Ski Areas and Freeriding: The Next Generation of Mountain Biking?
By April Darrow
National Ski Areas Association Journal
April/May 2005
Snowshoe Mountain, W.Va., increased summer bike program business by an estimated 180-200 percent in 2004. It was done in a pretty seamless way: by cutting and building new trails and park features on an under-utilized section of the mountain aimed at the growing freeride mountain bike market, and then adding related events, rentals and retail to further boost earnings.
Using the ultra-successful Whistler Mountain Bike Park as a model, Snowshoe management put their heads together in early 2003 to brainstorm how the resort could capitalize on the burgeoning freeride bike market - one with potential that some resort managers liken to snowboarding in the late 80s.
Like most ski areas, Snowshoe has been offering downhill and cross-country mountain bike trails for 15 years but saw the need to retrofit summer operations and add facilities to meet the demands of the freeride demographic. "We saw that we could do a lot more after seeing what Whistler's been doing and their success. We did a business plan to see what we could build on and then started cutting and building," said Snowshoe Senior Graphic Designer Phillip Duncan, who spearheaded the resort's freeride program.
Snowshoe has two sides. The 1,500-vertical-foot Western Slope contained existing bike trails while the 800-vertical Basin side was used for other summer activities but had not previously offered trails. "We had terrain we could use and it seemed to be a perfect fit,"said Duncan. "We cut 12"V15 new trails on the Basin side that all have ladder bridges and wooden features and that span beginner, intermediate and advanced abilities. We created a park atmosphere for all levels of riding and all kinds of features. We made it a destination place to ride."
As a result, bike retail and rentals at Snowshoe increased 240 percent over 2003, trail and shuttle passes (a $20 park fee or $35 for all access) saw a 109 percent rise, and mountain bike program visitation jumped 91 percent: an overall program increase of 174 percent in 2004. Not surprisingly, the resort has plans to expand both sides in 2005 with added trails and features.
Since the late 1990s, with the introduction of dual suspension bikes, freeride mountain biking has been picking up a steady following worldwide. The trend is an evolution in the sport that's calling for resorts to rethink mountain bike offerings. So what's it all about? "Defining 'freeride biking' is like defining 'freeride skiing' - it means different things to different people," said Pete Webber, communications director for the Colorado-based International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). "Basically it's a style of mountain biking that focuses on technical and more challenging riding. It doesn't mean that it's for experts only; it means that instead of going for a 20-mile ride people are going on a 5-mile ride to push skills on difficult terrain to try to master it."
In both 2003 and 2004, in answer to the growing attention on freeriding, IMBA produced a Freeride Guide. In it, Past Executive Director Tim Blumenthal further clarified: "Theres no denying that freeriding continues to create a positive buzz in the off-road riding world, almost like snowboarding and telemarking sparked a stale ski industry. Freeriding is inspiring a new era of suspension technology and customer excitement. Freeriding is pulling ski resorts back into the mountain bike tourism game, because suddenly, facilities that are underutilized in warm-weather months are proving to be ideal settings for freeride parks, technical downhill trails, and dirt jumps that attract visitors and keep people employed."
"Mountain biking is totally different than it was 6 or 7 years ago," agreed Matt Sutton, a member of the Keystone, Colo., bike crew. "Trails are getting more progressive and bikes are changing. Freeride biking is going to grow because it's more appealing for a 12-year-old kid to hit jumps and ride downhill trails than to just ride cross-country." Keystone built several freeride trails filled with jumps, berms and bridges over the past two summers and plans to keep adding.
Whistler/Blackcomb Vice President of Business Development Rob McSkimming noted that freeriding marks a sort of "second generation" of mountain biking. Summer 2004 was another record year for Whistler's Mountain Bike Park - arguably the most progressive freeride area in the world - attracting 75,000 rider days, up 33 percent from 2003 and 700 percent since the park's 1999 opening. In fact, McSkimming said that the freeride segment now comprises 75 percent of Whistler's overall bike market and that visits have been growing by 15,000-20,000 per year for six years. This year, Whistler owner Intrawest will invest an additional $200,000 in trail expansion and improvements for the park.
