Stratton Mountain Resort recently invested in downhill mountain biking, contracting with Sinuosity in 2019 to build several trails with plans for more to come. Currently, there is a single lift with bike tray style “chairs” that services 5 downhill and 2 uphill trails. Open Saturday and Sunday in the summer. I met up with Tony (Bike Park Manager), Jarad (IT/bike patrol/trail crew), and Andrew (marketing) at Stratton to check out what the bike park has to offer.
The first thing that is apparent is that these trails are professionally built. If you’ve ridden Sinuosity’s work in the past (Suicide Six, Sherburne, and more), these trails will have a familiar feel. The trails are smooth, and full of berms and rollers that make for a fun downhill that are smooth both when rode slow or fast. There are frequent rollers that can be used to pump extra speed or to pop off of if you’re already going fast enough.
Tony, the bike park manager, mentioned that one of the goals for the bike park is to be family friendly. I would say they were quite successful in this already, given that half the weekend crowd appeared to be under 18. Trail #1, in particular, seems to be a great introduction trail. It requires some pedaling, which opposed to riding the brakes the whole time, is great for someone new to the downhill scene. Yet there are plenty of small rocks, berms, and rollers to practice on.
At the same time, there are also rocky sections interspersed throughout the trails to add some technical flavor. There are several rock gardens, particularly on trail #5, well interspersed throughout the length of it. Most of the rocky areas have a relatively easy line, while also having an intermediate to advanced line choice.
I think that most riders will find something that they can enjoy here at Stratton. I personally plan to return, and bring my 6 + 7 year old along with me as I think they will have blast. But I also found myself enjoying lapping trails #4 and #5 at a fast pace sans kids, and ended up riding much longer than I had planned for because I was having fun. What the park does not have (as of 2020) is a dedicated jump line or black/double black difficulty downhill trails. However, I think that most advanced riders would find something here to keep them entertained.
One thing that really stuck out to me was the staff. It seems like everyone knows everyone else here, and they were all friendly. I saw multiple instances where lift attendants, bike parks staff, and other staff went out of their way to talk to or help guests. This even was true after the ride in the Stratton Village at the base area, where there are multiple food options and friendly staff.
All in all, I really left liking this place and already planning to go back and take my kids. It’s affordable (35$/adult at the time of writing) and plenty to do for a day. Highly recommend!
See the Stratton Mountain Resort web page for details on time, pricing, etc.
