No Flash, Little Cash, Having A Blast
29 Apr 2014
Q&A: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Bike Park!!
Who are you and what do you do at KHMR Bike Park?
Steve Crowe, Bike Park Trail Crew Team Lead.
How long ago was KHMR Bike Park developed? Who or what was the driving force? What was its original vision?
The bike park was developed the year KHMR came into existence in 2000. Because the gondola was running for sightseeing, a group of passionate mountain bikers built a few trails and Kicking Horse offered biking, but only with a guide, for the first year.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has supported Kicking Horse Bike Park since the summer of 2001. Important milestones in the development of the bike park have included; our partnership with the Golden Cycling Club, the introduction of machine built trails in 2003, and continued trail building in successive years since.
What is the most popular trail at your bike park?
Superberm, but might be Swamp Donkey once it is opened
Will there be any new trails added this year or will you be re-developing any existing trails?
Swamp Donkey is a 3km black jump trail that has been 3 years in the making. We will be doing everything humanly possible to have it open early this season. Also we have a new green singletrack trail that meanders through the alpine; no other Canadian park has a trail in the alpine like this one. Fast riders will be able to pump it throughout. We hope to extend it later this summer. A number of lower mountain trails were improved last October and this should mean windier trails, smoother berms, and bigger jumps.
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)…
Kicking Horse, with 1200m of vertical, is varied. We have hand-built alpine trails with spectacular views and amazing golden dirt up high. The middle is steep and rocky with a mix of singletrack and machine-made trails. And the bottom is mostly machine-made with an emphasis on flow. With that said, down low there is plenty of steep old-school singletrack, amazing rock slabs and jumps.
What is the mountain bike scene/culture like at your bike park?
No flash, little cash, having a blast (almost rhymes). Small cultural group outnumbered by the cross-country/freeriders (although many do both)
Tell me a little bit about Kicking Horse’s village. Are there any restaurants or bars that mtb-ers like to spend their time?
Small village. Peaks restaurant/bar is the primary watering hole, but there are no views better than the Eagle Eye restaurant at the top.
Tell us about any big events that are happening this summer at the bike park?
Western Open (Provincial finals this year) http://www.seracing.ca/westernopen.html. Kootenay Rockies Enduro. http://bcenduro.com/kr-home.html
We will be running a toonie bike rice series on the following dates June 28, July 12, 26 and August 9 & 23. We hold the races on a different trail each time with the winner taking the purse (plus we have lots of prizes for participants)
Season long Strava Challenge: Find out how you stack up against the KHMR bike Park regulars. Our Bike Park crew has set the segments on our most popular trails now all you have to do is start the app and ride! Top times will be rewarded at the end of the season.
Do you have an opening date yet?
June 21-22 is our preview weekend with full 7 day a week operations beginning June 27th
What does the future hold for KHMR Bike Park?
The future vision is a development of cross-country trails in the alpine and connecting to the Golden public trails below. And once Swamp Donkey is kicking ass, we'll start Phase 2. And continual improvement of our existing trails.
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