And though catering to this crowd has paid off in spades for resorts like Whistler, according to IMBA only about a dozen North American ski areas are authorized freeride areas.
"All the buzz around mountain biking is around freeriding now," said Webber. "A lot of people want to do it, but where ski resorts come in is to provide the opportunity. This includes trails, rental bikes and pads and instruction - all resorts have the opportunity to replicate what Whistler's doing. "Strategically, this could be a lot bigger than it is," said McSkimming. "Resorts have a lot more expertise in this area than they think. They've already got the facilities, lifts and staff, it's really just a matter of better utilizing existing facilities. So what's this demographic looking for? McSkimming thinks the key for Whistler has been to concentrate on building the right experiences in terms of trails and features. "We're talking about pretty skilled riders who have experience with downhill and dual suspension bikes," he said. "We're trying to build experience that matches the new bikes' capabilities and the riders' capabilities, which are both more advanced than in the past."
Dual suspension and park bikes are designed to navigate and withstand challenging terrain. The bikes often have longer travel suspension - notably more front and rear suspension than regular mountain bikes - and all-in-all heavier duty components. Freeriders also tend to wear protective gear and more padding. Specific features at freeride areas include elevated wooden structures, teeter totters, steeper trails, rock drops, and other elements associated with "North Shore" type riding. Whistler has even pioneered the development of machine-built jump-style trails, called ALine trails, that are cut with Bobcat excavators that produce sculpted, smooth finishes.
"A-Line trails are very much like a skier- or boarder-cross track except narrower (maybe 3 feet wide), smaller features and one rider at a time," said McSkimming. "You can picture big banks, table top jumps and hip jumps all in the flow of the trail. That kind of riding is really taking off. It' s addicting and brings people back.""The most important thing resorts can do," added Snowshoe's Duncan, "is tap into their local rider base. They' re the ones who are passionate about it and want to see it grow. Our local riders told us By adding wooden features and other elements to new trails, as seen in the photo on the left, Snowshoe Mountain increased summer mountain bike business by nearly 200 percent in 2004.
That this all sounds like winter terrain parks is no coincidence. Whistler' s Boneyard is essentially a mountain bike terrain park. It has the same staff as Whistler's winter park and other similar elements - even the kind of tricks and riding people are doing require the same kinds of moves and spins and jibbing. The same people are using the parks year-round and there' s a huge crossover between winter and summer park riders.
Emphasis on skill progression in winter parks over the past few ski seasons has also influenced summer bike operations. Freeride areas offer a variety of well-marked progressive trails and features to accommodate riders of all levels. In addition, most are offering instruction, with Whistler topping the competition with a variety of clinics that include womens' only, "extreme" clinics coached by freeride celebs, childrens' programs, big mountain riding, and summer "gravity camps" that include biker cross and dirt jumping. In 2004, more than 1,000 kids' lessons and about 1,200 adult lessons were given at about $75 (CAN) each. Whistler also offers package deals. "Our skills centers are the same concept as ski and snowboard school," said McSkimming. "They're intended for riders to progress in jumps or rocks or riding elevated features. We also definitely have super easy trails classified under 'freeride.' We put beginners on cushy dual suspension rental bikes and put them on manicured beginner trails with an average slope angle of 8 to 14 percent maximum."
In addition to clearly signed and mapped downhill trails, Webber recommended that resorts interested in getting into the freestyle market build an inexpensive "Challenge Park" in their base area that encompasses a variety of skill levels in a controlled access environment. "Small jumps or small rocks can grow bigger to include all skill levels," he said.
Keystone has followed this advice. The resort's base-area Skills Park, sponsored by Yeti Cycles, encourages progression with three or four different lines and bridges that are from 2 to 6 feet off the ground and from 2 feet up to 10 feet wide, said Sutton. Also, Keystone's summer bike crew is essentially a ski patrol - the whole crew is medically trained and also builds trails. Snowshoe also has a Mountain Bike Patrol, made up of many winter patrollers, that enforces safety and performs daily inspections on all features.
