Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) opened its mountain bike park this morning (May 20) for its fourth season with plenty of terrain to offer.
RMR announced ahead of the opening day that the entire lower mountain is open. The lower mountain trails can be accessed by the Revelation Gondola after a concerted effort by the trail crew over the past month to prepare the trails. The crowd wasn’t quite the same as its winter opening, but the first rider in line was proof of the bike park’s growth.
Ryan Moch drove to Revelstoke all the way from Oregon to make it to opening day.
“We were gonna head to Whistler and we’re like, ‘you know what, let’s go somewhere we’ve never been’,” said Moch.
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The decision for Moch to come to Revelstoke was based on photos and reputation.
“Heard just amazing things about Revelstoke. And heard it’s this little sneaker that’s…kind of coming out of nowhere that’s just primo,” said Moch.
Unlike the crowd for the opening of the winter season at the resort, Moch showed up at 7:30 a.m. ahead of a 10 a.m. opening. To beat the winter crowd eagerly awaiting their first turns of the season, the first skier in line had camped there 23 hours before the first chair.
Roughly 40 people waited with their bikes for the first day of the season, but more continued to trickle in, riding along the gravel parking lot to the bottom of the lift.
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Next to the bikers was a steady stream of Mountain Coaster riders heading up the gondola. The Mountain Coaster opened Friday (May 19).
RMR recommended Salad Fingers to those mountain bike riders still brushing the dust off their gear for the season before taking on other challenging trails.
For those familiar with the existing trails, RMR said there haven’t been any additions to last year’s map. However, a new section was added to one of the resort’s tougher trails, Dust Punk.
The resort issued a warning about the Crowbar Network which is unsanctioned by RMR, but often accessed through it. With blasting, heavy equipment, and other hazards, the trails are strictly prohibited. The Crowbar Network will be opened to the public on June 24, but until then anyone caught using it will have their pass revoked.
While the crowd of riders waiting in line may have been less than the winter season opening, people like Moch are indicative of the growth to come at RMR where riders are more enticed by Revelstoke’s reputation than more established operations like Whistler.
To stay up to date on the bike par, RMR encouraged riders to follow their new Instagram account for updates.
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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
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