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The operative word, of course, is "considering," because by no means is a bike park at Stevens Pass a done deal. But the plans are surprisingly detailed and specific, which gives Seattlest hope. The local biking community is all a-twitter about the prospects. Each year we trek up to Whistler repeatedly for our downhill biking fix (that's a friend pictured on a black diamond Whistler trail at the right), and we'd much rather spend less time in the car and more time on our bike. No, the sad irony of driving long distances to ride bikes is not lost on us.
For those not familiar with a downhill mountain bike park, the analogy of cross-country skiing vs. alpine skiing is fairly instructive. Mountain biking has for the most part fit into the former category for decades: athletic, outdoorsy people pedaling their bikes for long distances through woods and wilderness. And there's still plenty of that to be had, but then lo one day Whistler realized they could do more in the summer with their ski resort (ok, we're grossly over-simplifying the history here but bear with us) and started building lift-accessed trails in the dirt once the snow melted. Along the way, mountain biking had started evolving from backcountry trails to shorter, more aggressive terrain closer to cities, notably Vancouver, BC. People started building bridges and ladders to get over sensitive, wet areas; eventually those bridges started to get incorporated (and created) as just features on the trail. And bigger dirt jumps were thrown in, and next thing you know you've got trails that look like this one outside Vancouver:
And this (another outside Vancouver):
And these, at the Silverstar resort in Vernon, BC:
What is likely to be built at Stevens won't come close to what is going on at Whistler and some of these other Canadian locations, but it would be better than what Washington State has for downhill biking options now, which is close to zero. (It isn't quite zero if we count the Dry Hill region on the Olympic Peninsula, to which we've never been but will be checking out at the end of October.) And Stevens Pass is working with a consulting group from Whistler on the design and management of the park, so odds are good it will be well thought-through, all the way down to liability and environmental concerns. If this piques your interest and you'd like to see Stevens follow through on this, shoot an email to info @ stevenspass.com.
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Finally! Hopefully the passive aggressive WA pussies will finally get their head out their asses and realize they need to have a destination resort too.
Agreed!
I'm a total outsider to this world of Mountain Biking, but didn't you once just need 1) a mountain and 2) a bike? Don't we already have those things in abundance in WA? Do these built trails remind anyone else of Brave New World where no new sports are allowed unless they involve more complex equipment than all existing sports?
Dan, was that whiffing sound I just heard the whole downhill skiing example making its way right over your head? :-) Seriously though, once upon a time you "only needed skis and snow," but no-one is mystified by the ski resorts that have lifts which allow you to access a huge variety of trails in a small region, some of which are just plain old ski runs, and some of which have jumps, half-pipes, rails, and more. Is the difference that significant? Plus, all trails are "built" but some moreso than others. Whistler (as will Stevens Pass) offers tons of more traditional bike trails as well.
And you still only need a bike, that hasn't changed (though the bikes technology has, but the same goes again for skis, too).
Also. It is ridiculously fun. The bridges and ladders add a roller-coaster ride aspect, and who doesn't like amusement parks? Grumpy old men, that's who.
ha, amusement parks I'm fine with. Those bridges and ladders scare the hell out of me. Kids! Zipping all over the damn place through the air and whatnot!
Oh, also, no, it's not significantly different than skiing's built environment, which also kinda freaks me out. I do appreciate that they're both occurring in the same spot though, and not increasing pressure all over the mountain.
mmm tasty skinnies!
Bigger Whistler picture, please!
If Stevens antes up and does this, I just might move back to Washington and buy another DH bike. I spent the majority of my last 3 Seattle Summers' weekends as a bike bum at Whistler, completely addicted to those flowy, droppy lines. It was Hot Dog, but in Summer, on bikes! These images fill me with indescribable, wistful yearning.
Oh Canada, indeed.
@8: I linked the Whistler photo to a larger version on Flickr. That's my friend Deb coming down the end of In Deep right before you can turn off to Fatcrobat. Sigh. My last weekend up there was a couple weeks ago, and we had mint perfect conditions. Now, it's snowing!