Burke Holds the Keys to the Kingdom
31 May 2014
Q&A: Q Burke Mountain Bike Park!!
Developed in collaboration with Kingdom Trails, the Q Burke Mountain Bike Park provides that the essential up-lift service for gravity riders, the final element that makes East Burke such an awesome mountain bike hotspot in North-East Vermont.
Who are you and what do you do at the Q Burke Mountain Bike Park?
A.J. Seibel – Director of Base Operations. I oversee operational aspects of the bike park including tickets, passes, rentals, lessons, retail and trail maintenance.
Tell us a little bit about Q Burke Mountain Bike Park.
The park offers 8 trails of varying difficulty from introductory downhill riding to expert dirt jump trails and classic single-track DH trails.
How long ago was Q Burke Mountain Bike Park developed? Who or what was the driving force?
The park opened in the fall of 2010 through a collaborative effort between Burke Mountain Operating Company and Kingdom Trail Association.
How many visitors do you get in a weekend/season at the bike park? What has been your biggest day on record?
An average day is around 100 riders in the park, ~5000 per season. Our biggest day on record was roughly 300 riders.
What is the most popular trail at your bike park?
Jester
Will there be any new trails added this year or will you be re-developing any existing trails?
Plans are underway to develop new trails and to add alternate lines and wooden features to existing trails.
Describe the predominant “style” of riding at your park? (Natural vs. Manmade, DH/Tech/Steep vs. Flow/Features) Typically, what kind of terrain do you have? (Rocky, Dry-dusty, Tacky, Roots)…
Depends on which part of the mountain you’re on. The lower area has tacky dirt, mostly manmade flow/features trails. Up top we’ve got technical DH trails coming off of the summit.
What is the mountain bike scene/culture like at your bike park?
We’re lucky enough to be smack in the middle of the East Coast Mtn Biking mecca of East Burke VT. Days are full of hoots and hollers down the flow trails, and afternoons/evenings are full of campfires, good friends and a few cold ones.
Tell me a little bit about your town. Where do out-of-towners like to stay while visiting Burke Bike Park? Are there any restaurants or bars that mtb-ers like to hang?
There are a variety of campgrounds and small inns in the area that house the weekend crowds, including a campground on-mountain that we operate. The popular bars include The Pub Outback in the village of East Burke, the Tamarack Pub and Grill here on the mountain, and (new this summer) Mike’s Tiki Bar.
Will you have any big events going on this summer at your bike park? We’ve got the Kingdom Enduro, which is part of the Triple Crown Enduro Series on September 28th. The other stops in the Enduro are at Highland Mountain Bike Park and Mountain Creek, so we’re stoked about that. We’ve also got the Annual Bike and Brew Festival on August 2nd, as well as weekly events like our fRIDEay Night Ride Series, every Friday in July and August. We’ll have more announcements on events at SkiBurke.com and facebook.com/BurkeMtn
Do you have an opening day yet?
We’re projected to open June 6th 2014, weather and conditions permitting.
What does the future hold for the Q Burke Mountain Bike Park?
So many possibilities, we’re only really starting to scratch the surface in terms of what could be done here. It’s exciting - more trails both lower mountain and potentially off the summit, more improvements, more clinics and camps, and bigger and better events!
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