Creek; visiting Ash Meadows; and/or hiking Mosaic Canyon near Stovepipe Wells.
500-600pm: CORPSyoga: Yoga For Cyclists
630 to 800pm: Rider Check-In for Hell's Gate Hundred (room 516)

Schedule for the Restaurants in Furnace Creek:
Steakhouse: Breakfast at the buffet is from 6-9am, lunch buffet is from 11-2 and dinner is from 5pm - 9:30

Café: Breakfast is from 7-11am, lunch is from 11-4pm and dinner is from 4-9pm.

Inn breakfast is 7-10:30am, lunch is 12-2:30pm and dinner is from 5:30 to 9 or 9:30 (weekends).

Pre-Ride: Each morning, we will do a five minute off-the-bike "Ron Jones' Dynamic Warm-Up", then we will depart on the ride. (This is done while standing, so no towels or props are needed.) This take place on the grass between Room 516 and the pool.

Post-Ride: Each afternoon we'll enjoy and benefit from "The Yoga Social" - a nice CORPSyoga class followed by quality chit-chat time and tea. We won't all finish together, but we've done our best to schedule the Yoga Social so that most everyone can attend. Bring a yoga mat or big beach towel for the afternoon. Some straps and blankets will be available. This takes place on the grass between Room 516 and the pool.

Infusions of Tea provides the herbal teas which we seerve at CORPScamp. Infusions of Tea is dedicated to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the celebration of life and friendships. They view the consumption of tea as a ritual that promotes self-reflection, social interaction, and lifelong health benefits. Infusions of Tea provides a vehicle for continued learning and exploration into the world's finest teas and tea related products. Given the increasing daily demands of today's modern lifestyle, it is critical that we all make time for ourselves and those we love. Tea, both the act of preparing and enjoying the tea itself, brings with it a deep tradition and history that many have studied and for a lifetime.

Evenings: The National Park Service hosts really good Ranger Programs at the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center most every evening, plus often during the day. We encourage you to attend! Info

Weather & What to Bring

In March each year, the average daily low is 53 (12c) and the average daily high is 80 (27c). March is the third "wettest" month in Death Valley (behind February and January) with a whopping .25" or 6mm of rainfall on average. For historical, typical, and average information about the weather in Death Valley, click here. For the current weather and road conditions in Death Valley, read "The Morning Report" from DVNP by clicking here.

Riders must come prepared for any possible mechanical failure or contingency. At the very least, all riders should carry a spare tube, tire, pump, patch kit, basic tools, water bottles, money, personal and medical identification, cell phone (though it will usually not work, escept right in Furnace Creek), money, credit card, and a good attitude. Add to that the necessary fuel and fluid for your each day's adventure (each day, a SAG vehicle or two will park at one or a few locations along the route to provide fluid replacement and access to personal drop bags). We also strongly recommend a yoga mat for the afternoon CORPSyoga class. Here's a Packing List you can print out and reference (Pdf format)!

Need a Local Bike Shop?

Furnace Creek Ranch now has its own bike shop, Furnace Creek Cyclery! Phone: (760) 786-3372.

Our Vegas area cycling friends tell us "The best bike shop in Vegas is 'The Bike Shop' as they’re the closest shop to the airport and only one block south of Windmill which now becomes Blue Diamond Road and is a straight shot to Pahrump and DV. They also stay open later than the other shops in town which may be helpful to out-of-towners and they have a big shop with all the goodies and spares that anyone may have forgot to pack." Here is their info and be sure to mention AdventureCORPS Death Valley Cycling if you go there!

The Bike Shop: 2570 Wigwam Parkway Henderson, Nevada 89074
(702) 897-1618 | (702) 897-6088 fax | www.bikeshop-lv.com

For bike shops in the Bay Area and San Diego which we recommend, check out our Community Page.

Fueling and Hydration

We highly recommend the fueling, hydration, and supplement products from Hammer Nutrition. Prepare yourself a "four hour bottle"* of Perpetuem, and HEED each day, bring along a flask of Hammer Gel and a container of Endurolytes and Anti-Fatigue Caps, and all you''l need is more water as your day unfolds out there.It's a simple but extremely effective way to sustain yourself for long days in the saddle. (We'll have a SAG van to provide water, but it's a good idea to bring a CamelBak, too. See below.)

*Our "four hour bottle" includes four scoops of Perpetuem and four scoops of HEED. This provides 920 extremely tasty calories, including 24 grams of protein, eight grams of fat, and a nice selection of electrolytes and more, not to mention lots of great, long-lasting carbo energy. We drink this mix slowly (hence the name, "four hour bottle") and drink plain water at the same time (about one bottle an hour).

NOTE: Death Valley got it's name because it is a place were living things go, get dehydrated, and die. Death Valley has the driest climate on this planet. Most of the time there is practically no moisture in the air at all. This means every breath goes in dry and comes out wet. When you are sleeping in Death Valley your body processes about a pint of water an hour by breathing. This means at the end of 8 hours sleep you have consumed about 1 gallon of water. You must hydrate and replace your electrolytes even when you are not cycling. Therefore we suggest you bring a Camelbak!

Personal SAG Vehicles

Not allowed! Death Valley is a beautiful, generally traffic-free place to ride, so why spoil it with more cars? The definition of a personal SAG is any non-staff motor vehicle that is providing any type of aid, assistance, or motivation to any rider. No RAAM crews in training, personal cheering squads, photographers, video crews, or the like, please! A limited number of spouses / significant others / friends may be recruited to serve as SAG for the entire group, depending on field size and need. Please email us before the Camp if you have somebody who would like to lend a hand and who is available to accompany you on your trip.

Special Park Service Regulations

The National Park Service requires that we ride single file at all times. We must also ride as far to the right hand side of the lane as is safely possible. Always use front and rear lights while cycling at night. Do not turn them off! Remember, your behavior on the road dictates whether or not we get to host this event again. Take this seriously. We do!

*Death Valley National Park requires us to pay the $10 per rider park entrance fee on behalf of each entrant. The park depends on this type of income to support what they do there. It's a great place and much cheaper than a movie! When you check in for the Camp, we'll give you the Park Entrance Fee ticket for your car window.

Important Registration Details and Policies

1. All entrants are required to sign the Accident Waiver at check-in (before beginning the event). The waiver may not be modified in any manner.
2. Entry fees are non-transferable.
3. Your CORPScamp entry fee is refundable, less $100, until March 1, 2012. After that, no refunds or other forms of credit will be given.
4. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
5. We will keep you up-to-date via our email newsletter, but only if you choose to sign up for it. We will also send some CORPScamp Death Valley-specific email updates directly to all campers.
6. CORPScamp Death Valley will take place rain or shine.
7. All riders must be friendly and must always display a good attitude before, during, and after the event.
8. All riders must carry proper personal identification and personal emergency contact phone number at all times while cycling. We recommend the fine products from www.RoadID.com.
9. All riders must wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet while cycling.
10. All riders must obey all laws and all relevant aspects of the California Motor Vehicle Code and National Park Service regulations.
11. All riders must follow the basic rules for safe cycling, including, but not limited to: Ride to the right, single file at all times. Stop at all stop signs and red signals. Protect and warn one another about road hazards and traffic. Don't overlap wheels. Practice safe paceline and group riding etiquette. Be courteous to and cognizant of motorists and other park visitors.

Directions to Death Valley

Click Here: Print and use this Pdf download of the best route to drive to and from Death Valley, whether you are coming from the Vegas area or Southern California. NEVER USE A GPS TO NAVIGATE TO DEATH VALLEY! Updated 8-27-09