Keystone Bike Park is Open for Summer 2016

Keystone Bike Park has opened for the summer season, offering downhill thrills for mountain bikers of all levels at one of the most renowned bike parks in the Rocky Mountains.

The Keystone Bike Park is offering early season access from the gondola mid-station to the base of River Run, offering green, blue, black and extreme trail options. In addition, the Skills Park at the base of River Run is also open and is free to guests looking to practice their skills before heading up the mountain. The Bike Park trail crew will continuously be working to open up more trails as soon as conditions permit.

Available trails include: Beans for Breakfast, Bluegrass, Boy Scouts, Celtic Way, Easy Street, Even Flow, Helter Skelter, River Run Trail, Sanitarium, Sleepy Hollow, and Wild Thing.

The Bike Park’s trail crew is dedicated to maintaining and improving the high standards of theKeystone Bike Park, a variety of new upgrades and additions welcome riders for the 2016 summer season, including new features, re-worked trails, increased bike haul capacity and a free skills park to promote progression. New for 2016, the Keystone Bike Academy caters to riders of all levels with beginner clinics, private lessons and downhill guides. Bike and full downhill gear rentals are conveniently available at Keystone Sports locations in the resort’s River Run Village, and Bike Park Season Passes may be purchased now by visiting keystoneresort.com.

Bike Park Stats

• 56 trails
• 2,360 feet of vertical drop
• Summer 2016 Operations: June 10 – September 18
• Skills Park – A free progressive area at the base of River Run that includes three lines (beginner, intermediate and advanced) with berms, rollers and jumps
• Drop Zone – An expert-only terrain park consisting of a series of ridgeline drops transformed into free falls, located off the expert trail Paid-In-Full

Bike Park Teams Dedicated to Summer Trail Maintenance
The Keystone Bike Park Trail Crew and Bike Patrol are responsible for trail maintenance and upgrades, providing downhill mountain bikers with a challenging and rewarding ride. These dedicated teams are responsible for pushing progression and keeping terrain fresh by implementing new berms, jumps and features throughout the Bike Park, including recent improvements such as a natural wood log feature on the expert trail Cowboy Up, a wall ride feature on the expert trail Paid-In-Full, a rhythm section to the intermediate trail Mosquito Cost and a flow trail with rollers and berms to the beginner trail Girl Scouts. In 2015,Keystone’s Bike Park crew created a new expert trail, Holy Diver, that is accessible from the popular expert trail TNT. Holy Diver features new jumps, berms and a large wooden feature known as the ‘The Yacht.’ Video of the build can be found here.

Get in Gear with the New Keystone Bike Academy
New for 2016, the Keystone Bike Academy caters to riders of all levels with beginner and intermediate clinics, private lessons and downhill guides. Instructors have been trained via standards set fort by the International Mounatin Bicycling Association (IMBA), providing professional instruction on the proper downhill techniques.

Bike 101 is the ideal way to learn how to navigate the mountain on two wheels. Guests will ride away having learned  balance, manuevering and proper mountain biking technique while becoming more familiar with the equipment and downhill mountain biking protocols. Bike 201is a perfect way to further enhance riding skills and become more comfortable with navigating sharp corners and riding on loose dirt. Both the 101 and 201 packages include instruction, bike rental, protective gear and a bike haul pass.

Private clinics are available in two-, four- and six-hour intervals and are recommended for experienced riders seeking a downhill guide, families, and group of friends. Accommodating up to four people, Keystone’s professional mountain biking instructors will provide guests with instant feedback and personal attention.

Every Wednesday the Keystone Bike Park offers the Women’s Wednesday Mountain Bike Clinic, where a female coach leads a guided tour down the mountain and provides a great opportunity for women to ride together. This clinic includes a bike haul pass, bike rental and protective gear, as well as new like-minded friends that are ready for adventure.

IMBA to Host Training at Keystone Resort
Keystone Resort has the honor of hosting the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Instructor Certification Program (ICP), designed to establish a global standard for mountain bike skills instructor training. The multi-day courses are open to the public, withKeystone hosting the Level 1 Certification from June 7-9 and the Level 2 Certification from July 21-24. Additional information can be found at www.imba.com.

Keystone Hosts the Big Mountain Enduro July 9-10
A Big Mountain Enduro event is best described as an epic trail ride in an amazing location, where riders can put their fitness and technical skills to the ultimate test on a variety of mountain biking terrain. Keystone has the honor of being one of those locations, offering riders some of the most raw and rugged lift-accessed mountain biking terrain in the country, featuring rock gardens, drops and high-speed features. Freshly designed 2016 courses will challenge riders to the fullest and combine top trails on the moutnain, along with unique track designs never before seen at Keystone. Throughout the weekend’s event, spectators can expect to see six stages of racing, plus non-stop festival action and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.

Video/Photo Credits: Keystone Resort

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MTN Town Magazine Copyright © 2016 MTN Town Magazine all rights reserved.