Exciting news for mountain biking in the Shenandoah Valley. Bryce Resort will open up the Valley’s first lift access mountain bike park this summer. From the Northern Virginian Daily on February 22, 2013:

Construction will begin at the conclusion of ski season; trails should open in June 

By Linda Ash

Area mountain bikers will have a challenging new venue beginning this June.Bryce Resort in Basye is planning to start construction on a lift-access mountain bike park after the current ski season ends.

Rob Schwartz, Bryce Resort general manager, said Friday that the new park will offer beginner, intermediate and advanced runs.

“Our goal is to open with three or four runs, and we will be adding features and a new run every year,” he said.

“I’d love to finish this year at five or six, including a beginner pump track.”
The pump track, he said, is a great way to develop skills.

“If you’ve never been on a mountain bike, it’s an easy-going trail using a series of rollers. You learn how to position your body. It’s a really nice feature and a great way to learn how to ride a mountain bike before getting into the more aggressive stuff.”

Construction will start at the end of the resort’s ski season. Whistler, British Columbia-based Gravity Logic will design and build the park, which will traverse the ski area.

“Literally, you will take a chair lift up and the park [trails] will criss-cross all of the slopes,” Schwartz said, adding that it also will include a variety of man-made features.

Once the park is open, the resort will offer lessons, and it has partnered with Trek, a manufacturer of high-end downhill bikes, for bike rentals and demos.

“We won’t be a bike dealer,” Schwartz said. “We will have a repair program, and guests can bring their own bikes.”

He added the resort will have a small retail shop for accessories, and equipment will be available for rent.

“We will be renting body protection and full-face helmets. Bike rentals will come with the body protection and helmets.”

He added that the resort also will offer helmet- and chest-mounted cameras for rent so that bikers can upload video of their rides to YouTube and other social media.

Schwartz said the park will be built to introduce people to the sport.

“We really want to promote the sport,” he said, adding that they will have full-suspension mountain bikes available for rent for children as young as 8 years old.

“Adding a mountain bike park to our current activities at Bryce will be a game changer for us and the biking public because there is not a similar riding opportunity in the area,” Schwartz noted in a news release announcing plans for the park.

“Bryce Resort has always been committed to providing the best possible learning and adventure experience to our customer base whether skiing, snowboarding, zip lining or golfing, and that will continue with the bike park.”

Contact Editor Linda Ash at lash@nvdaily.com or 540-465-5137, ext. 163.

Bryce Resort has partnered with Trek, a manufacturer of high-end bikes, to offer bike rentals and demos once the new mountain park opens this summer.