The straight goods on Kicking Horse Bike Park, straight from the trail crew's fingertips.It was a stubborn winter here in the mountains. Trail work was delayed as the snow clung onto the slopes and water oozed out of the earth. But the tempo has picked up recently, the 7 is on the peak across the valley, the challenges are set and the crew is crushing them.
The first tool of summer trail work at Kicking Horse is the snow groomer (in case you are wondering, that's not a groomer in the photo). We have to ensure bikes can get down from the top of the gondola to the dry trails below on opening day.
The theme this year is dirt. It is really remarkable stuff and we hate to see it go. So we continue to experiment with ways to harvest, nurture and preserve it while adding flow to our show. Here's a little video showcasing some of our efforts towards that end thus far in 2014:
But that's enough of moving pictures. What's the biggest change so far in an early season of many changes? Did you say 'pump track'?
Starr Trail Solutions parachuted in to make this one. This is a great improvement to the base, and hopefully the beginning of something grander.
We spend a lot of time scratching our chins at work, discussing solutions to problems and sharing grand visions. Here Brad and Nick debate who has a meaner judo chop. Meanwhile, the
DJs are in such great shape, we barely needed to touch them.
We've done a number of reroutes and rebuilds, including the start of
Easy Rider which got squashed to make a flatter ski run. Now it is better than the original. Evolution just feels right.
Pioneer (part of the
Western Open race course - July 25-27) was modified in a few places. The original trail in the steepest sections had to be rerouted for issues of safety and sustainability. We added a longer berm below the rock drop that cuts off the original line and sends riders to the right now.
Another reroute was beside Spiral Tap. The unholy union of rock, root and strong gravity that is the left option is still available for the misfits that like that stuff, but now there is a roughed in trail to the right. All we did is pull the alders and large obstacles so the first riders are going to have a blast tearing up the duff and forming the trail. Are we being lazy or smart?
The big rock slab under the gondola on
Rock n Roll will not be open at the beginning of the season due to vicious water damage caused by a blocked culvert. Everything else below
Blaster (and very likely Blaster too) will be open. Watch out for significant changes to
Buffalo Jump and
Hop a Long as well.
Another new, exciting feature at the park this summer is
beginner and intermediate lessons. These will be available on Fri-Sun for the time being. Who will be offering them? The very same guys who are building and patrolling the trails. Who could know the terrain better? 5 of those guys are on at least their 5th season. Here we are getting schooled to become schoolers. How do you know when a bike instructor is at a party? He'll tell you.
An advantage to taking the instructor's course for us is that we were able to ride our trails for 3 days before we opened them. That never happens! We usually have our faces buried in the dirt until opening day...well, until closing day really.
One thing that is interesting about working in the spring, when the grass is still dead and the ground is easier to see, you stumble upon old bike trails and tools you misplaced unknown years ago.
A
Bonus Weekend is happening June 21-22 which is lickety split. Full operations start June 27 until Labour Day, then Fri-Sun through September (first time in 3 years!), weather permitting. Also July is cuckoo bananas with races (
Western Open DH and
Kootenay Rockies Enduro Series) at the resort in July. It's going to be another great one. We'll be getting the machines out right quick like here to start the big projects. See you soon!
Crowe
www.kickinghorseresort.comOne of our common companions.
Pionner/Claim Jumper is still an undeniably fast, old-school singletrack with plenty of places to grip for your life. Come see for yourself.