Summer Mountain Safety

Injuries are a common and expected part of mountain-biking. We strongly suggest that full face helmets, full length gloves, biking armor and a full suspension bike be used in the Bike Park. If you are new to mountain-biking at Big White, or the Parent or Guardian of a younger rider, please familiarize yourself with the bike park and the mountain-biking activities we offer. Introductory mountain-biking lessons and beginner mountain-biking terrain are available and recommended. More challenging terrain and features should not be attempted unless the rider has the appropriate skills, experience and equipment to effectively negotiate such trail sections.

AGE POLICY

• Children under 5 yrs are not permitted in the bike park.
• Children 6-12 are required to be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian (19yrs or older) when riding in the bike park.
• Children 13-15 are strongly recommended to be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian (19yrs or older) when riding in the bike park.

The parent or guardian must sign the bike park waiver for the child at the time of purchase at the ticket desk on mountain.

All bikes should have one functioning brake per wheel. Disc brakes are recommended. Steep grades necessitate disc brakes for adequate stopping power. Cantilever brakes will increase the fatigue factor as more effort will be required to maintain control.

Full suspension bikes are recommended to navigate the terrain you will expect to find on the trails. Ensure that your suspension is tuned properly and is set up for your body weight and riding ability.

Crashes can happen on your first lap. Ride the trail multiple times to get familiar with the features and equipment you’re on so you can confidently push your limits without pushing your threshold.

PRE-Ride: Warm up the brain and body and inspect the trail at low speed.
RE-Ride: Lap the trail a few times and get to know the flow of the features.
FREE-Ride: Start small and work your way up to faster speeds and larger features.

Boarding the lift requires significant strength when loading a bike and children may require assistance. If you are unfamiliar with the bike loading process, please let our staff know and they can walk you through a demonstration in the village before proceeding to the lift.

Protective clothing and equipment is mandatory for young riders. The best protection from abrasion requires a properly fitted full-faced helmet, gloves, long pants, long sleeves, leg armour, arm armour and solid running shoes.

The bike park trails are specifically designed for full suspension mountain bikes. The trails are rocky, bumpy and become much more difficult without high quality suspension. Without full suspension, fatigue becomes a factor much sooner. The steep grades necessitate disc brakes for adequate stopping power. Cantilever brakes will increase the fatigue factor as more effort will be required to maintain control. All bike park participants should ride a properly sized bike and should be able to stand over the seat with their feet flat on the ground. A bike that is too large or with a high seat post increases the risk of injury. Jr DH rentals are available at the Rental Shop and our rental tech will help ensure your child is fitted with the right size bike.

The level of risk increases with the level of difficulty. Black trails often have significant drops and jumps that require skill and experience to navigate. Many difficult trails have a “gate-keeper" feature at the top designed to keep riders with insufficient skills off trails that will be beyond their ability, do not ride around these features. Young riders become a hazard to other riders if they are unable to ride a trail or move out of the way. Children should be accompanied by an adult at all times and should be monitored for fatigue regularly.

Mountain Bike Checklist

BIKE RESPONSIBILITY CODE

Mountain biking involves elements of risk that common sense and personal awareness can help reduce.
Please adhere to the responsibility code, and share a safe experience with others.

• Ride in control and within your ability level.
• Protect Yourself. Helmets are mandatory. Other protective equipment is strongly recommended.
• Do not ride if your ability is impaired by drugs, alcohol, or fatigue.
• Inspect your bike or have it checked by a qualified bike mechanic before you ride.
• Stay on marked trails. Obey all signs and warnings. Do not cut switchbacks. Keep off closed areas.
• Inspect Trails and Features. Be aware of changing conditions on trails and features. Inspect features before use and throughout the day.
• be Lift Smart. Make sure you have the physical dexterity, ability and knowledge to safely load, ride and unload lifts when riding at lift access resorts.
• Look out for others. Avoid riders ahead of you. They have the right of way.
• Be visible. Don not stop where you obstruct a trail or are not visible from above.
• Cooperate. If you are involved in or witness a collision or accident, you must identify yourself to the Bike Patrol, staff member or local authority.

