mountain biking [in 2020], North Conway was becoming a mountain bike destina- tion because of the work Ride NoCo and White Mountain NEMBA were doing.” Between the influx of mountain bik- ers flocking to North Conway to ride the new trails and the riding options Cran- more guests would have beyond the resort, Cranmore was poised for success. STRONG DEMAND Like Cranmore, British Columbia’s Sun Peaks has found success in part due to its proximity to popular trails and an exist- ing mountain biking community, both of which were major motivating factors for expanding the resort’s trail system in 2019. “Mountain biking was experiencing a huge increase in new participation,” says Sun Peaks director of communica- tions Christina Antoniak. As the local cross-country trail net- works grew, attracting more riders to the area, the resort expanded its bike park, providing options for those who wanted to ride lift-accessed trails, too. “We invest- ed around $350,000 into machine-built trails in 2019 and $1.5 million in opening a second mountain for biking in 2022,” says Antoniak. OTHER ELEMENTS While having a thriving mountain bik- ing community and a renowned local trail network can significantly improve a ski area’s chances of success, they are only part of the equation. According to Dave Kelly, founder and director of mountain bike trail-building and consulting company Gravity Logic, other key factors to consider include the physical terrain, existing infrastructure, and a ski area’s proximity to a significant urban population. PHYSICAL TERRAIN A successful bike park requires terrain conducive to mountain biking. Just because terrain is skiable doesn’t mean it’s bikeable. “Sometimes I’ll go look at a ski area and it’s just way too steep or narrow,” says Kelly. “We don’t put mountain bike trails on ski runs,” he adds, as that affects winter operations (think of the extra snow cover- age needed to cover a four-foot berm cut- ting across a piste), and the trails would
Credit: Katie Lozancich
Credit: Josh Bogardus
Left: Berkshire East, Mass., knows expert trails
take more of a beating from the elements. Trails on mountains with steeper terrain, like Oregon’s Mt. Hood Skibowl, are more challenging to maintain and expensive to build, and can be danger- ous to ride. Also, steeper trails exclude beginner riders—a significant segment of the market. “It’s not that you can’t invest in it, but it costs a lot of money to build trails on that kind of terrain,” says Skibowl vice presi- dent and general manager Mike Quinn. For Skibowl, steep terrain was one of several factors that led to the bike park’s 2022 closure. A significant bike-injury lawsuit, which resulted in an $11.4 mil- lion verdict, was another. EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Skibowl’s chairlifts—all fixed-grip dou- bles—didn’t do it any favors, either. “[Mountain biking] was in conflict with our alpine slide operation because they shared a fixed-grip double chair,” says Quinn. Logistically, segregating foot and bike traffic on a single fixed-grip lift, and transporting bikes, is difficult. Hav- ing a high-speed quad or six-pack chair- lift dedicated for bike use simplifies the flow of traffic at a resort. Yet another complication at Ski- bowl: “When we got into the wedding business, there were conflicts of people mountain biking around the wedding venue,” Quinn says. ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE As Skibowl learned, it’s essential to con- sider how (and if) mountain biking will complement other summer operations. “The most successful mountain
and riders add marketing value. Above: A fleet of rental bikes for all ages and sizes is core to Cranmore’s (N.H.) successful MTB operation.
resorts are looking at a package of expe- riences for guests to participate in,” says Rob McSkimming, mountain resort development advisor at Select Con- tracts. “Not everyone wants to partici- pate in mountain biking, so the more well-rounded the activities, the better.” Bike park products and services, such as rentals, lessons, camps, and women’s programs can add significant revenue. At Cranmore, says Wilcox, “I think if we didn’t have the rental business, the bike park wouldn’t be as successful. Our whole model is based on how many bikes we rent and how many lift tickets we sell.” Rentals allow newer riders (or those without a full downhill set up) to try the sport, potentially creating more dedicat- ed mountain bikers in the future. Rent- als also allow guests to ride on the local recreation path, which cuts through town and links the resort with several cross-country trail networks. Such offerings are often under-pri- oritized, says McSkimming. With these, particularly programming, he says, “The opportunity is there to not get entirely focused on the trail experience, but also to be able to provide customer engage- ment, growth, and development.” FULLY COMMIT If mountain biking is feasible and will complement existing activities, the do-or-
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