With the closure of Blue Mountain's bike park, the East Coast is down a lift access area. Thankfully the crew at Spring Mountain (Launch Bike Park) have put in the efforts to make their riding zone worth your travels.
The opening day of Launch Bike Park at Spring Mountain in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania is April 23rd! We are opening earlier than any other bike park on the East Coast. This is our first full year and it should be an awesome season.
Launch Bike Park at Spring Mountain was open for a short time last year, from September to early November. During that time, we learned from riders what we needed to change to make the park even better for its first full season in 2011. We feel that the changes we made will make spending a day riding the park much more enjoyable. One of these changes is adding hooks for bikes on the lift chairs. Sadly, Blue Mountain's Vertical Earth Bike Park will not be opening this year and although it will be greatly missed, Launch is here to satisfy riders’ needs. Here is everything you need to know about Launch this year:
Location: 757 Spring Mount Road, Schwenksville, PA 19473
Hours and Important Dates: Opening day: Saturday, April 23rd (We will not be open the 24th due to it being Easter Sunday)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
(The park may be open a few weeknights in the summer but that depends on rider interest)
The park should be open every weekend depending on weather until late fall.
Prices: Full day pass: $25
10 Ticket pack: $199
The 10 Ticket pack option is a great way to save some money if you will be riding at Launch Bike Park many times this year. You can use the tickets all yourself, or split them with your friends!
We will not be selling season passes this year.
Events: Gravity East Series race on September 17th-18th
There are a few other events being planned but no dates are official yet.
The Trails:  |
| 2010 Trail Map |
The trails at Spring Mountain are very technical and rocky. Last year, riders told us that they wanted a few easier trails. Because of this, we will be changing some of the trails to be easier for beginners and riders who just want some flow. But for those who love rocky downhill, we have plenty of that too.
I'll go over 5 of our many trails.
Wally's Leg:Last year, this trail was listed as a black diamond due to the drops, wooden features, and rocks. This year, the trail crew is making the upper section of Wally’s Leg flowy and easier to ride. After the first section, Wally’s Leg becomes more difficult and the easiest way down the mountain is turned to another trail, the lower section of Walt’s Erector Set. Some of the features on the lower section of Wally’s Leg are tight berms.
The Bee Hive: This short trail on the lower mountain has a few fun rock gardens that expert riders can ride through with speed. It is not too difficult and beginners will be challenged, but not out of their limits. The trail also has a difficult step down hip jump, but there are lines to go around it.
Walt’s Erector Set: If you can ride it, this trail is one of the most fun on the mountain. It’s full of bridges connecting large boulders. Definitely check this out.
The Highlife: This trail is really technical. It starts off fast with steep bridges and fast rock gardens, but once you get deeper into the woods, the trail becomes tight and slow. This one takes skill.
Jaws:If you ride all the other trails and feel that they were no challenge, check out Jaws. Pictures do not do this trail justice. It is the steepest and rockiest trail on the mountain. At the end it becomes much faster and ends with a 13 foot gap over a fallen tree. Gnarly.
This is only a little bit of what we have at Launch Bike Park. Come check it out!
For more information and future updates, see the links below:
www.springmountainadventures.com bikrocosm.com/launch 
I wish whistler was that inexpensive.
