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Northstar Bike Park: Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Jun 22, 2016
by pplaza  
Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

After almost four winters of drought in the Truckee/Lake Tahoe Region, the Sierra Nevada Range and California were finally gifted by Mother Nature with a "normal" winter (which is over 350" of snow) providing epic skiing and riding conditions for the area's ski resorts. This healthy snowfall has allowed for the region's lakes and reservoirs to return to their normal water levels and most importantly, has saturated the soil to make for some great early summer biking!

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

After the big winter, there was still a solid snow-pack at the peak of the Zephyr Express Lift forcing the bike park to push back regular top to bottom operations to this past weekend. Friday, June 17th, was the first day of top to bottom lift operations and the Northstar California Bike Park was buzzing with great vibes and excitement.

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update
Sierra Nevada wild-flowers cover the mountain terrain the early summer.

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update
Smiles all around. Riders were excited to be back in the park.

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

June 19th was the first Downhill Race of the 2016 Northstar DH Race Series taking place on the ever popular "Boondocks".

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Images for Northstar Bike Park Early Summer Riding - Park Update

Friday, June 24th, marks the beginning of Northstar Bike Park's 7-day a week bike park operations.
See Bike Park schedule.

It's great to see everyone so excited to get back on their bikes and experience the biking culture that is alive and well in Truckee/Lake Tahoe!

More Info:
Northstar California Bike Park
Lift Tickets + Season Passes
Northstar Bike Academy
2016 MTB Race Series | DH, Enduro + XC

Northstar California mountain biking trails


MENTIONS: @northstarcalifornia



Posted In:
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Author Info:
pplaza avatar

Member since Apr 16, 2015
1 articles

49 Comments
  • 67 11
 Except that the drought is not "on hold." We're still in it. I live here, 10 minutes from Northstar. Yes we had an ALMOST normal winter, but it nowhere even near close resolved our record setting drought. In fact, the latest snowpack report released yesterday showed "below normal" snowpack for this time of year (warm spring with warm rains and heavy, quick melt), reservoirs lower than expected because some folks in our state who can't think started claiming "the drought's over the drought's over release the water!" and our water agencies released water in response to this outcry...and that there's a 70% chance Cali will not actually be relieved from the drought until 2019. SOOOoooo, all that's to say yes, come to Northstar, have a blast, but don't perpetuate a myth about our water situation. We're not out of this problem just yet.
  • 9 1
 100% agree!
  • 5 0
 thanks for sharing, im in San Jose and have been happy to see the rain, which felt like a lot but that is most likely due to the very little rain we had the last few years. I do what I can (shower water to water the dead sections of grass) but I know its nothing compared to farmers and such. Thanks again for sharing
  • 5 0
 Actually a great rant. People seem to think one semi-normal year of rain fixes it all. They obviously don't notice all the trees still dying and the prediction of La Nina, which generally means a dryer than normal winter.
  • 3 0
 Santa Cruz is literally turning into the dry part of Oregon right now
  • 1 0
 @carym: yeah, the trees are not getting enough water, which in turn means no sap to protect the trees...beetles are having the time of their lives rotting away trees.
  • 19 6
 I miss Northstar. I live 2 hours from Whistler now... it's great, but not the same. I miss the chunky, loose, raw, rowdy terrain of Northstar that beats the sh!t out of you and your bike. Proper downhill.
  • 13 2
 LOL! Now this is what I call "grass being greener on the other side." We can trade places, @Jefe! =)
  • 13 14
 Northstar's dirt sucks. 5" of loose powder isn't fun to ride in. Just my opinion. It's the closest bike park to me and I haven't gone in years and probably won't be back for a while.
  • 12 1
 @jefe are you out of your mind? You live 2 hrs from Whistler and miss Northstar????????? It isn't April...I checked.
  • 8 0
 @nvranka: Hey, I too used to live 2 hrs from Whistler, I now live 10 minutes from Northstar. Every place has its pluses and minuses.
  • 1 0
 @Lotusoperandi: Care to share a few advantages of living near Northstar? Aside from the fact that you are much closer to NS, which is obviously great.
  • 11 0
 @nvranka: Winter in the Sierras is hands down much, much more tolerable. I lived up in the PNW for 12 years, it wasn't until about winter number 5 that I started to notice how dark and rainy it is there. For a lot of folks, that never-ending darkness, damp, cold, wet begins to drain on you. And then "summer" rolls around and sometimes it happens and sometimes not so much. Don't get me wrong, the riding up there is phenomenal and I highly recommend anyone to go up and check it out....in the summer. For anyone who wants to hold up Squamish and Whistler as some "perfect place" I would just nod and suggest they go spend a winter up there before they quit their job, sell the farm and think they're going to some "This place will make me happy!" place. For the folks that can tolerate the winters, great, that's for them. But for other folks it's a major trade off. Killer riding, great people, beautiful scenery...both the Sierras and the PNW have it. But sun? Well, that tilts the balance for me. Just a personal thing I guess.
  • 4 0
 @Alias530: They updated their sprinkler system now and it's pretty grippy actually. You should revisit it.
  • 2 0
 @Lotusoperandi: Didn't think about the weather, certainly a valid point if we're talking about living somewhere.
  • 2 0
 @bridgermurray: For all trails or just Livewire and maybe one other?
  • 1 0
 @nvranka: If it was just sunnier in the winter I'd still be up there for sure. I don't do well in cloudy, wet and cold for very long! But other folks can tolerate it and that always amazes me. I'm much happier in the sunny Sierras. Different strokes for different folks. Smile
  • 1 0
 @Alias530: its super fun
  • 2 0
 @Lotusoperandi: so true about winter. I lived three years in the Willamette Valley and 6 months of dizzle didn't bother me, but it drove some people nuts.
  • 1 0
 @Lotusoperandi: who needs the star when you have the other side of 267 to play on
  • 1 0
 @Alias530: I think they updated it for the majority of the popular trails (Livewire, Gypsy for sure) and they have improved their grooming practices on the others. Not as much brown-pow lately in my experience.
  • 1 0
 @jakebobsanchez: shhhhhhhhhhh
  • 13 0
 $54 for a day sounds steep.....
  • 8 0
 I guess all of the skiing has made me jaded, but I'll take a $54 ticket...shit i'd pay more @ mammoth/snow summit if it meant the trails get better
  • 8 1
 Northstar, please stop taking down your "big" jumps to make it "safer". Ride within your limits. It's not the trail's fault. Why isn't your signature trail, Livewire, open from top to bottom? You had so much time to work on it with the late opening. Its not even close to being open and by the looks of it, won't be open for a long time. Why not leave the old section open while you work on the new one? Stop de-progressing the bike park.
  • 3 0
 de-progressing = regressing?