Resorts are also incorporating events tailor-made for this demographic in addition to the more traditional downhill and cross-country events. Whistler's annual four-day Crankworx freeride mountain bike festival will be held August 3-7 in 2005. It will include an Air Downhill, Boneyard Biker Cross, Garbanzo Downhill and Slopestyle Expression Session. During last year's Crankworx, 1,400 gondola tickets were sold during just one day of the Slopestyle event and McSkimming estimated that the finals drew between 6,000"V8,000 spectators.
Mimicking its 36-hour ski race held on opening day of the 2004/05 season, Keystone is hosting a 36-hour mountain bike race to mark its bike park opening day this spring. The resort will also host the Keystone Climax later in the season with a series of different races, including a Four-Cross race, which is essentially four riders racing similar to Skier Cross. Sutton said Skier Cross and Slopestyletype bike events are gaining popularity. Last year's Climax event saw upwards of 1,000 racers.
Mountain bikers may have the reputation of guys that sleep in their car in the parking lot, but the often $5,000-$6,000 price tag on dual suspension bikes is shattering that '90s stereotype. Whistler, Keystone and Snowshoe are all vying for - and capturing - a destination mountain bike traveler similar to their target winter markets. McSkimming says that at Whistler, 30 percent of riders in 2004 came via airplane, around 60 percent of rider days stayed at least one night, and mountain bikers now make up 20 percent of overall overnight stays, up from 5 percent in 2003.
"Sure there's a majority of 18- to 29-year-old males, but that's changing. This demographic is much more affluent than people realize," he said. "There are a high percentage of household incomes well over $100,000. It's a similar demographic to skiing and snowboarding." So where is freeriding headed? Many predict what's going on with the sport is just the tip of the iceberg. "This sport is so new we're not quite sure what people are going to do," said McSkimming. "Riders are still figuring it out as they go. It's not as predictable as pulling a 720 off a jump in snowboarding - people know what they are capable of and what to expect now in that sport. Freeride biking is keeping people's attention because it hasn't hit its limit yet."
For more information, access these sites: www.whistler.com/bike; www.keystonebikepark.com; www.snowshoemtn.com; For a look at Mountain Creek' s successful Diablo Freeride Park in New Jersey, log on to www.mcecom.intrawest.com/mountain_biking.
More Resources for Building a Freeride Program
Second Annual Conference Includes Whistler Bike Park Tour
Want to learn the nitty-gritty of building a freeride area? The second annual North Shore Credit Union World Mountain Bike Festival and Conference will take place May 31-June 3 in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The conference targets land managers who make decisions about mountain bike facility management, from planning and design, to construction and maintenance, to user conduct and risk management. Specific discussions will target the most vital issues affecting mountain biking today and featured topics include rentals, parks, trail building, lift technology, risk management, environment and the finances involved in creating a freeride park and trails. Whistler is teaming with conference planners to offer two days of free tours at its world-famous Mountain Bike Park.
Event Producer Richard Juryn says the main challenges for resorts interested in getting into the freestyle game are liability and risk and building sustainable trails, which includes knowing different terrain, how to work with different types of soil and natural features, and how to direct flow. "I'd say most resorts aren't yet creating freeride programs, but 60-80 percent are seriously looking at it," he says. "But I think you'll find that if you build it, they will come."For more information, access www.nsmbfc.com/conferencehome.asp.
IMBA Offers Trail Building Assistance
After focusing heavily on freeriding issues the last few years, the International Mountain Bicycling Association recently published an entire book on trail building that includes two full chapters on freeriding and downhilling. The 300-page book is available for $35 ($30 for IMBA members). IMBA's Pete Webber calls it the most comprehensive resource on trail building available. You can buy it at www.imba.com. IMBA is also seeking ski industry business for its Trail Solutions program. Trail Solutions is a fee-based consulting program offering a full range of trail services. Tamarack Resort and Silver Mountain, both in Idaho, are just two resorts working with IMBA through Trail Solutions. Check out the IMBA website or call 303-545-9011 for info.
The suggestions offered in this and other IMBA trailbuilding articles do not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Trailbuilders and landowners are responsible for the safety of their own trails and facilities. Freeriding and dirt jumping are high-risk activities that can result in serious injuries. IMBA's goal is to help land managers and volunteers manage these risks by sharing information.
