Big White Bike Park Opening August 4

With an unexpectedly high snowpack and slow melt in the alpine, the build team has experienced some challenges from Mother Nature; however, with the recent shift towards summer weather, the resort is confident in the newly determined opening date.   

“It’s not often that we wish the snow away, but it has provided us with some challenges this year,” says Big White’s President, Peter Plimmer. “At the end of the day, we are working towards having an awesome product, and that means dealing with the conditions in the best way possible. The focus is to continue building this season and next season and focus on trail quality and consistency.”

Lift access for the Bike Park will operate from the Bullet Express, which reaches an elevation of 7057 feet. On opening day, riders will be able to access a complete top-to-bottom trail in the form of a smooth, machine-groomed flow trail that will be rideable by all skill levels. With the build continuing throughout the summer, new trail sections will continue to be opened to the public as soon as possible.

“Big White will be one of the first locations where there’s a true family-friendly trail in the high alpine,” says Judd De Vall, Principal of Alpine Bike Parks, the company managing the build. “There will also be some alternative trails available to riders towards the bottom of the mountain on opening day. After that, we’ll incrementally open new sections each week of the season.”

The on-mountain build team are currently making good progress with trail development, as well as water and runoff management. With more machinery showing up weekly to help expedite the building process, the resort is committed to bringing a unique riding destination to the Okanagan this summer.

“This mountain has a ton of potential and it’s fun building in the technical mountain setting,” adds Judd. “We’ve already removed all the snow from the main trail corridor and we’re able to import surfacing material to the entire trail now.”

The Bike Park will be open from Friday to Sunday, as well as holiday Mondays. Pricing is soon to be released, with the resort planning to set pricing that is reflective of what is ready to ride.

“From what I’ve learned visiting other new bike parks, we’re not afraid to start small and progress from there,” says Kris Hawryluik, Bike Park Manager. “After we close operations this summer, we’ll continue to build until the snow flies in late October, with multiple phase expansion in the future.”

Big White Resort originally started constructing the bike park in the summer of 2016, with Alpine Bike Parks brought in to create a riding destination that would fulfil the goals of enduro, downhill, freeride and youth mountain bikers.

An earlier opening is expected for the 2018 mountain bike season for the established bike park.  

For updates on pricing, trails and the build, check out bikebigwhite.com or follow us across social media:

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