Mount Washington Winning Battle For Dirt

Snow. A joy in winter and a bane in summer on the slopes of Mount Washington. Mountain bikers have been waiting patiently, and waiting some more for the mountain's bike park to open for summer operations. Finally, some good news just arrived!

After receiving the most snowfall in resort history last winter, Mount Washington is finally winning the battle for dirt. The resort will open bike park trails this Friday, July 15th to commence the much-anticipated summer riding season.

“We've cleared a lot of snow off the trails over the last couple of months,” says James Clarke, Slopes Supervisor. “We're seeing more dirt on the ground every day as the snow recedes with the recent warmer weather, which is great news.”

To put the snow depths into perspective, it was only a month ago when crews were digging down through 15 feet of snow to hit the top of the Big Brother trail.

Mount Washington will open the brand new Green Line trail and Big Brother on opening day this Friday. The two trails will be open from top to bottom. Mountain crews are working hard to get sections of other bike trails ready for opening day so check out the online bike park report for the latest trail info.

The addition of the new Green Line is the highlight of the mountain's trail development for this summer. Mount Washington is well-known for its burly, demanding upper intermediate and expert trails. Green Line offers beginners the chance to ride an easy top to bottom trail that is truly forgiving. It's the perfect venue for learning to ride downhill on a mountain bike.

“We've put a lot of time and effort into our Learn to Ride programs and beginner trail development for this summer,” explains Mike Manara, the mountain's Bike Park Manager. “We've added Family and Kids Camp Learn to Ride lessons to an already extensive list of lesson package options.”

Mount Washington has also made mountain biking a more economical venture. New for this summer is a very affordable two-hour bike rental which can be combined with the addition of a bike park lift ticket.

“You can head up to the park and ride for two hours with a top of the line Rocky Mountain rental bike for less than $65,” adds Manara.

Riders who frequent the Mount Washington Bike Park should definitely consider another new ticket option, the Dirt Pak. You can pre-purchase three bike park lift tickets at a discounted rate from Thrifty Foods, select participating Vancouver Island bike shops, or online at the mountain's website.




The event calendar is action-packed this summer with highlights including the return of Darren Berrecloth's Bearclaw Invitational on August 5-6, the BC Cup Provincial Championships on August 13-14, and Darcy Turenne's See Jane Jump Women's Mountain Bike Festival on August 20-21.

Opening weekend kicks off with Rocky Mountain Demo Days. Head up to the park to try Rocky's latest Gravity and Freeride Series bikes this Saturday and Sunday.

The battle for dirt is being won, but the war on snow is not over! To see the mountain's progress with bike park trails and to check out the complete event listing for this summer, visit mountwashington.ca.

Mount Washington’s Bike Park is supported by Maxxis, Dakine, Rocky Mountain Bikes, and Kali Protectives.

Mount Washington Alpine Resort’s Bike Park opens Friday, July 15. The Park is open daily from 11am to 7:30pm. The resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. WestJet, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines service the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). To find out about accommodation and package information, call Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 1-888-231-1499 toll free or locally at 250-338-1386. Surf to www.mountwashington.ca for additional information including live mountain cams.