Mountain Biking’s Better Half
There’s a saying in the mountain bike culture that "you’ve got to earn your downhill." As a cross-country MTB’er myself I find that I enjoy the climb uphill. It calms my otherwise scattered mind while the exercise gets the blood flowing after a hard day in front of the keyboard.
But sometimes you really just want to go downhill…fast…
I got the opportunity to do that this weekend up in Winter Park, Colorado. With the ski resort there being a former employer of mine, I’ve got a little bit of inside dirt on the trail beta. That being said, I haven’t been up there in a while. So, this weekend’s visit was particularly exciting.
You see, what’s different about mountain biking at a ski resort is that you get to experience an all-day exploration of just the "better half" of mountain biking. With the lifts there to pull you and your rig from bottom to top, you’re left with nothing but sweet, silky downhill. Below is a live image of the Winter Park base. The lift in the picture (assuming the camera is still pointing there when you read this) is the Zephyr, which drags rider and bike up 1,700 vertical feet from Winter Park Base to the top of Sunspot. From there, numerous trails — going both up and down — are available with some being dedicated to the squishy-bike downhill kids.
Though I myself don’t subscribe to high-end long-travel bikes, face masks, and full armor, there are plenty of opportunities there if you are. Even on my Specialized Stumpjumper Pro with around four inches of travel in the front and a little less than two in the back, Winter Park’s ladders, see-saw’s, and banked turns are intoxicatingly fun. The more sedate trails — those that include both up and down — to me are even more exciting, with sailing through the cool high-altitude pine forests (or what’s left of them after the pine beetle kill) being a major personal thrill.
So what’s the moral of today’s little musing on my after-work passion? Even if you don’t believe in lycra shorts and even if you can’t pedal up a hill to save your life, there are options available that’ll get you access to MTBing’s better half. Just get on up to Winter Park. Check ‘em out at www.skiwinterpark.com.
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