Find Your Happy Place

8 Nov 2014

Finding a happy place in the minds of park riders when it’s frigid cold can be a difficult thing. Especially when a cool fall day feels more like the vodka room at Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler BC. The first snow fell a week after Natty and Trey left Steamboat’s bike park on closing day. Fortunately, for them, they had already made a beeline back to the pacific-northwest. Their first stop, once in Idaho, was at Eagle Bike Park. Eagle is not your typical lift assisted bike park, but rather a short pedal to the top of the hills with multiple line choices for your way down. After a couple of days riding there, they were ready to put on their coats, cross over the Cascade Range, and visit with their webbed-footed friends in western Washington.

(Air time for Shane Nichols bottom of Stormin Mormon)

(aw Brothers)

Eagle Bike Park is no stranger to Natty and Trey, as they have ridden there multiple times over the last handful of years. This unique spot offers a lot of options for most styles of riding. They are best known for their competition BMX track, dirt jump area, pumptrack and multiple feature-packed lines running down the slope. There’s a green, blue, and black/double black variety of difficulty level to choose from. You have to pedal to the top, but the great thing about this bike park is that there’s something for everyone no matter what kind of bike you have. One thing they don’t have is steep, rocks and roots. The area is typical high desert terrain that remains ride-able for most of the year. The thing Natty and Trey were most disappointed about, this most recent visit, was the missing skills area with all the wooden skinnies and drops; it had been completely ripped out. The last time Trey and Natty were in town, they noticed that the skills area looked like it needed a little TCL. Mostly, the wood looked like it was rotting out. However, it was all still ride-able when they were there last. The good news is, from the word on the street, the city has put some money aside for a new skills area. Yeah, win for city activism.

(Taylor Reed counting to three)

(Reed Peterman bring up the rear)

Natty put the word out that they were looking for some local rippers to come out and trick a little on the trails to get some good footage of the park. The morning that they planned to shoot photos and video two vehicles pulled up and four young men popped out with their Yeti’s ready show their stuff. The awesome crew of riders included Taylor Reed & Daniel Reed (from Reed Cycles in downtown Eagle, Idaho) with their buddies Shane Nichols and Reed Peterman. They all race for Reed Cycles team and are very talented and wicked fast. Thanks to those guys.

(Smiles all day)

(Sunshine all the time)

The next day Trey and Natty set their sights on western Washington. This is where they are now. Keep your eyes peeled here, as there are plenty of riding destinations in the cascades, even in the wet. They will highlight more trail centers and urban riding areas during the winter months. Follow them this winter, as they will travel back to the southwest where the sun is warm and bike shorts can be worn year round.