Canada Olympic Park 2008, Calgary Alberta

Jul 30, 2008

by Tyler Maine

For anyone that’s ever visited COP in the past you’ll remember that the trail network was a bit of a maze, ok so that’s really what it was. Everything intersected, some features had no rhyme or reason, but at least it had features seemed to be the recipe for their set up. Well this year it’s all changed and a whole new program has been put into place. With the help of a CODA grant, they were able to bring in Gravity Logic from Whistler BC to aid in the restructuring and rebuilding of their bike park.

Here’s what’s going on for 2008:Back in the spring time when the hill was still covered in snow the crew from Gravity Logic rolled into Calgary and began the rebuilding of what once was the Canada Olympic Park Bike and Skills areas. For those of you that have never been there or really for those that have, it was and will continue to be a major undertaking. Personally I can't believe what they have managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time as they pretty much started from scratch with snow still on the ground.

C.O.P. of the past had trails running in and about the east and west trees but with no structure to them and very little trail control when it came to keep users separated. You could often find yourself simple riding across another trail and not notice that you may have just missed another rider or that you almost got hit yourself. So one of the big steps for this years park was to create fully independent and separate trails that would run top to bottom with little to no overlap and when they did have to cross, proper bridges are now in place.

Gravity Logic even brought in a few hired guns from Whistler by the likes of Kenny Smith and Adam Billinghurst to help out with the new trail network and they created Lazer Fade. Lazer Fade is the new advanced jump line that will teach you bike control, cornering skills and leave you smiling for more.

Two of the intermediate trails that we really enjoyed that day were Dragon Slayer and Safari Planet-both in the West side trees. They both have a great variety of skill building features for the beginners to learn on the and advanced riders to really enjoy. While we were out riding Joe Schwartz was teaching a camp of riders and had them out on Safari Planet too:

Dragon Slayer Spiral:

The high speed quad chair will have you doing so many laps that your head will spin too! Being that C.O.P. only has a vertical drop of approx. 400 feet and you are on a high speed chair the runs do see a lot of traffic, but with the new layout the runs are a lot longer and a lot safer from a traffic stand point. Currently there are 12 runs between the East and West side trees to keep you entertained. The trail crew is always coming up with new ideas to increase your fun factor at C.O.P. too.

The fun doesn't just take place up on the hill, but also at the base too. Gromville is a skills building area for all the groms that visit C.O.P. daily. It teaches them the raw basics of riding and bike control in a self contained setting.

Now we can't forget about the bigger groms too. C.O.P. builds a nice dirt jump park each season and they were in mid swing when I was there. I met up with Peter Matthews and K-Mac for some picture taking while they were sorting out the new jumps. A lot of riders from Calgary come to these jumps as they are the only real legal ones in the city. There are various size jump lines and even one that the littlest of riders can hit up too.

Now that the new network is in place it's all about the continuation of upkeep and evolution of the trails so that they can help riders grow and progress as well for years to come. I had a lot of fun there and I hope that the locals there appreciate such a fun riding area right in their city as there are no other cities out there with this style of set up so close.

http://www.canadaolympicpark.ca

-Tyler "Brule" Maine

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118 Comments

21 2

blubullit (Jul 30, 2008 at 5:59)

What? all of this hype about gravity logic and they build 4 foot wide bridges and spirals? Where's the stunts, skinnys, drops, DH course, FUN stuff? Its great that they have limited the "trail conjestion", but did they add anything to the fun factor? Am I missing something or is this all they have done?

thehustler (Jul 30, 2008 at 6:45)

they have skinnies on the stunt park which are 2 foot wide and 1 foot high. pathetic i think.

9 12

brule (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:04)

Really when you look at a larger resort like Fernie that has removed pretty much all the as you put it "Fun Things" to do, I'm glad to see the folks at COP trying to keep features in their parks even if they are wider. A lot of this is to lower the risk of injuries, but also to built trails that will last longer and that more riders can try. The only thing you are missing is the fact that this is lift access riding in a massive city and that locals should be proud to ride it.

