Bike Park at Mount Washington to Open July 15

Jul 6, 2016 at 9:12
by Mount Washington  
Bike Park at Mount Washington to Open July 15

Mount Washington Alpine Resort announced lift-served mountain biking would open for the summer season on July 15th after a three year hiatus. "We have been anxious to bring mountain biking back to Mount Washington, but with the deep snow from last winter, we had to wait to get to the top of the runs. Our trail crew shoveled the final remnants of snow off the bike park terrain last week, so we will be able to finish the earthwork and open our Park with some new trails and some old favourites, and we will be opening it in amazing shape," explained Mount Washington’s Bike Park Manager, Mike Manara.

Mount Washington's Bike Park will be open 7-days a week 11:30am - 5:30 pm with extended hours until 7:00 pm on Thursdays. Don Sharpe, Director of Business Operations at the resort, touted the Thursday evening lift service, "With the longer daylight hours, it’s really nice to be able to get up during the week and get some riding in later in the day. Those evenings will also feature specials in the restaurant, so it should make for a great way to get the most out of the prime biking season."

"We are taking a little different approach to the trails this year based on changes in mountain bikes and riding techniques which have occurred just over the past few years. We will have a number of new or renovated downhill trails plus 10 kilometers of cross-country mountain biking trails, and they will all have a smoother flow from one feature to the next and be more integrated into the terrain than in the past," noted Manara. "This new version of the Mount Washington Bike Park will give riders of all abilities and tastes something to enjoy. It’s all about fun and flowy."

Bike Park at Mount Washington to Open July 15

The Bike Park will open with up to six trails, and more trails will be added during the summer. Among the highlights are the "Green Line," which is the resort’s easiest downhill trail. It is the longest uninterrupted mountain bike descent on Vancouver Island and all levels of bikers will have fun riding it. The venerable "Back in Black" will re-open with the lower part of the trail having been re-engineered by its original builder, Tony Radomi.

Manara seemed particularly pleased to introduce two new trails. One is his trail crew's newest flow trail, and the other is the resort’s first cross-country trail. "We have reclaimed and rebuilt some of our past trail system and added in a number of new sections to create a new blue flow trail for intermediate riders named Hwy 19,” Manara announced. In addition, after numerous hikes sourcing out a cross country mountain biking trail, the "Finger Trail" will be designated as the first XC trail in the Bike Park. It is a loop that takes riders out to a spectacular view of the Beaufort Range after a ride past lakes and tall evergreens.

Once Mount Washington's Bike Park is open for the season, the trail crew will spend time maintaining the existing trails while continuing to rebuild some of the original trails on the mountain and creating a few new trails. Next up on the build list for the trail crew are "Helter Skelter," a black technical trail, and "Time Warp," a black flow trail. Each currently has a machine and full crew working on them. Once that work is complete, another one and a half kilometers of blue trail will be added to extend an existing trail. As time and weather permit, the trail crew will then tackle the technical "Monster Mile" downhill trail off the Eagle lift before finishing the summer by adding another blue flow trail and another XC trail.

Bike Park at Mount Washington to Open July 15

"We are very pleased to welcome mountain bikers back next week," said Mount Washington's General Manager, Peter Gibson. "The effort the trail crew has put in for the last thirty days is astounding, and it shows in the quality of the trails that are ready to ride."

The Mount Washington Bike Park will open every day from July 15th until September 5th (weather permitting) and for an additional three weekends in September. Accommodation packages, lessons, bike rentals and guided rides are all available. For more information go to www.mountwashington.ca.


MENTIONS: @mountwashington


Author Info:
mountwashington avatar

Member since Jun 29, 2007
12 articles

22 Comments
  • 16 1
 So stoked !!!
  • 1 0
 See you up there in August buddy!
  • 12 0
 Can't wait to see what @billmclane and the crew have been up to! The stoke is real.
  • 7 0
 stoked to have lift access on the Island again budday!
  • 1 0
 Cannot wait!!
  • 3 0
 Will it all look like a sidewalk or will there be some bumps and stuff...?
  • 5 0
 Very cool for the island to get their park back! For people that work in the afternoon, I wish the later hours were for all week instead of just on Thursdays. But it's better than nothing.
  • 4 0
 Way to go @billmclane and the crew at the Wash!
  • 4 0
 So glad my grandparents still live in Comox
  • 2 0
 Monster Mile and the other Eagle Chair trails were always the best of what Mt.Wash had to offer.
  • 4 3
 Let's hope it doesn't turn into the same old mt washboard
  • 2 0
 Meh, I'll take the ol' washboard over no lift access riding any day. Definitely going to be spending some time up there, soo glad they brought it back this year!
  • 1 1
 or mt whisboard
  • 3 1
 @faithful: me too. Just hoping it will be better taken care of than previous years
  • 1 0
 @mattypants: Mt washigton management usually blows it. Hopefully the new owners make it work for the long term.
  • 2 0
 Yesssssss
  • 1 0
 Anyone know if the claw's comp is coming back?
  • 1 0
 I follow his fan page on Facebook so I asked him in a message if he would be there for opening day (seeing as he lives in parksville). I got a simple "not sure" reply.
  • 1 0
 Sweeet. Miss the a few lazy dh days a year.
  • 1 0
 Wicked.
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