First Time Riding a Bike Park? Check This Out.

Photo: Mountain Creek

One day I decided to take my friend to a downhill park who has zero mtb experience and barely any knowledge of biking in general as an experiment. I’d taken more experienced beginners to easy trail networks like Cunningham Park, and I even brought a few to Alpine for some enduro riding but I’d never tried taking anyone to the bike park for their first time, and after my experiment, I don’t think I will again. My friend ended up walking all the way down the green trail, and barely dodged a falling tree. Hopefully he’ll want to give mtb another try, but I have a feeling he doesn't after my terrible mistake of bringing him to the hardest local place I ride.

So, I figured I’d make a guide to a bike park for any first timers so they don’t find themselves in a crappy situation, and hopefully this guide will set you up for a good day riding park. So here are some tips on what to expect at a bike park:

1. Study The Trail Map

Basically every bike park will have some kind of trail map, and if there isn’t one you can always look on trailforks which is a mtb map that shows all the details of each trail. Most maps at bike parks will have trails split into two categories: Flow and Tech. Flow trails are marked with an orange oval on the trail sign and are generally more smooth and have big corners. Beginner flow trails will have flatter corners and just humps to roll over, while more advanced ones will start to add table top and even gap jumps to the mix with steeper corners to help you manage the speed that comes with jumping. Technical trails are marked with zig zag lines on the trail sign and tend to be less beginner friendly and are more natural with rocks and roots. The difficulty of a tech trail mostly just depends on what natural terrain it goes through, whether it be a small patch of roots or a gnarly rock face. For both these trail categories, you’ll notice the trails are ranked either green circle (beginner), blue square (intermediate), black diamond (advanced), and double black diamond (experts only). Many bike parks will have a red triangle trail rating which indicates a pro line making it one of the hardest trails in the park.

2. Get The Right Bike

I’ve stressed this before on other pages, but it’s really important, especially for bike parks, that you have the right bike. Make sure you’re bike has grippy tires, hydraulic disk brakes, front and hopefully rear suspension, and make sure you lower you’re seat. If your bike does not meet any of these requirements, you’re gonna have a miserable ride down the mountain, and I would recommend renting a bike. Rental bikes, while made for downhill, are usually not in the best condition either so make sure your’s is good before fully sending it off big drops.

3. Learn How To Get Your Bike On The Lift

This might seem like a bit of a dumb thing to put on this list, but I remember the sheer embarrassment I felt when I couldn’t get my bike on the lift on my first day at the park. There was a big line behind me and I felt a lot of pressure so I hope no one has to feel that way again. Luckily, most bike parks have come up with easier and more efficient ways to store bikes on lifts, however not all methods are the same. For example, at Mountain Creek you put your front wheel over the edge of the gondola. At Windham, you place your front wheel into a closing cage at the back of the chair in front of you. However the most popular method I’ve seen is at Thunder Mountain, Killington, Highland, and Blue Mountain where every other chair has no seat, but instead a tray for you to roll your bike onto. Some places even have practice trays at the base of the lift so you can make sure you know how to load your bike before trying the real thing.

4. Ride With Someone Experienced

If you’re a beginner, I strongly recommend not going to a bike park alone. You’ll have no idea where to go, or what technique to use. Instead, most bike parks will have some sort of bike school where you can either get a private lesson, or join a group full of other people of your same ability. If you’re short on cash, ask a local if you can follow them down. Most people at bike parks might look intimidating, but they are mostly friendly.

5. Have Fun

Remember why you came to the bike park in the first place. Not to ride the hardest trail or boost the biggest jumps, but just to enjoy yourself and have a good time. If you’re to focused on one goal, it takes the fun away from everything else you’ve done that day. And I actually that I progress the most and built up a strong level of confidence when I’m just having a fun day on the bike with all my friends.