Where to Start

If it’s your first time biking at Big White, or maybe even your first time mountain biking, it may seem a little intimidating at first - but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. As long as you’re comfortable riding a bike, you can give downhill mountain biking a try. Just be sure to follow our helpful tips to get you safely having fun on two wheels.

Helpful tips:

• If you’re new to the bike park, or just unsure of where to begin, we recommend booking a beginner lesson from our bike school.
• Ride with a buddy, it’s safer and more fun.
• Purchase your lift ticket at the VCM. If you’re 19 or under you will need a parent our guardian to sign a waiver for you. (See tickets for more details)
• We recommend you read our bike safety page before you arrive - the page also include our policy for riders in the park aged under 19.

What to Wear

• Helmet (Mandatory)* – A helmet is required for all riders in the bike park. We strongly recommend a full-face helmet to provide the greatest range of protection.
• Goggles** – Wrap-around goggles are the best choice for eye protection against dirt, branches, and other obstacles you’ll encounter on the trails or in a crash.
• Elbow and Knee Pads* – These provide protection from cuts, scrapes, and any impact to these parts of your body that are most commonly injured in a crash.
• Closed-Toe Shoes – Shoes with a durable toe box and high ankle support are important to manage the rough terrain and impact.
• Long Sleeved Shirt and Shorts** – Cover up with the proper clothing to limit the amount of bare skin showing.
• Full Finger Gloves** – Use these to keep your hands on your bars with secure grip on your brakes. Your hands are typically are first to support you in a crash, so you want them covered up.
• Body Armour* – Optional for anyone who wants extra protection for their back and chest.
• Neck Brace – Optional for anyone who wants extra neck support, which typically is needed when hitting large jumps and drops.

*Available to rent from our rental department
**Can be purchased from our retail store

What Bike to Ride

You’ll want a dual-suspension bike for the safest and most comfortable experience. You can get a downhill-specific bike, or an enduro bike, which is capable of pedaling uphill – either will do.

Our rental department has a robust range of bikes that are specially designed to withstand any kind of terrain that the mountain can throw at you. This includes Norco, Trek and Spawn bicycles.

Renting a bike means that our rentals team will be able to find the best bike fit for you, making sure that you’re comfortable and safe. Plus every bike rental comes with a free helmet rental.

We highly recommend pre-booking your bike online – our rentals team will be able to put aside the perfect bike for your visit.

Loading the Gondola: Lara’s Gondola operates on weekends during the summer to help visitors move between Happy Valley and the Village Centre. The gondola is used by both pedestrians and bikers. Pedestrians can load any cabin, while biker will need to wait for the square cabins.

If you are unfamiliar on how to load, ask a liftie for assistance. On the loading platform, bring your bike upwards so that you are holding the handlebars and rolling the bike on the rear tire only. Line up with the cabin door opening and walk your bike forward. Once in the cabin, you can turn your bike to rest the front tire on the opposite side of the cabin. To exit, once again bring your bike up on the rear tire and walk forward rolling onto the platform.

 

Loading the lift: Our bike park is accessed via the Bullet Chair. If you’re unfamiliar with loading, our lifties are there to help assist you.

Once you’re on the loading platform, roll your bike forward and pull up on the handlebars to get your bike upright on the rear tire. Then stand centered behind your bike as you wait for the chair to approach. The bike carrier will be on the backside of the chair. Wait for the chair to pass and then walk toward the back of the chair as it moves forward. Line up your front tire in the air with the yellow carrier, then give it a little push to roll the tire up and secure it in the basket.

If you have a smaller bike, you may need to push slightly upward, or lift it in order to reach - ask the liftie for assistance! Continue to walk forward and wait as the next chair comes around for you to sit down. The lifties will unload your bike for you at the top. Remember that two bikes are permitted per chair.