Video: RAW Laps with Vero Sandler at BikePark Wales

 Instead of ski lifts we tend to use uplift vehicles with bike racks in tow. Typically a tractor for off road or a mini bus for fire roads. The only ski lift operated park in the UK I know of is Fort Bill

 @cjwareing: Glencoe

 Generally the bike parks you see on Pinkbike have an uplift with a minivan and trailer (exceptions- Fort Bill and glencoe have chairlifts). Smaller ones will be push up/ride up only. We tend to use the term 'trail center' for more XC-oriented venues, although some of them will have downhill tracks as well

 For bike park wales you first have to remortgage or sell an organ as that point if you haven’t bled out in a bath full of ice you can book on for a whopping £96 for a full days uplift and if you’re lucky smash out around 8 runs at a mediocre bike park. You get to the top of the hill by means of a terribly inefficient uplift service. But don’t worry when you’re waiting around for your left at the bottom you’ll have plenty of opportunities to buy either overpriced food in the cafe or overpriced gear in the shop! It’s really is an outstanding example of how to squeeze every last penny out of you

 @Garpur44: it's £45 ish depending on what day you go, so that's just wrong. The weekend pass is £90 but for 2 days of bike park riding, and tbh I think that's pretty good, it's totally on par with every other UK uplift bike park.

I've been loads and never found the uplift to be inefficient, the opposite actually, maybe in the early days like 4 years ago that would've been a fair comment but not now, it's fast now. There's only one road up and hundreds of people everyday, what do you expect? Stiniog is way faster but has like 20 times less riders to deal with, you can't compare it.

The trails are really fun and I think they've done a great job with what they have available to them. It's no revs but it's not trying to be, it's great at what it does, the trails are well built, we'll maintained and there is enough variety and progression.

The bike shop and cafe I do agree with, they are overpriced but it's a business not a charity. The beer is good and the staff are so so helpful and friendly - one time I stupidly forgot my rear through axle, I'd drove 4 hours for a weekend there with my mates so one of the wrenches drove home to get his to lend me for the weekend. I don't mind paying a bit extra to keep people like that in a job and happy.

 @BrambleLee : Bike parks in the Alps have all been running as ski resorts for decades, so that’s why they have good lift networks.

 This persistent question of the shop at BPW being expensive is really weird.

I've had more contact with that shop then pretty much anyone. They sell product at MSRP. They're not marking up prices, or gouging, or profiteering. If they're selling a Fox jersey at £70, it's because the MSRP is £70. Maybe they have less promotions and end-of-line sale then some stores, but that's because it's a compact store with insanely high footfall.

That doesn't make the shop "overpriced". It is a shop that sells expensive things, which is a completely different matter.

 Uplifts have all got a lot more expensive over the last few years, but BPW is about on par I reckon. I'm not the biggest fan on the trails they have, they all have really sick sections and then go bad again, but I prefer more DH oriented stuff so it's really on me to go to dyfi instead!