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Heaven to Hell

Heaven to Hell Gold

Version No. 2.1
Date last revised: May 10, 2024


2024, Iron Butt Association, Sheridan, Wyoming
Please respect our intellectual property rights.  Do not distribute this document or portions therein, without the written permission of the Iron Butt Association.

Background:

Heaven to Hell--This ride is from the top of Mt. Blue Sky or Pikes Peak (the highest point in the continental United States) to Badwater, Death Valley, CA (the lowest point in the United States).

Heaven to Hell Gold----This ride is from the top of Mt. Blue Sky or Pikes Peak (the highest point in the continental United States) to Badwater, Death Valley, CA (the lowest point in the United States) via Independence Pass and Ely, NV.

Read the rules for the iconic SaddleSore 1000 on the Ironbutt Association site.  The rules for this ride are similar and you will get valuable background information.

Documentation:  See http://www.ironbutt.com/rules/ss1000.pdf

Remittance Fee:  See fee page

Definitions


DBR - Dated Business Receipt

A DBR is a machine generated receipt with the date, time and LOCATION on it.  Check it - do not assume it is correct.  A receipt with an incorrect time/date/location is worthless.  Check and re-check.

Rules

These rides must be completed in 24 hours or less.  For the Heaven to Hell, the ride MUST be at least 1,000 miles.



 map


You must obtain DBR every 350 miles or less AND in the following jurisdictions and the receipt MUST indicate the city, date and time.  Check your receipts.

Heaven to Hell-- from the TOP of Mt. Blue Sky or Pikes Peak to Badwater in Death Valley National Park

Heaven to Hell Gold--from the TOP of Mt. Blue Sky or Pikes Peak to Badwater in Death Valley National Park VIA these cities:

--Aspen, CO (additionally you MUST take a photo at the top of Independence Pass, Colorado)
--Ely, NV

You must take a picture of you, your bike at the TOP of Mt Blue Sky (or Pikes Peak) and the Badwater sign in the parking lot.

   Heaven to Hell--You may take any route you like.
   Heaven to Hell Gold--You must take the route through the required cities and Independence Pass

Your official time is determined by the starting and ending receipts.  PLEASE check these documents and make sure the clock and date is correct!

Spotwalla.com OR other independent satellite tracking system that will work in remote locations (as of February 2017, cell phone based trackers will not work on top of Pike's Peak, Mt Blue Sky and Bad Water) IS REQUIRED FOR THIS RIDE

THERE IS NO EXCEPTION for road closures on this ride. Before starting, you should make sure that the road to the top of Mt Blue Sky or Pike's Peak is open at the time of your ride. Pikes Peak has limited hours and the weather at Mt Blue Sky can mean the road is closed suddenly, even in August, by snow. Although rare, at the lowest point in North America, the road to Badweater can flood and be closed (although very rare in summer months).

Since road closures at the top of Pikes Peak and Mt Blue Sky are common, even in the summer, this ride best completed from Colorado to California.  Howerver, a few riders have completed the ride from Death Valley to Mt Blue Sky.  You can do it either way, but check the roads are open!  You might get to Mt Blue Sky, find it is closed and have to reroute to Pikes Peak (if it is open that is).

There are NO RECEIPTS at the top of Mt Blue Sky (Pikes Peak does have a gift shop with good receipts) AND Badwater in Death Valley.  You should get receipts at the closest stations (for Mt Blue Sky that is Idaho Springs, Colorado and for Badwater we recommend Beatty, Nevada as the pumps as Furnance Creek will not always issue a receipt and can be closed for a variety of reasons).
 

Remember it is YOUR responsibility to prove you did the ride!