Mountain Biking Down Ski Runs
The last winter season was a good one for ski resorts in general. Europe had been blessed with some great dumps of snow and America hadn’t done too badly either. Canada didn’t fare quite so well as other places but they’ve hogged all the snow in previous years. Most ski slope owners felt like they dodged a bullet as the failing economy threatened to potentially keep the snow-goers away. But the mere comprehension that they could be facing financial difficulties led many to ponder the possibilities of further monetising the summer months.
The U.S introduced a bill to Congress recently which would increase the ease at which local ski areas could build and maintain summertime activities. There has been talk already about European resorts adopting a similar idea. During the summer months a typical ski resort might bring in around 15% of their total yearly income. if the resorts could be utilized for a wider range of sports and more formal events then this percentage could sky rocket. The sport that most people support being introduced is mountain biking
There are often mountain bike trails at the base of ski mountains already and shops selling mountain bikes dotted around the areas. This would make the sport one that both locals and visitors can take part in as the gear can just be rented as you would a pair of skis or snowboards. The proposed idea however is for mountain biking a little more on the extreme side of things, utilising the ski lifts that are already in place to host downhill mountain biking events and competitions on the steep runs.
Roger Joules who runs one of Lake Tahoe’s ski resorts says “mountain bikers have been looking for some steep and challenging runs and our slopes are perfect for that in the summer. If we charge a small amount for the use of our lifts then it’s a situation where both parties win”. Roger has also said that they are looking into the possibility of building a wave machine on a section of the lake so that people can pitch up with their surfboards and ride some breaks in the summer months. This is still a long way off he points out.