10 2

coupstair (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:27)

u gotter tolly, the new park is really limited. very little progressive building at all. i'm constantly having to scrub speed everywhere. basically the trails were built like whistler's, however, without the vertical in the hill to allow it which means all the jumps are way to short and only allow for a maxiimum hit.

the old COP, with more technical areas made sense of slowing the pace and then ramping it up again for a larger line (ie. wood drop, berm, double, bridge, skinny, wood drop - this was a wicked line ... no longer). i don't know what the crew was thinking about the last 3 tables at the bottom of lazer fade (this is a blue run by the way, not a double black - let's get serious). these hits are a mess and next time out i might just bring my shovel to fix them. they bite.

now something about the hill management. the lifts open an hour later and close an hour earlier than previous years ... i still can't figure why. the hill opened this year 3 weeks late (i know, weather, rebuild, etc) but is also closing at least 2 weeks earlier in the fall. we should be pushing management to AT LEAST STAY OPEN TO MAY 15, like previous years, especially with the late opening. this is totally unacceptable in my mind and i hope you others feel the same.

i've been a season pass holder for the past 6 years and i think there is new potential with the trails, however, the management of the hill is a sore spot for the reasons above.

go to the COP website and let them know how you feel about the rebuild and the shorter hours and shorter season.

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:32)

I agree with brule. The liability is to high when you have "fun stuff" like skinnies, stunts, gaps, drop and DH courses. When someone gets hurt, it could cost the hill a lot of money if they are found negligent. Even though you sign a waiver, you are still on their property, if you get hurt badly, they could be held accountable. Most riders stay within their riding capabilities, but there is always someone who tries something out of their skill level and takes a ride in the meat wagon because of it (something not so uncommon within our sport). If you want to ride "fun stuff" there is tons of it in B.C. on crown land. Where you are on your own, you fall, there is no where to look for compensation. C.O.P. is just trying to get a wide array of riders out to enjoy a sport that is hard to get into living in a predominately flat city/ province. It is no mountain, its a hill, with a huge population living around it. Not everyone rides in Golden, because most have to travel to get there, and it is a steep unrelenting mountain range. You must be sure of yourself to rip there. As brule said "The only thing you are missing is the fact that this is lift access riding in a massive city and that locals should be proud to ride it." - Go ride.

coupstair (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:48)

what?!? dude the point being is that the hill no longer accommodates all levels of riders like it did in the past and there's no reason it can't. it's just that simple. if a grom wants to try something too risky for his level, then that's his choice. no one's pushing him down the track. biking is all about fun, with a marginal amount of risk versus reward.

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 13:10)

Think of it from a business stand point "dude". The less intimidating the hill is, the more people will come out to "try", and maybe take up biking, hence more seasons/ regular passes sales, and bike rentals for the hill. Riding may be about risk versus reward, but business is about supply and demand. C.O.P. supplies a mediocre bike park that a city(not a mountain town)/ weekend warrior rider base demands. More riders on hill = more money for owners. They opened late, yes, but because of the work done on the hill. They have obviously done their homework and figured that cutting hours to more peak hours is more beneficial to their budget. Have you not noticed the rising energy costs, they don't have slave kids running the quick quad chair, do they? So what if the hill doesn't accommodate all levels of riders anymore. If your that advanced of a rider hhhmm hhhmmmm we do live in Canada, and the mountains are lying there not moving any time soon. Stop being so closed minded. -Go ride.

I would like to see you actually go out and fix that jump.

GamblerDude (Jul 30, 2008 at 15:46)

PS Brule... Fernie did not take out all the fun stuff. It still rips! People should go check it out instead of believing rumors...
And Enduro is sounding like he understands the bike business. All you bikers out there forget that it costs $$$$ to run a hill, and at the cheap price of bike lift tickets we should be happy they are open at all!

coupstair (Jul 30, 2008 at 16:16)

okay kids, let's remember the point of this little internal discussion, which is, most riders that have ridden COP for the past number of years (supporting the hill by buying passes when no one else was and jamming with the little groms giving props and pointers ... enduro06 i see you're from edmonton) are saying that the cheap old hill was perhaps a better fit for a wide range of rider levels. that's it.

so from a business stand point, if that's your nut, the old hill was a more profitable endeavour because it offered more to more riders without the overhead we have seen this year in the rebuild. 06, us LOCALS are just interested in more if possible and it doesn't happen unless voices are raised.

certainly you can't make such personal responses to those of us that have something to say ... go ride? 'dude' i ride DH, XC & bmx. i've built a bmx pump track around my house, i've built 2 freeride trails, i could fix that sixpack in my sleep ... if management would allow it of course ... simmer down pardner and keep your comments on the subject.

