The Dudes of Highland

The first time I went to Whistler in 2002, I came back home to New York wishing there was a bike park like it on the East Coast. At the time Plattekill and Mountain Creek were great places to train on rocky, technical terrain, but neither resort had invested in jump trails like A-Line or Dirt Merchant.

Mark Hayes had the same thought after he visited Whister and he decided to do something about it. Mark bought a dilapidated ski resort in Tilton, New Hampshire and over the course of ten years turned it into an East Coast riding Mecca. I’ve known Mark for a long time and he is one of the most genuine salt-of-the-earth people that I know. The positive vibe he has for riding shows in every detail at Highland as well as the great attitude of the staff.


Last summer I was on a bit of mini-tour around New England and Eastern Canada and I had to stop by and check out what was happening at Highland. It was a holiday weekend in the popular Lakes District of New Hampshire so getting a hotel room was not an option. When Mark offered lodging for my buddy Joey and me in staff housing at Highland, we jumped at the chance.

Cabin Life

Joey and I showed up well after dark and the parking lot of Highland was pitch black. I’ve lived in cities for most of my life and it was weird not being able to see your hands in front of you. “Hey, you must be Joey and Rob!” a friendly voice behind a camping headlamp yelled to us.

“I’m Chad DeLuca, and this is Chris Raeber and Dick Patty,” Chad said as he helped us unload our mountains of gear into the Staff Housing cabin. Chad showed us around the cabin and explained that one bunk room is for campers while the other is for the staff. The camper’s side had clean wood walls with fresh linens on every bed. The staff side had a bit more shall we say, ‘character.’


I’ve stayed in a lot of places but the Staff Housing at Highland has to be one of the more memorable. The walls were plastered with mountain bike posters and bike gear littered every square inch of the cabin. There was even a makeshift kitchen with a dormitory style mini-fridge and a hot plate. “If you guys are hungry we can throw some burgers on the grill out back for you,” Chris offered.

Joey and I gladly took them up on their offer and over a dinner of burgers and chips we got to know each other a bit. Chad and Dick are both from New England, Cape Cod and Connecticut respectively. Chad and Dick had both ridden at Highland many times before taking the plunge to live and work at the resort. Chris had a much different story.

“I am from Switzerland and I had heard so much about Highland,” Chris explained. “I wanted to come to a place where I could live, work and train for slopestyle competitions.”
The five of us stayed up late that first night talking and hanging out. It was cool finding out that I had ridden some of Chris’ trails in Switzerland. Chad spends his winters working at Beaver Creek in Colorado, so Joey and he shared info on their favorite powder stashes at the resort.

A rude awakening

The following morning we were woken up by a loud banging on the cabin door. “Guys, your first bike lesson is in 10 minutes!”, shop manager Greg Dolbec yelled as Chad and Chris scrambled around the bunkroom, collecting their gear. While Chad and Chris ran around like they were in an air raid drill, Dick lounged comfortably with his hands behind his head. “It’s my day off,” Dick said with a smile. “Let’s grab some breakfast and go shred.”


On the lift Dick explained that Chad and Chris work in the bike shop as well as give lessons to all different levels of riders. Dick said that Chris does introductory training for beginners, while Chad focuses on coaching higher-level riders. “I work in the office doing marketing, promotions and events,” Dick explained. “Basically anything Mark needs me to.”


Dick also explained to us that he used to race downhill at Highland before working here. Dick definitely looked the part of a downhill racer, looking very factory with a green and yellow long-sleeved jersey tucked into matching moto-pants. He definitely rode like a downhill racer as well. Dick knew every inch of the trail and always had the fastest line. His riding was a great mix of efficiency and style. “Living at Highland you have an opportunity to work on your riding every day,” Dick said as we headed back to the lift.


After a few laps through the park, we linked up with Chad and Chris who had a few-hour break between lessons. They had both changed into jeans and dirt jump lids and looked like they were ready for a slopestyle competition. Chad was rocking a red cut off t-shirt and with his shoulder length brown hair, he was a spitting image of freeride legend Darren Berrecloth. “They call him Mini-Claw and he loves it,” Dick said with a smile.


Chad suggested we take his favorite way down the mountain. “Let’s take Bone Saw to Hellion to the Race Trail," he said as he pedalled into the first berm. There was no way in hell I was doing the technical Bone Saw drop, but it was awesome to see the three of them hit it with style. Following the trio down Hellion was something to see as well. Dick was laying out big moto-whips on his race bike, while Chris and Chad were styling it out on their short-travel machines.


“We have to go back up and hit NE Style to Power Hour to the Slopestyle course now,” Chad said as we loaded our bikes onto the lift. Again it was a sweet show the entire way down the mountain. NE Style is the quintessential Highland trail with big drops, gaps and jumps as well as a curved wall ride with an amazing view of the Lakes District.


Slopestyle in your backyard

The slopestyle course is home to the Claymore Challenge, one of the top comps in the US. “All of the riders who come to the Claymore Challenge love this course because it is so fun,” Chad explained as he raked the landing of one of the ladder drops. “Nothing is built sketchy or too big- it’s all just right.”


Chris had been looking to style out the Cannon Log for a long time and Chad offered some words of encouragement, “I’ve seen you hit bigger stuff up in the bike park, you’ve go this!” Chris hit the 45 degree angled log with the perfect amount of speed and threw a clicked table off of it.


“The cool thing about Highland is the vibe,” Chad said as he hiked up to hit the log himself. “Everyone is stoked about riding and it encourages you to push yourself. It’s stress free and people work here because they want to be here.”


A thin slice of heaven

After sessioning the Cannon Log the crew made their way down the rest of the course and headed back to Staff Housing. “Let’s grab our dirt jumpers and head over to Sherwood Forest,” Chris said. In under 30 seconds we pedaled to Highland’s famed dirt jumps.


The jumps were super dialed and it was fun to watch the crew style them out. Chad kept buzzing his shoulder with his front tire when he did tables. Chris was steezing out the wallride with some inverted tables of his own. Chris was again eyeing up a jump to pull a move he hadn’t done there yet.


“I know you can whip that jump Chris,” Chad said with a smile. “You know my motto, ‘You can do anything, if you put your mind to it’.” Chris made a few run-up attempts, each time stopping before take-off. On his third try, he kicked the rear-end of the bike out and let it fly. He deftly caught it with his right leg and stomped the pedals with authority.


High fives were given all around and it was sweet to see Chris tailwhip over something he’d never done before. “Just another day at Highland,” Chad said.

Any advice for someone interested in living at a resort? “Do what you love and see where it takes you. You’re only getting older. Work, play, live in a vacation destination. If you decide to wait, you might be waiting your whole life. Chase what you want and love- let passion drive you."


This trip to Highland wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Chad, Chris and Dick. Big thanks to them as well as the man behind it all, Mark Hayes.


I’d also like to thank all of the folks that keep me on the best bikes on the planet; Hans Heim and Jeff Kendall-Weed at Ibis, Scott Boyd at the Hayes Group, David Parrett at Thomson, Cara Burgess at Bell Helmets, Joel Richardson at FSA, Elayna Caldwell at SRAM, Jeff Wilbur at Cateye, Josh Parris at Specialized and Colin Hastings and Jeremiah Stich at Bert’s Bikes and Fitness in Tonawanda, NY.

Highland Bike Park
www.trailforks.com