Anyways...this is a very annoying trend with many bike parks, especially snow summit. Unfortunately, it seems the consensus is to dumb down trail features rather than just asking riders to stay on the trails that fit within their abilities.

I only use summit as an example as it's the most local park to me and the jump lines could be exponentially better, but it feels as though it caters to the weekend warrior crowd.

I have absolutely no issue with catering to the crowd that pays to keep the park open, but it is inherently annoying to have a lack of legitimate jump lines at a BIKE PARK.
  • 1 1
 It's because the mountain has no master plan to build things. They just do whatever.
  • 8 1
 Northstar is just about the most fun I've had on two wheels. Nothing like miles of descending all day long without having to pedal to the top!
  • 1 0
 If you like long runs, Mammoth has N* beat.
They both are great, California riders are sorta lucky to have both.
But I do like being able to chain together a longer run at Mammoth.
  • 7 0
 We saw the "snow pack" keeping live wire closed. Your pass holders live here and some of them love biking enough to walk up a trail and take a look. Please don't bullshit us.
  • 9 2
 So, am I the only one who is here due to the Click Bait?
  • 2 0
 Seeing a lot of comments saying the park sucks this year? is this for real or are people just being negative as they tend to do on the internet of things? I have a week trip planned up there based on the last 2 years of riding there. I'm super stocked cuz the last 2 years have been incredible. Livewire is by far my fav cuz of the super flowy trail and super big hit table tops. Please say it aint' so?
  • 3 0
 Wait till you boys ride Alaska then you'll see how fortunate you all are to live next to bike parks and be able to hit jumps that won't get torn down in the woods...see you in September Northstar
  • 1 0
 Sorry NorthStar ... season pass holder for 5+ years... zero desire to ride your park this year.

Same old blown out, poorly maintained trails...nothing new (except making things worse TBH).

Ownership doesn't give a shit about it's summer program so you can't blame the employees.

The money I spent for a 3 day Whistler trip is better than the 10+ days I'd get at your park with the same money.

You've already lost me as a customer, wake up and smell the coffee before the others do too.
  • 1 0
 Gents in one day visiting Whistler I saw more women riders than I have in 10 years of riding Mammoth and Northstar. Go north, young man. And prepare to be slower than your future gf.
  • 1 0
 The bottom of livewire used to be so fun! Now they ended up taking out around 4 huge jumps to replace it with slight downhill single track hahah.
  • 1 0
 Dude it sucks so bad now, it used to be so fast and big. I can't stand how they slowed it way down and have the stupid cinder block berms.
  • 5 2
 Brie is famous.
  • 3 7
flag Jaybirdy (Jun 23, 2016 at 12:40) (Below Threshold)
 Brie is Hott with a mix of Classy!!! ;p
  • 1 0
 LOOKING for Josh Daniel MaHoney, This is Mark DeWeese, heard your living in Truckee now, message me
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