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 20:11) (Below Threshold)

Me simmer down hahah, you need to chill for one. Secondly, don't even start that Edmonton, Calgary, BS with me. Old guy. I am not even originally from Edmonton. I have ridden C.O.P. last year the year previous and also this year. I didn't say it was a cheap hill and I hear the fact you want better trails, who doesn't. It is their first year with the revamped park, all good things take time. Haha, you took "go ride" out of context, how sweet, you jump to conclusions. I also meant I would like to see you go out and rebuild that jump with managments concent. Your hardly worth my time, I'm out. - Go ride.

blubullit (Aug 5, 2008 at 6:29)

Enduro06, you have contributed absolutly nothing constructive to this debate.

19 2

srh2 (Jul 30, 2008 at 6:51)

I know I'm going to get a lot of negative props here... I have been riding C.O.P. since they first opened for biking several years ago. Every spring I used to buy a seasons pass so I could ride a couple of nights a week after work and on weekends. Such a convenient place to have right in the city! I was really happy to hear that they were building new trails this season. However, after visiting C.O.P. last month, I was extremely disappointed and won't bother returning. Yeah, the trail network was a bit of a mess before...but the hill was way more fun. The stunts were more challenging and there was more variety with all kinds of little hidden stuff everywhere. Now the runs a big, wide family friendly trails...not a bad thing if they had kept some of the older stunts or created some new runs that were a little more aggressive. I know C.O.P. has spent a ton of money on the bike park, it's just unfortunate that in making it this way, they have eliminated some of the more advanced riders from their hill.

shondo (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:03)

Give it another season or two, and the trails will catch up to the demands of the riders. It still looks a hell of a lot better than Rabbit Hill.

brycemtb (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:04)

nope not even close, the new dh at rabbit and the new trail to fast for love desroy COP.

bullitxl (Jul 30, 2008 at 11:06)

Brycemtb you're absolutely right. I rode Rabbithill for the first time this past weekend as was really impresed with what they've got going on there. Both COP and Fernie have vaginized their parks this year. When I saw the excavator pictures and the piles of wood at COP in the spring I was afraid of the result. The same thing happended with Fernie too, Top Gun used to rock but now the lips on the jumps are completely gone. Rumplestumpskin is fabulous but hardly makes up for it. I'd rather go shuttle Moose, 3 kings or the microwave tower than ride the lift.

16 1

paulinator FL (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:03)

The hill is now designed around hardtails. Riding those trails on a big bike just doesnt work since you cant get enough pop to clear the tables. They took all the fun out of that place. I miss the Lantern and that sketchy step up step down wood thing! Gravity Logic my ass. Not going back this year.

thehustler (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:33)

did you say hardtails or bmx? i wouldn't be surprise if i see bmxers on the hill.seriously!

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:36)

well frank works they and he rides his bmx around

chirsiswiged (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:49)

i love frank hes a tank

27 10

d-hracer (Jul 30, 2008 at 0:52)

WHAT ABOUT THE DOWNHILL COURSE!! WE RACERS NEED SOME FUN TO YOU KNOW

pbuser233544 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:11)

Have you been in the last couple of days? Cause its open.

lilyboorider (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:56)

its been open since last friday?

12 1

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:22)

actually rabbit hill looks way better now. there are supposed to be entrance feature to every trail so its supposed to filter out the little kids but they ride around it so kids on training wheels are going super slow and i have ran over a kids bike when he was going pee in the bushes because he left it on the landing. and the biggest feature a ten year old can do easily. they killed the dh course to after the first rock garden they filled in the log drop so you can pump speed and all the jump you have to brake and you still over shoot its a race course goddammit people go fast there gonna die. theres also one place where it is a sharp highspeed turn where you should have a pretty big burm but no in just drops into a ditch. the only thing i like is the step up at the end the other stepups look like tables with a whole halfway up the take off. by the way on the dh jump line the first two jump take offs are like a rock garden and the filled in the big step up with rocks and covered in in rocks. its just sketchy shit im using next years season pass money to help buy a road bike its way more intense compared to c.o.p by far imagine my nice hairy legs in lycra!! LYCRA!! goddammit!

danny FL (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:15)

