RSS
Home
Lift-served downhill mountain biking is about to bust out in Colorado
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Big trails need big equipment like this Raceface North Shore DH crank
Get out your big bikes and your body armor. Lift-served downhilling is about to open up for 2009 in Colorado. The three Front Range players, Keystone, Sol Vista and Winter Park, are hard at work preparing the trails and getting the rental fleet ready for the season.
Sol Vista is the first to drop the gate on Friday, June 5. Sol Vista, which is officially called "Sol Vista Bike Park at Granby Ranch", is a few miles outside Granby, just off of US 40. It is about 75 miles from Denver, about an hour and thity-five minutes of driving. Sol Vista has nice XC trails, and they have crafted some awesome downhill trails on their mountain, so good that they are hosting the US National Mountain Bike Championships July 16-19.
Sol Vista will be running their lifts on Fridays from 12-5, and weekends from 10-5. Lift tickets are $18/adult and $12/Child on Fridays, $25/adult and $15/child on weekends. Unlimited season passes are $175/adult and $125/child.
The Sol Vista website has some very cool videos to give you an idea how good their trails really are. Check them out.
WInter Park will be the next to open, with the Trestle Bike Park tentatively scheduled to fire up the lifts on June 21. Winter Park received Forest Service approval to build new trails late last summer, and they are stepping up their game this year. Since Winter Park is operated by Intrawest, the same company that operates Whister in British Columbia, one can imagine that some good things will be happening up there this year. They will again be hosting the Crankworx Festival of freeride madness July 30 to August 2. Winter Park is 60 miles west of Denver on US 40, about an hour and twenty minutes in good traffic.
Winter Park will be operating their lifts from 9:30-5 daily from June 21 through September 7, and 9:30-5 weekends September 12-27. Lift tickets are $34 for a full day, $29 if ordered 24 hours in advance through the website or 800.729.7907, or $24 for a half day pass. They also are offering a special Freeride Friday deal from July 3 through September 4, where they will run the lifts until 7PM, and offer lift ticket, bike/pad rental and b-e-e-r package deals. Check out their website for more information.
Keystone Resort, the king of Front Range freeride, is tentatively scheduled to open June 26. Keystone has, hands down, the longest pure downhill challenges and the most variety of the three Front Range players. They also have the toughest trails on the Front Range, with a couple of double black rated runs that demand a very high level of skill to survive. Rest assured, at Keystone you can go big, and if you screw up, you can leave in an ambulance. Bring the biggest bike you have, all your body armor, and a good health insurance policy if you plan on hitting runs like Jam Rock, High Speed Dirt, or the Drop Zone. Don't worry if you are not into big freeriding, since Keystone also has a nice mix of easier trails and service roads for your hardtail. In addition to having the widest variety of trails on the Front Range, Keystone is the easiest drive from Denver, just 60 miles via I-70 and US 6. About an hour and fifteen minutes unless traffic doesn't cooperate.
Keystone will be open 9-6, 7 days a week, June 26 through September 7. Full day lift tickets are $35/adult and $20/child. If you have a winter season pass, you can buy one, get one for half price on lift tickets.
Unfortunately, the classic Keystone Climax downhill race is not on the calendar this year. You'll just have to enjoy what they have at your own speed.
Ride safe!
Related Articles:
Comments
