Schaefer. “We couldn’t retain staff when we were just doing a few zip lines. So it added a lot to the entire mountain and provided momentum from a branding standpoint about who we are.”
tenance. Without it, a park can lose momentum fast. To instill an understand- ing of what’s involved, says Kelly, Gravity Logic likes to involve the resort’s staff in the construction process. While much of a trail’s resilience to erosion comes down to proper design, constant trail maintenance is also a factor. “It’s sort of like grooming at a ski area,” he explains. “When you know a ski area has good grooming, you go and say, ‘every time I’m here, the grooming is awesome—I love this place.’” Conversely, riders lose interest when trails get washed out and holes develop, and there’s more potential for injuries. According to Kelly, a resort should have a dedicated trail crew with at least one excavator. And while the cost can vary, an operator should budget for roughly 10 percent of the capital that was invested into the bike park for main- tenance annually. CONSIDERING LOSS Even well maintained, managed, and designed trails can sometimes lead to injuries and lawsuits, making the risk ver- sus reward analysis important to consider. Tim Hendrickson, senior vice presi- dent and program manager for ski area insurance program MountainGuard, says there are several factors that affect the cost of insurance. “We get an idea of the general layout of what they want to do, what they’re look- ing to build, the number of trails, whether or not there’s lift access, progression, and if there will be manmade features,” says Hendrickson. Jumps, which can increase risk, also play a role. “But our quote is real- ly going to be based on how many people are doing the activity,” he adds. RETURN ON INVESTMENT With the number of factors that play into profitability, a reasonable return on investment varies significantly between resorts. That said, a three- to five-year ROI is about average for many ski areas, according to Kelly. “We may forecast a ROI period great- er than [that], and some resorts decide to put their capital elsewhere,” says Kelly. “But some calculate their own returns based on revenue outside our proforma, such as food and beverage and accommo-
TRAIL DESIGN AND DIVERSITY
Like skiing, a successful mountain bike park has to offer terrain diverse enough to engage riders of all abilities, with most of the focus on intermediate trails. Typ- ically, beginners learn quickly, eliminat- ing the need to build many novice trails. But a range of intermediate flow trails will keep even expert riders busy. “Essentially, you need one green trail to start because people progress pretty quickly, or maybe they’re only there for one day,” says McSkimming. “But you need to be smart about that trail because it uses a lot of terrain. “Then you’ll want a few intermedi- ate options, including at least one excel- lent jump trail. And over time, you might want to add more advanced trails.” It’s important to provide a few good machine-built flow trails, McSkimming says, as riders typically will not find that experience outside of a bike park; low- er-budget hand-built trails are the com- mon fare in community networks. He also notes that an area’s demo- graphic informs decisions about what types of trails to build, and at what point to build them. For example, a mountain like Sun Peaks that boasts a dedicated mountain bike community might want to add a few extra challenging trails during the initial roll-out of a new bike park, rather than waiting to add them at a later phase. MARKETING VALUE Kelly notes that in places with dedicat- ed riders, the more difficult trails—and those who ride them—often add market- ing value. “You need to offer trails that progress to double black diamond and above, so you can attract core riders who are often the most vocal,” he says. “They promote your product on social media. “Word-of-mouth marketing is still really big in mountain biking.”
Credit: Josh Bogardus
dations. Others calculate in human fac- tors, like staff retention.” The same can be said about the time it takes to establish a bike park brand. Kelly notes that some brands find suc- cess quickly, while others, even well- built trail networks, struggle, often due to poor marketing. Kelly cited two to four years as a reasonable expectation, and “three to five years of solid capital and marketing effort for a park to establish itself in the ranks of Trestle, Killington, Deer Valley, and Thunder (Berkshire East).” THE TLDR Despite the additional cost and risk, mountain biking can be a significant rev- enue generator and a key component of a resort’s summer offerings. If a resort has the necessary physical terrain, available infrastructure, and proximity to a popu- lated area—or at least two of these three attributes—the elements of success are in place. As long as the proper investment is made and operations are thoughtfully managed, the transition from skiing to mountain biking once the trails dry out each spring can be seamless. “Biking is an amazing revenue gen- erator that has the ability to save these small- and medium-sized resorts from bankruptcy,” Kelly says. “But it has to be done right.” Cranmore, N.H., has one lift dedicated to mountain biking (above) and another for scenic lift rides, which benefits the guest experience and operations.
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TRAIL MAINTENANCE Once built, a bike park requires main-
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