This is the last year my girlfriend and I are buying seasons passes, we've been pass holders for many years, but with the direction COP has decided to go I would rather go ride DH/XC in the mountains or drive to Silverstar or Whistler. I'm saddened that a place I used to go to mess around and hang out with friends on weeknights just isn't worth visiting anymore. I've actually ridden silverstar almost as many days as I have COP this year, one is 5 minutes from my house and one is 6 hours.

srh2 (Jul 30, 2008 at 15:59)

I'm with you danny. Won't be buying a seasons pass for C.O.P. anymore either.

bison01 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:41)

hey guys don't waist you time or money going. ther is nothing there but a glorified dirt jump park now with tons of pedaling. there is no speed to be had at all the turns are to tight. nothing big no drops skinnys (well dragon slayer but it's 6' wide) no shore period or downhill. they even took out the wall ride that isn't even in the area of the new stuff. they just took it out for no apparent reason. may as well take a cross country bike there now because free ride ones are way to big for that place.

platinumcool (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:15) (Below Threshold)

Then you should probably concider riding the DH course.

zac87 (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:23)

Sorry I have to agree with some of the comments hear.
To me COP was a fantastic place I could come throughout the week and mess around on the jumps, skinnyâ€™s, drops etc; before the weekends ride and have a bit of fun doing it. Yes the trials did intercept, and like most of us that knew the hill found myself in situations because of it.
But letâ€™s be honest hear guys. COP is the kind of place you come for a bit of fun with your mates, muck around, try some stuff out, and get it all together for when you hit the bigger hills (for me anyway)
Just think itâ€™s a real shame they could have not left some of it alone. Since it was already there anyway. Red-line maybe??
I canâ€™t help but wonder if there was something to do with insurance hear?

tgreid FL (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:47)

it's a great place for people to learn some basic bike skills. I just wish that the west trees weren't closed just about every time I've been there. The green runs seem a little tight. The start of safari planet is great, too bad there's nothing after that. I'm hoping they make it more like crank it up and pile in a whole bunch of small tables all the way down. I haven't tried the new dh course yet, as it wasn't open last week, but hopefully that will add some variety. It does get a little tiresome riding super smooth trails; need to bring the mountain back to mountain biking.

stepheniskool (Aug 1, 2008 at 19:24)

Thats because Gravity Works built the top part of most of the runs then C O P built the rest

stepheniskool (Aug 1, 2008 at 19:24)

*EDIT* Gravity Logic

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:26)

oh and the intesrecting trails thing is a joke there was a place where all three trails met up in the middle and a very fast section and hard to see people coming it was way more dangerous that old c.o.p old c.o.p you just sorta coasted along going to a stunt now people play games seeing how many groms the can jump on safari how boring it is

superl8 (Jul 30, 2008 at 17:58)

A short rant. The jump park is painful. I think it's criminal for a MTB park to pass off crap like this and charge for it. The two big lines have an overly severe direction change after the first 2 jumps. Why not have a more subtle berm and take the big line around the outside of the jumps and put the little stuff inside ??? Quick and easy and desperately needed if they expect more than one in 50 comments to be positive. Hell if nothing else a bike park should have a decent set of jumps. Calgary is a terrible place to be as a MTBer - I come from BC where every other vacant lot has a set of jumps... that flow I might add. We deserve better than this

devinci-rider1 (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:11)

omg downhill corse is so fucken sketch at some parts it looks like instead of fixing rock gardens they just made a path around it thats easier. there are parts where u have to go fast and then have to go slow also its hard clearing shit on a biq bike bring a hardtail lol

pimp-her (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:29)

its much cheaper to matain the hill now no stunts means no laubour costs now that the trails are built they just need grooming after rain ,seems pepole are a bit upset sure why not it is quite boreing, no room here for tech skills, just flow,,well if thats the case the hill needs better burms baddley. and they better dump alot of cash into the dh run, or maybe they at cop dont really care, to busy baby sitting with there bike camps $$$$ for rich littel kids off for summer.ive almost my self ran over a few on the black runs, there in the middel of the run standing there or maybe its just me. ps we do need cop.

dmadness (Jul 30, 2008 at 16:30)

masonloves4, you must be absolutely retarded to compare Cop to SilverStar.. Come-on Are you Serious???

Silverstar is awesome, POC, Errrrr Cop. is okay if you live in the city, or then... it Was. I suppose.

