Horseshoe Bike Park Opening Day
With the first of the Bike Parks opening for the 2011 season, Trailburn headed out to Horseshoe Resort to soak in the gorgeous weather, great trails and chill atmosphere
Horseshoe is the newest bike park to the region and coming off a strong finish to their inaugural season (opened July 2010) and the ability to stay open even in poor weather conditions (they are sand-based) gives them an advantage from the other parks. The season was kicked off today with many riders getting out for the first time and shaking the dust off their gear and bikes. The Resort currently has 4 trails, each getting progressively more difficult with the final run being a dedicated technical trail feature trail including hip-drops, step-ups and all that good stuff.
With the lift opening at 10am, there was already a line-up to get up and officially start the 2011 season. Many bikes were making their maiden voyage on Saturday and the enthusiasm and eagerness to get dirty was in high gear and this was a great chance to get onto some lift-accessible DH trails early in the season. Changed from last year, riders are now responsible for attaching their own bike to the lift before they get on and lineup lessons were given to the riders to make sure they got their bike on properly and without error.
The park staff was kept busy all day with the lift-line and it was nice and shaded for the riders and staff to get out of the sun, something we all aren’t used to and the relief it provided was welcome; the ride up the lift is lengthy though which provided ample cool-down time and fortunately some of the trail network is visible so you can cheer, heckle or laugh at other riders on their way by. If you are lucky you can see riders pop off the drop under the chairlift and you can see riders snake through the advanced section of the park and hit the showtime booter.
As the day progressed, the trails were getting buffed out and new lines found, re-discovered and some old demons were haunting riders from last season. The great weather complimented the opening day; Springtime weather can be unpredictable but we were experiencing July-type temperatures so what more could you ask for. The Park is split into 2 sections, the moderately difficult side and the advanced side so there is no mistaking where to ride; fast and flow in one section and wood features, jumps and drops on the other. According to Matt Baird the Actions Sports Manager @ Horseshoe Resort, there are expansion plans in the works and final details will be announced soon; but expect the network to grow in size and offer something for everyone from the “never before” DHer to the grizzly race veteran.
The weather, atmosphere and excitement from everyone just thankful the season has finally started and the great feeling of getting on the bike again and working on your fundamentals or trying new things was everywhere today and the season started off on the right foot. We’d like to thank the resort for their hospitality today and for treating the riders well and answering their questions and helping them shred to their hearts content today!
Here are a few pictures from opening day:
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