Another summer has come and gone! We’ve been slacking on our park reports during the summer months (we were busy chasing campers around, working on our lift line tans, having too much fun, etcetera etcetera) but we’re back now, so buckle up. You thought the summer was exciting, just wait until you hear about everything that’s happening this fall. We have some great events on the horizon, including the Throwdown Showdown, Women’s Freeride Festival, and the final stop in the Freebird Slopestyle Series.
The park will be open 9am to 5pm on Monday, September 6th for Labor Day. After that, we transition into fall hours and the lift will be closed Monday-Wednesday. As a bonus for all of you enduro enthusiasts out there, we will once again be moving the Wednesduro start time up to 3:30pm.
You can view our seasonal hours and purchase passes here.
So what’s new up on the hill? Trail Crew completed construction of Lower NE Style earlier this summer, marking our first new trail since Freedom Trail was finished back in 2017. Lower NE Style has been running for a couple of months now and we’re still excited about it. (Not to mention the excellent spectating opportunities it now offers the lift line.)
Ropes were also officially dropped on Lunch Lady, adding another double black technical trail to the map.
The Highland Trails crew has been keeping busy with offsite projects as well. Construction of Loon Mountain‘s downhill mountain biking network is ongoing, with multiple new trails added this year. We’ve been incredibly excited to see the progress being made. If you haven’t taken the time to check out Loon yet this summer, definitely add them to your bucket list for the fall.
Back at home, the first two stops in the 2021 Freebird Slopestyle Series have been raising the stoke through the roof.
We created this FMB Bronze-level series as a way to not only bring competitive slopestyle back to Highland, but also as an opportunity to showcase up-and-coming athletes across age and gender demographics. The talent we’ve seen so far this summer not just from the Men’s Open Class, but also the Women’s Open and Under 14 classes, has been absolutely incredible. We knew it was there, but….it’s really there. (You can check out the highlights from Stop #2 here.)
In other high-stoke news, this Saturday, September 4th, we’re bringing back the Throwdown Showdown! Our annual mountain-wide jump jam is once again running live and in person.
For those unfamiliar with this event’s format: there will be three jam stops over the course of the day, starting at Tombstone in the morning, then Pirate’s Cove in the afternoon, and finishing up at Freebird in the evening. We’ll session each stop for about an hour and a half, with plenty of heckling courtesy of Nick and his megaphone. Prizing will be handed out based on overall impression and the judges’ whims. Low stakes but with plenty of opportunities to get rowdy, this event has long been a favorite way to mark the start of fall.
Anyone is welcome to participate and there is no registration required: just show up and be prepared to show off!
Also coming up on the schedule is the 11th annual Women’s Freeride Festival, happening September 18th and 19th. This event is all about getting more women of all ability levels out on the mountain: not only is Highland Training offering a variety of women’s riding clinics, women also get 50% off day passes, rentals, and Find Your Ride packages all weekend.
Have you (or a woman in your life) been thinking of trying out lift-accessed downhill mountain biking, but are a little intimidated and not sure where to start? Check out the Find Your Ride program for a great introduction to the mountain, specifically designed with first-timers in mind. Are you comfortable on the trails and ready to push yourself to the next level? Sign up for a clinic focused on advanced cornering or jumps and drops. Maybe you aren’t looking for any instruction and just want to enjoy a great weekend out riding downhill with your friends–go ahead and take advantage of those discounted day passes!
The Women’s Freeride Festival is a great opportunity to connect with other women in the mountain biking scene while progressing at your own pace. No matter what style of riding you like to do, we have something for you.
That’s all for today, folks! As always, thanks for riding with us and being a part of the Highland family. Stay safe and we’ll see you on the trails!
Don’t Miss Out:
- Rental Bike Sell Off: Select bikes from our 2021 rental and demo fleet will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday, September 7th
- Now Hiring: Lift Attendants & HTC Attendants for the fall season
- Wednesduro Racing: The final race of the 2021 season will take place on September 15th
- New apparel in stock: Get ready for fall with cozy new Highland hoodies and beanie designs