( Piece Of Crap )

onetimetwotime (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:39)

wow, the wood features are a little wide. They are like beachfront boardwalks

cowboy-troy (Jul 30, 2008 at 19:42)

I guess they've tried to accomplish the feat of making it more user friendly and more family orientated. When I see old dads on their 15 year old rigid bikes doing these "trails", it's pretty shocking that i'm on a 7" bike. I guess to bring more beginners into the sport you'll end up pissing off the old dudes...*sigh* it does flow really well, except for some obvious HUGE errors (lazer fade? come on!)
I guess what people need to remember is that it is a bike 'park' within city limits, with chair access, and while it does suck to pay for it, there could be the alternative of not being able to ride anywhere...

dmadness (Jul 30, 2008 at 19:48)

lol.. hopefully Cop. get's some of this Opinion, maybe there's somebody from there reading right now... I'm not seeing to many "for"'s and plenty "against"

why not Ask the riders to design their park?? I go to Kicking horse often and they are doing a killer job with the limited trail crew they have, but also Riders such as myself and others donate some of our own time to Maitenance of the trail's and Clearing of some of the "baby head's"
in a city the size of calgary I'd be hard pressed to believe that there are not some who would do the same to better their riding spot

many hand's, light work.

stepheniskool (Jul 30, 2008 at 21:46)

we should get something organized along those lines

That-Norco-Dude (Jul 30, 2008 at 4:54)

What Joe Schwartz is alive? Hell yea

11 7

akozz (Jul 30, 2008 at 1:01)

looks like soo much fun. I wish i had such park in poland. Maybe it's time to visit canada

dunterberger (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:03)

that would be a good idea

Fox1010 (Jan 21, 2009 at 19:03)

Trust me, It was alot better last because they had like 4X the number of runs and I dont know why they shortened the number of them and the hardest trails arn't that hard, the best one the is either Safari Planet or the other black Diamond on right beside it (Can't remember the name)

chirsiswiged (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:58)

this cpo sucks the trails sucks the big one. the trails are to easy to many grom the drops arnt fun wait i mean the DROP isnt fun its like 5 ft and the dirt jumps arnt flowwy. listen the type of trails that gravity logic brought to calgary just dosnt mesh with the amount of space the cop has. sure if it was a mountian it would be great nice long trails but its just not wat people in calgary wanted i rode there for a day and i got bored it felt more like a job then acutally working i just think that it should of just been keeped the same ..

slaytanicmtbr (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:26)

I liked the idea of giving COP more flow...but the result wasn't really the greatest. It's fun but the challenge really isn't there compared to last season. And big bikes are such overkill for that place, which sucks for me.It's totally designed for short travel'sand hard tails. I havent lost faith yet though, its the first season give the guys a break! Its still a hell of a lot of fun for Calgary riders!

superman-4 (Jul 31, 2008 at 7:30)

I have to say, COP KICKS ASS THIS YEAR! Yea, everyone says it sucks because they took out all the old stunts, but all that stuff was just that; OLD. COP used to be technical, sure, but it had ZERO flow. You'd hit one drop, land flat, then navigate between 2 or 3 trees just to follow the trail, there was hardly any high-speed jumps or berms. Now the new trails may not be as tech, in fact I don't think theres a single legitimate skinny in the whole park, and that sucks, but it is definitely alot more fun to ride now! Safari-Planet is a wicked fast fun and flowy trail, same with Lazer Fade. Honestly did you guys just want to keep on riding the same stunts forever??
Anyways everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I guess some just prefer slow and technical over fast and flowy.
As for the dirt-jumps, anyone who is dissing them is an IDIOT! For years COP's dirtjumps have been COMPLETE CRAP. Last year you had to brake in between every single hit just to avoid overshooting the landing. Ask any true DJ'er, all we look for in dirt-jumps isn't size or lip, but FLOW! I've been riding COP for years, and these are the first dirt-jumps I can remember that don't require any braking OR pedaling. Thats perfect! The lips are fine, the spacing and size is fine, if you can't get any air, maybe you should learn to pop. I'm having no trouble whatsoever throwing any of my tricks over these jumps, I'm getting huge air, and the berm in the middle is really fun. Honestly if you think the dirt-jumps suck, take a look at yourself, its most likely your skills that suck. Before you go dissing the jumps because you can't clear the last two, realize that other riders such as myself are having NO PROBLEM clearing any of the jumps. Its not the jumps, its you. Spend more time riding, not whining, and you'll see how fun these jumps can be. If you have any questions on how to clear them, just ask me, I'll be the guy on the black 4-by going off and having a blast!

silentj (Jul 31, 2008 at 9:02)

Superman-4's got it. IMHO, The old park sucked. I think people need to take a step back and realize that the new trails are a step in the right direction for COP. They're not perfect right now, but how can you expect perfection from a park that totally rebuilt itself? Has ANY other park out there ever done this?

