WHAT MAKES A GREAT BIKE PARK? THE COMMUNITY FACTOR
As the mountain resorts shut down their lifts for the transition from sun to snow, you can always count on the low rumble of trucks overflowing with excited mountain bikers to start appearing on forest roads. The Pacific Northwest lends all its seasons to the sport, as long as you're willing to brave the weather and get your feet wet.
This last weekend, however, there was no need. The persistent clouds covering the coast from California to Canada finally gave us a day-long break in the torrential downpours that had been keeping even the most dedicated riders indoors.
The Moon Gravity Racing team went and pitched our tent in one of the PNW's best-kept secrets. This zone, known to locals and few else (and no, it’s not our place to tell!), brought out old and new friends to bask in the sunlight and shred the gnarly steeps and legendary jumps. Few places that aren't maintained by a full-time crew and serviced by a chairlift offer a similar bike park feel. The long, densely packed runs let riders choose their own adventure, ensuring that each lap ends in a gathering of new and familiar faces.
Searching for the Secret Ingredient
Days like this inevitably lead our team to wonder, “What truly makes a great bike park?”
It surely isn't the chairlift. I can personally think of many resorts that, even after being given multiple opportunities to impress, left me wishing I had spent my money elsewhere. Some of the most fun days I’ve ever had on two wheels were done entirely without one.
It can't be the sheer length of the trail, otherwise, we'd all just be doing top-to-bottom pulls from the Garbo zone at Whistler or the full gondola runs at Silver—both of which can offer over ten minutes of descent. There are many places I have found that CONSISTENTLY offer fun times and big smiles, regardless of the rider's skill level. What do these places have in common, and how can we propagate those feelings to our local trails?
The Answer is the People
When I started writing this post, I began to get technical. Two pages of opinion on trail features, dirt quality, weather, and infrastructure later, I realized that it was all for naught.
While I'd rather take a group of friends to Whistler than a local cross-country spot, it is the people you are sharing the event with that make the biggest difference. I think back to brutal shuttle days at Port Angeles when the amount of rain was measured in multiple inches, or grinding through the snow open day at the top of Silver, what made the day were the voices: the jeers I heard on the trail and the hysterical laughter at the bottom, especially when someone used local earth to make a fashion statement and somehow walked away without a scratch.
It’s the dedicated riders (all going through the bumps and bruises, doing the digging and shaping, and of course, the shredding) that truly make a place special.
I was happy to celebrate this November’s "opening weekend" with all the diverse characters that make up the thriving (and still growing) mountain bike scene here in Oregon. It’s the community that puts in the effort, and it’s the community that keeps us coming back. At Moon Gravity Racing, we are proud to be part of the crew that supports this kind of authentic, grassroots riding.
