Kicking Horse Bike Park Trail Crew Update
I think it is fair to say that Kicking Horse by now has a reputation for constant change. 2016 should reinforce that. The trail crew has put in another aggressive season of improvement all over the mountain. Understandably, one person's better is another person's worse, but everything we do is part of a well-thought out plan (though one we constantly change). I'll discuss the alterations below, but first, let's just have a quick look at the last couple of years of evolution:
The big story for us here at Kicking Horse Bike Park is that we finally managed to open the new Superberm reroute. This summer's onslaught of storms kept working conditions sloppy and frustrating (someone tossing the closed sign in the bushes one Saturday didn't help either). But hey, it hasn't been dusty! The section that is now cut out may be missed by some, but it wasn't drained well in the original construction and all those wood bridges and features were getting creaky and costing us hours of maintenance time. Think of it as 'Woodberm'; the reroute re-emphasizes the actual trail name. As with all new trails, you don't build them just once; we'll be evaluating problems and addressing them when possible. Let us know what you think.
Showdown had a well-deserved facelift on the top and bottom. Actually, less of a facelift and more of a double amputation and artificial limb replacements. We cleaved the trail's worst suck right off and attached brand new stoke. Dirt Devil received a new exit, mostly to avoid the merge with Training Wheels. So did Time Travel to get rid of the t-bone intersection with Magic Carpet Ride. And Blaster has a new entrance from the top of the Pioneer chairlift. Some people are less than thrilled that the old top of Blaster is now history, but let me explain: 1. it was a maintenance nightmare, 2. the ski run expansion obliterated it, and 3. we have much bigger plans to get you to the new entrance that don't involve riding all the way down the 10 Road. Patience is required.
Thanks for being a part of another fun season at Kicking Horse. We are still open until the end of September, Friday to Sunday after Labour Day, so there is plenty of time to be part of the experience. See you up here!
Crowe
MENTIONS: @BlackCrowe
The big story for us here at Kicking Horse Bike Park is that we finally managed to open the new Superberm reroute. This summer's onslaught of storms kept working conditions sloppy and frustrating (someone tossing the closed sign in the bushes one Saturday didn't help either). But hey, it hasn't been dusty! The section that is now cut out may be missed by some, but it wasn't drained well in the original construction and all those wood bridges and features were getting creaky and costing us hours of maintenance time. Think of it as 'Woodberm'; the reroute re-emphasizes the actual trail name. As with all new trails, you don't build them just once; we'll be evaluating problems and addressing them when possible. Let us know what you think.
Showdown had a well-deserved facelift on the top and bottom. Actually, less of a facelift and more of a double amputation and artificial limb replacements. We cleaved the trail's worst suck right off and attached brand new stoke. Dirt Devil received a new exit, mostly to avoid the merge with Training Wheels. So did Time Travel to get rid of the t-bone intersection with Magic Carpet Ride. And Blaster has a new entrance from the top of the Pioneer chairlift. Some people are less than thrilled that the old top of Blaster is now history, but let me explain: 1. it was a maintenance nightmare, 2. the ski run expansion obliterated it, and 3. we have much bigger plans to get you to the new entrance that don't involve riding all the way down the 10 Road. Patience is required.
Thanks for being a part of another fun season at Kicking Horse. We are still open until the end of September, Friday to Sunday after Labour Day, so there is plenty of time to be part of the experience. See you up here!
Crowe
MENTIONS: @BlackCrowe
Author Info:
Member since Jun 24, 2008
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Not sure I agree with this statement.
Those trails were never meant to handle these issues when built and thus need to be reworked to be sustainable.
The only good thing about fernie is the big side and hardly anyone rides it.....they all clamor on the small, slow chair, You must be one of them riders who only hang out at the bottom trying to make friends and not really ride.
Don't ever change Stick Rock!
I love riding in the pines, like a lot of the lower area of Fernie is, the lower sections of KH are just 6ft tall aspen weeds, overgrown and in seriously poor shape. the jumps are unpredictable at best, straight up dangerous at times, and boring most of the time.
Each to their own I guess, but I enjoyed Fernie a lot more, And no, I'm certainly not there to pose at the base.