Have any of the more (im?)mature, well educated, riders that have been around for a while that don't like what they see at COP done more than cry and moan to your friends and on the internet? Have you tried contacting the trailboss? Anything?

I guess I take a bit of offense when people whine about trails...

freeride5 (Jul 31, 2008 at 11:19)

if you think safari is fun you must be 8 years old

freeride5 (Jul 31, 2008 at 11:20)

and to prove how shitty the jumps are this year there max five people at a time on the big line last year there were so many

krankin FL (Jul 31, 2008 at 21:31)

It's all about the flow and that is what COP has added. I have not gone there the last few years because I just could not find flow from the old trails. Patience children, I bet you better stunts and more trails will be built in the near future. COP is fine for what little vert it has.

norcoforever1234 (Jan 26, 2009 at 19:02)

C.O.P was way better before they went in and made it all 2 year old approved they put railings on all the high obstacles making it no fun. the only fun trail is lazer fade because you acually need skill to hit the stuff but everything else is way to easy, and whenever your going down the hill you have to watch for little kids as slow as possible with their camps. My opinion C.O.P is not worth it go up to moose mountain if your looking for some fun

12 13

slackerboy (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:30)

To pinkbike: some of the writing/editing in your articles is pretty shabby. I'm not meaning to directly insult Tyler Maine, but there could be a lot more flow and style in Pinkbike's articles (across the board). Maybe the readership is a bit younger than myself, perhaps less critical... And sure, it's about the riding - but it'd be nice to not cringe while reading about it. Sorry if this comes off a little harsh, just my 2 cents.

12 2

brule (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:31)

Feel free to grab your keyboard, write some articles and I'd be happy to publish them. Until then, please enjoy the site for what it is-free from folks that enjoy the sport and want to share their adventures. It's not a magazine that you are paying for to read.

blubullit (Jul 30, 2008 at 15:21)

You tell em' Brule. I for one like your style...

connorinchilliwack (Jul 30, 2008 at 15:53)

I'm not sure what he is talking about-- for all the news and reviews this site is great! I guess if you want surf/ski mag style "Soul of sport" articles you could add a section where people submit articles like that about their rides or adventures, but people can already do that, can't they? So don't listen to this kiwi-- this site delivers the goods big time!

sanman (Jul 30, 2008 at 16:49)

That spiral thing is so LAME, Kill a few more freaking trees why don't you! There is a lot of wood there to just go around in a circle like a toilet bowl!

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:22)

by the way they dont have a proper drop

kootenayxx (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:09)

what's the deal with fernie anyway - i heard rumour they took out all "wooden" features, but haven't seen or heard anything else...we were there last year and it was pretty fun, bin logged in and top gun? what's the scoop?

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 13:28)

Yeah, they did remove all of the wooden stuff at the alpine resort. Oh natural Fernie has become. The local trails like Brad's Gay Trail are more fun. If your looking for some trouble.

irktusk (Jul 30, 2008 at 13:53)

I can't think of a single wooden stunt that was removed. To be honest i am pretty unhappy with the way Fernie turned out this year but don't go saying stuff like "all the wood is gone" because thats not true. All the lips are gone but there is still plenty of wooden stunts still on the trail

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 14:07)

When I ripped there just a short time ago, I can't remember any wooden stunts. Difference of opinion I guess. Where are these wooden stunts you speak of??

GamblerDude (Jul 30, 2008 at 15:57)

Enduro...Have you even been to Fernie this year??? Yes some lips were toned down but not "everything" like you seem to think. Go ride it instead of perpetuating Bull Sh*T.

irktusk (Jul 30, 2008 at 19:20)

Alternate has not had any bridge removals, Phat larrys is still littered with them, all Rubber ducky has is stunts and Aggravated Assault had the step up step down removed. If you were only riding the timber side i could see how you would miss all of these runs and stunts but the elk side still has plenty of wooden features.

enduro06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 20:14)

Gambler! That's what "When I ripped there just a short time ago, I can't remember any wooden stunts." means. Everything may have been an exageration. Good to see you take everything so seriously. If it helps, your right! - Go ride.

