Finally back on the road it was time to stretch the bike legs and the legs of new set up. My first stop was Crested Butte where I spent a couple of days riding at Evolution Bike Park. A free ticket with my MTBparks.com burning a hole in my pocket I was raring to go.
Evolution Bike Park offers 21 lift served trails with 12 of those designated for down hill only. The breakdown of these gravity trails are 3 green, 2 blue, 6 black, and 1 double black.
Evolution Bike Park offers 21 lift served trails with 12 of those designated for down hill only. The breakdown of these gravity trails are 3 green, 2 blue, 6 black, and 1 double black.
Staying with the trend of many up and coming bike parks there are trails available for all abilities levels and styles of riding. Ranging from flowing green trails, free-ride features, or super techy descents, Evolution is rocking it all.
There newest trail that went in this year was their double black line called Captain Jack. This trail is what I would call an old school DH trail. With flat corners, off camber roots, and a gnarly descent it will remind you more of a renegade trail than a bike park; definitely one of my favorites.
Two new trials from last season are also bringing the heat. Crusader and Woods are riddled with free-ride features, g-pulling berms and a large jump line. It takes a short pedal out from the main pack of trails and dumps you out on the North side of the resort. Even so, it's worth a few strokes to hit these trails and the return to the resort is all down hill, plus there is no trail traffic to contend with.
There are still a bunch more trails on the front side. Psycho Rocks is a visible from the lift(you'll know when you see it), Time Line, Time Table, and Avery are all super sick trails, again with a great variety of features. The hardest part of the day at Evolution was picking which trail to ride.
There newest trail that went in this year was their double black line called Captain Jack. This trail is what I would call an old school DH trail. With flat corners, off camber roots, and a gnarly descent it will remind you more of a renegade trail than a bike park; definitely one of my favorites.
Two new trials from last season are also bringing the heat. Crusader and Woods are riddled with free-ride features, g-pulling berms and a large jump line. It takes a short pedal out from the main pack of trails and dumps you out on the North side of the resort. Even so, it's worth a few strokes to hit these trails and the return to the resort is all down hill, plus there is no trail traffic to contend with.
There are still a bunch more trails on the front side. Psycho Rocks is a visible from the lift(you'll know when you see it), Time Line, Time Table, and Avery are all super sick trails, again with a great variety of features. The hardest part of the day at Evolution was picking which trail to ride.
For people that are camping there are tons of National Forest roads that lead right out of either the town of Crested Butte or farther up from the village. The first night I drove right out the backside of the resort and found a great campsite that was about 15 minutes from the lift. The second night I camped off a Forest road that was about 3 minutes from downtown. There is also plenty of lodging on the mountain and many offer discounted lift tickets with their bookings.
The Secret Stash Pizzeria is the place to go in Crested Butte for pizza. I actually ate there two nights in a row. With hand tossed pizza, great drink specials and a chill vibe. Even my bartender was a bike instructor at Evolution. You can order off the menu, get pizza by the slice, or my favorite, their special with a Po'boy sandwich, a PBR, and a shot of tequila for $6 bucks!
After a couple awesome days in Crested Butte it was time to hit the road to Snowmass.
I decided to take the back roads from CB to Snowmass. I plugged it into the GPS, 100 miles in 3 hours. I hopped on County Road 112 which turned to gravel only a few mile outside of Crested Butte. With no traffic and amazing views it was a good choice. Ironically enough I still managed to come across construction, literally in the middle of no where. Yes, that is a lone construction worker holding a stop sign, just for me. A few more cars lined up behind me. Everyone ended up getting out of their cars and we all stood around bullshitting until the road opened again. Probably the best traffic jam I will ever experience.
I arrived early afternoon in Snowmass and with a little help from some local knowledge I found a beautiful camp spot on the backside of the resort on some National Forest land. It was one of the steeper roads The Betty had been on but it was worth it.
The sign clearly states "no spandex", but was clearly not enforced...
I spent the next day riding the park. Their premier downhill line is called Valhalla. It was built a few years back by Gravity Logic Inc, and the professionalism of the trail is evident. A fast, flowing trail, with perfectly spaced jump lines. I rode it all day, from dawn to dusk.
Currently Gravity logic has returned to Snowmass with two more trails in the works. A new green flow trail and a blue progressive trail. The idea behind these type of trails is to reach a broader spectrum of riders, allowing them to hone their skills on more moderate trails before jumping into the gravity spectrum.
Currently Gravity logic has returned to Snowmass with two more trails in the works. A new green flow trail and a blue progressive trail. The idea behind these type of trails is to reach a broader spectrum of riders, allowing them to hone their skills on more moderate trails before jumping into the gravity spectrum.
Below is a short edit I put together. The majority of the riding takes place at Evolution but there are a couple clips from Snowmass also.
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