The grass is greener on the other side, is what they say? Angel Fire Bike Park went through one of the driest seasons that I have witnessed in my 6 years working on the trail crew; then, like a flip from a light switch, it turned straight into the gorgeous monsoon season that all of us look forward to every summer. In this matter, I would say yes, the grass is literally greener on the other side, thanks to the monsoons. But with the magical rain comes lots of repair and maintenance to keep the park at its prime state of happiness. It’s easy to look at this as being a burden: instead of working on the new projects that we want finish, we have to refocus our efforts to maintaining trails and filling in the fresh ruts. But at the end of the day, the monsoons allow us to give love to established sections of trail that were maybe not as high on the priority list as, let’s say, finishing a new section of Boulder Dash. And as I am typing this, I find that I actually get a great amount of enjoyment bringing new life to an old trail, which ultimately creates a new trail.
So yes, the trail crew has been extremely busy burning fuel in the machines with lots of maintenance and you will notice lots of new, beautifully sculpted berms and features all over the mountain. This work would be unattainable without the correct equipment on hand and a trail crew of dedicated members that just love digging in an adult-sized sandbox (and also love riding bikes!).
Oh, and that new section of Boulder Dash? That’s just days away from being completed! This new section will bring us to over 120 jump features on that trail alone. Candy Land will be next, with a massive makeover and new design. A new green trail from summit is also in the works for completion this summer. And let’s not forget Cougar, the new XC Greenbelt trail; it is now a mile in, with 3 miles to go. As for the grass…well, it’s extremely green, and that famous Angel Fire Cacao Pow dirt is just on the other side, waiting to be roosted by you, me, and entire team that make all of this possible.
Until next time, enjoy riding your bikes and living life!
Patrick West
Angel Fire Bike Park Manager
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