GamblerDude (Aug 1, 2008 at 17:28)

Enduro...Sorry bro. Lost my cool. But Fernie is where I ride and all season people have been slagging it without even checking the facts. I know Pink Bike never deals with or publishes any RCR stuff so nobody gets the goods very often. Check out the "Ride of the week" video on their web site. Aggravated Assault is still sweet.

pbdsolutions (Aug 16, 2008 at 12:32)

i think a compromise is whats needed here like whistler between beginner stuff and skinnys and all that stuff - and tbh i'd be happy with whats been built there. compared to england

jyemen FL (Oct 7, 2008 at 17:55)

To many little kids riding and falling down in front of you. They need to bring back the wooden stuff and scrap the gay terrain park

katmandu06 (Jul 30, 2008 at 6:33)

It's look's wicked i, can't wait to ride them

norcoryder2 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:43)

shit, i never knew that thats where all this shit was built up. i drove by it on my way to panorama last march. looks sick!

creech (Jul 30, 2008 at 6:56)

i agree with you man totally 1000%

DirtyDusty (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:33)

I grew up and still live at the top of the hill. all the trails are for people to learn on. try moose moutian if you dont like C.O.P. atleast the run's there are good.

urane (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:56)

im liking the north shore but they need some drops

Mooserider74 (Jul 30, 2008 at 16:03)

hey where is this place?? whats the namne?? and how much is it?? looks hella tight and id love to ride that shit

DMRJACK (Jul 31, 2008 at 8:57)

i am coming three this wekk with my big hit because my best mate lives there i love it

D-J-P (Aug 1, 2008 at 9:00)

Stop complaining, sure its not the same as it was last year but lets work with what we have now.

Rolino (Jul 30, 2008 at 4:58)

wow thats so sweet!!

galen99 (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:27)

Yeah, its not that gret but as brule said, in the coming years im pretty sure trailcrew will keep doing there jobs and the trails will improve, Just my two cents though.

masonloves4 (Jul 30, 2008 at 14:31)

omg i miss it there so much all i ride out in b.c. is silver star i loved c.o.p's dh course the rock garden is fucking riches

speddownhiller (Jul 30, 2008 at 23:32)

those are sick trails, and props on making the kids park, now there more mini rippers

benoit686 (Jul 30, 2008 at 5:11)

nice Dragon Slayer Spiral

livelifeontheedge (Jul 30, 2008 at 11:30)

They shoulda put up pics of Quinn tricking it out

sourq (Jul 30, 2008 at 19:12)

i think the track is siik even tho the track before it was better i like this one kuz there more space to do things and everything is not cramped together and sketchey!

lookin4trickbike (Aug 1, 2008 at 8:14)

yea it really does that whole dragon slayer sucks

cchandle (Jul 31, 2008 at 21:56)

the spiral is sick

jyemen FL (Jun 9, 2009 at 22:47)

It gets kinda boring after a few hours

szkristof (Jul 30, 2008 at 2:59)

in hungary there isnt any park maybe just 2-3

canadaripper (Jul 30, 2008 at 6:59)

i saw joe schwarts in there with one of my camps

Jacke14 (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:17)

my ns wasn't that nice

devvo (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:22)

Everyone should quit bitching and go to Whistler, it's the obvious choice.

chirsiswiged (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:58)

woops i meant cop

slaytanicmtbr (Jul 30, 2008 at 12:30)

And the West Trees are SOOOO FUN! Props Gravity Logic and COP!

turnercrosby (Jul 30, 2008 at 13:06)

youngsters don't do much

killerhead (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:57)

i have some fun their its ok needs a littel work then it will be great by next seson

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 21:00)

the dh course is sktechy death

weare (Jul 31, 2008 at 22:11)

no it sucks

mountainbiker7 (Jul 30, 2008 at 5:45)

wish i could go

amonteir (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:22)

Dragon Slayer Spiral looks amazing

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pbuser233544 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:10)

COP has bone a fantastic job this season, against adverse weather I might add, and built an AMAZING foundation to build a world class MTB park. The ground work is in place and now they can fine tune, improve and build on existing trails. And with the hard (expensive stuff) done, now is when the fun begins. They have deffinitely left a legacy for the community in Calgary. PROPS for sure.

paulinator FL (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:13)

Well if you think of it that way and hope that they WILL rebuild some of the fun stunts, then yes they have a good foundation. But right now they are so focused on making the hill family friendly that they are forgetting about the older riders.

bison01 (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:48)

they are saying now that this is how they wan't it. they don't want to add stunts that could scare people and they said they are even planning on adding railings to the spiral so you can walk down it if you get scared! how would you get scared? it's 6' wide.

