Cover photo courtesy of Silver Mountain Resort
Silver Mountain Bike Park has been voted the #1 bike park in the Northwest for several years running for a reason. The mountain offers easy gondola and lift access to trails and terrain for everyone, from some of the more mellow trails in the Chair 3 Zone to full-mountain, 3,400-foot-vertical of descents down intermediate and expert level singletrack and machine-built trails and jump lines.
The wide range of trails offer plenty of options for first-time lift-served bike park riders, says Silver Mountain Bike Park patroller Ben King. “Our trail map has a great progression. Stick to Chair 3 at the top for a few runs. Start with Crescent, Payday, and then Jackass. If you’re comfortable on Upper Jackass, a top to bottom run is a possibility.” For riders ready to ride the lower mountain, King recommends starting with the blue flow trails: Jackass, Corkscrew (or Lower Payday), High/Low Life, Afternoon Delight, Pepsi Can, Wildcat, and Frog Trees. Plan 45 minutes to an hour for the top-to-bottom ride.
Long-time Spokane mountain biker Justin Skay had his first taste of lift-served riding at Silver in June and the experience shredded his pre-conceived notions. “I expected a bunch of hardcore bros in polos and chest protectors doing secret handshakes mid-backflip,” he jokes, before noting that he had such a good time he’s been kicking himself ever since for not riding Silver sooner. “I had never done this before because I didn’t have the right bike or the right helmet,” says Skay, adding that his recent upgrade from a hardtail to a dual-suspension mountain bike convinced him to give it a try.
“What I like about Silver Mountain trails is the variability. You can truly choose your own adventure out there, even in the same run riding from fast open flow to techy double-blacks.” Skay says his whole first experience made the mountain feel much more approachable than he thought it would be. “I remember really enjoying the easy oscillation of Lower Payday, and Afternoon Delight had some steep, tall banks to let you really dig into the turns. War Gerbil is a great transitional trail: some flow, some tech, great learning run. There were ample opportunities to catch air, but none felt forced, with ride-arounds everywhere.”
Skay says he’ll be back and is considering a season pass. “I think the math works out after five or six visits, and I could see making this a regular summer weekend trip. There are plenty of trails to hone your skills for years.” Before his next day of riding, though, he plans to invest in better safety gear, including a full-face helmet and knee pads and possibly elbow pads and chest protectors.
If you’re thinking about following in Skay’s tread tracks by riding at Silver for the first time this summer, King and his fellow bike park patrollers urge riders to come prepared with hydration and snacks, a spare tube, a pump, plugs, bike tools, CO2, full-face helmet, and pads.
“If it’s your first time riding Silver, consider signing up for a lesson from one of our certified instructors to help learn the trails and get tips specific to your riding style,” suggests King. Lesson packages with downhill bike rentals are available at https://tinyurl.com/Silvermtb. “When you get to the bottom, grab a $1 slice of pizza at Wildcat Pizza. You’ve earned it!”