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:37)

they have railinggs now

rndm-dv8n (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:39)

barf, at 6' wide with no serious bank, ramp, or drop I don't see the point. A railing is a joke. It looks well-constructed though. But I guess it's like if downhill skiing was pioneered by extreme dudes and then they went to a new resort and saw a green run... and way more people ski green runs than black...

pbuser233544 (Jul 30, 2008 at 13:45)

I'm not sure who you people are talking to but if you talk to actual employees who have anything to do with the park itself you get a completely different point of view. And believe me, I've asked. When you blow several years worth of budget just to get the place to a point where somebody would even think of ensuring you, it gets very difficult to build everything at once.

And by the way rndm-dv8n is right. When only 5% of your clientel is asking for bigger features, bigger drops and gaps, who do you try to accomidated? Thats right the 95% that are paying your bills.

We as a community should all be thankful they believe in us enough to keep the place open, because i'm sure you all have NO idea how close we were to loosing it all together.

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 20:55)

theres way more than 5% percent of cleints asking for better my brothers freind is ten he barly comes biking and hes bored of it

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 21:01)

EDIT:
my freinds brother

sk8erstrt (Jul 30, 2008 at 7:14)

wow mr upset pants up there aha looks pretty dope i wouldn't complain if i were you after all look at all the killer stuff you got that was worked hard on for you to enjoy! i wouldn't mind checking that out some day

freeride5 (Jul 30, 2008 at 20:55)

they wrecked what there was before

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dh-dj-bmx (Jul 30, 2008 at 0:46)

cool

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s-alex (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:12)

i know im going to get negative props but the new park sucks. so far it only has at the most 5 dimond runs. the old park had about 15. and the drops were way better on the old park and the jumps were the best. but the new park is horrible. i went on the oppening day and it sucked. just a word of advice for COP, next time talk to the people that ride the park and see what they think about taking down an amazing bike park for such a small hill. the old park was way better. sorry

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stepheniskool (Jul 30, 2008 at 8:42)

your right, C O P dosent have the space to built trails like whistler, they cant have 15 solid runs, they just dont have the space. I personally liked the scetchy trails better. The new trails are well built and everything but there just isnt enough variaty. With the old trails there was lots of divercity with the stunts

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brule (Jul 30, 2008 at 9:00)

nnorcoo you have to realize that a whole new park cannot be built in a few months and that the old park took years to get those features (Drops, gaps, berms etc.) to the point they were at. It's going to take a few seasons to get the new park dialed in too. It all takes money and hard work to create something fun and I truely believe that they are on the right track.

krausehouse (Jul 30, 2008 at 17:34)

I just read the entire thread, im suprised how many people hate it, from the pictures its sick!

dirtperson (Jul 30, 2008 at 19:57)

Actually it is pretty bad i went there a few times with friends and we all had agreed that last years was way better compared to this. Sure they are rebuilding most of the park but they could have kept most of the set-ups from last year while they rebuild some of the other things Here come neg props

kyleeiji (Jul 30, 2008 at 20:50)

dude you guys are a bunch of whiners!!! (how ever the hell you spell that?)
god! be glad that you have somethin like that to ride!!
threres jack-shit here!!

t3kman (Jul 30, 2008 at 21:11)

nnorrcoo rider, what does a diamond mean at COP? A blue run anywhere else.

I haven't been to any other gravity parks, so I really couldn't say.

glowen (Jul 30, 2008 at 22:20)

"nnorrcoo" take it easy man. COP just poured a hell of a lot of money into their park and they are doing everything they can to improve and in my opinion they are doing great! lets see something you have built lately fo the riding community.....

about the 15 black diamond runs the other years, they have never even had that many runs of any level. get your facts straight and dont talk BS about stuff you have no clue about. COP is doing amazing this year. each season they have been stepping it up and this year especially they have tossed a bunch of man hours and money into their trails... go check them out, they're a blast!

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dubrider (Jul 30, 2008 at 10:17)

c.o.p's rad this year.