Back in March, we bought annual 2023-2024 ski passes to Greek Peak in Marathon, New York, for our family of four. Celebrating their 65th season, the local(ish) to us ski resort offered season passes at what we thought was a great, low price. After a successful 22-23 season full of long days on the slopes, lots of smiles, and immense improvement in the ski skills of both boys, the deal was too good for our family to pass up.
I’m a big fan of making the most of all memberships and subscriptions I invest in, so I see a LOT of skiing in our future next winter. The season passes came with a whole host of extra benefits, but the perk that most peaked our interest: free access to the downhill mountain bike park all season long. A season ski pass that can be enjoyed all summer too? Almost too good to be true.
And in a way (for our family at least), yes….there’s a little catch. We don’t own full-suspension mountain bikes. We knew going into our first downhill mountain biking adventure that we would come home knowing whether we would be going back throughout the summer or not. If it was a hit, we also knew that we would likely be seeing a need to invest in full-suspension bikes.
The verdict: yes, and kind of. We are hooked. We’ll be back. Our boys are going to need front suspension at a minimum. And Mike and I will be in the market for mountain bikes as well. And while I’m sighing inside a little (We. Own. So Many. Bicycles!), I’m also all kinds of excited for our future downhill mountain biking adventures.
How It Works
Just like skiing, we got into the chairlift line, only this time dressed in our biking clothes and helmets and pushing our bikes. Chairlift attendants take each bicycle, attach it to a hook on the side of a chair and send it up the mountain. The riders take a bicycle-free chair to the top. At the top, another attendant takes the bikes off and away you ride.
The trails are clearly marked, just like ski season, in green, blue, and black options indicating beginner, intermediate, and expert trails respectively.
Our crew stuck to the green, or beginner, trails. Large orange flags that read “MERGE” dotted the route to indicate where an intermediate or expert trail was crossing the beginner path. Those signs are definitely important to heed! I was awe struck at the talent I saw careening down the mountain, flying briefly across our path. It was impressive to see…it would be catastrophic to collide. *Shudder*. We made sure our boys both realized how important it is to everyone’s safety that they watch for merge signs and be aware of their surroundings at all times.
What We Rode and What We Wore
I have a road bike, a cyclocross bike, and a tri bike. Mike has all of those bikes as well as a Specialized fat tire bike. In all of our previous mountain biking adventures with the boys, we’ve ridden our Specialized cyclocross bikes, and Mike will sometimes opt for the fat tire. Many times, Mike and I will be running along with the boys as they bike trails. Mind you, we began riding with our boys at ages 4 and 7, and they’re still only 6 and 9, so we’ve been able to get away with our bike options and running along by staying on easy trails in state parks and other riding areas we’ve visited from Moab, Utah, to Lake Placid, New York.
Yesterday, we took the fat tire bike and decided we’d share for the day, alternating runs with the boys. Our 9-year-old rode his Co-op REV 24″ mountain bike. Our 6-year-old was on his 20″ Specialized. The boys love their bikes, and have put a lot of miles on them.
Our boys both wore their full face BMX helmets, while Mike and I wore our standard road biking helmets. My oldest and I opted for long sleeves and pants, our youngest wore long sleeves and shorts, and Mike wore short sleeves and shorts. It was a hot, sunny day, but I was adamant the kids be in long sleeves in case of a fall. I did relent on my youngest’s plea to wear shorts. Ironically, the skinned knee he picked up yesterday came from a fall on his bike in our driveway after we got home.
Our First Day of Downhill Mountain Biking: How it Went.
Mike took the first run with both boys. I waited at a picnic table in the shade at the bottom of the mountain. I was nervous. Terrified, actually. Worried that someone would get hurt. That it was too much and the boys would be miserably walking their bikes down the slope. Significantly worried that they would absolutely love it and I would actually have to go through with this and become a person who goes downhill mountain biking. I prefer riding uphill over down, and am an avid feather-er of my brakes whenever riding downhill. I wasn’t confident this was going to be a sport I am cut out for.
I waited, and waited, and waited. And waited.
As it turns out, the lift (at least in our family’s opinion) moves at a much slower speed on mountain biking days than it does on ski days. So, it took them longer to get to the top of the mountain than I was expecting. According to Mike they got a little off their intended trail, and ran into an intermediate section. They tried to navigate it, but it was just too steep and technical for the boys, so they had to back track which took a bit of extra time.
They finally came onto the last stretch of path and into my sight. First reviews were not glowing. Our 6-year-old said he liked it, but it was not his favorite, while our 9-year-old gave it a 2 out 10 for enjoyable. Oof.
Mike thought that their mishap with the trail and inadvertent intermediate trail riding was a big part of the lackluster response. He took a solo run on a mission to successfully navigate a green trail. While he was gone, the boys had a snack in the shade, and were back on their bikes in no time trying out the see-saw stunt board at the base of the mountain. They enjoyed talking with other riders who were also enjoying the shady area where we sat between rides. By the time Mike was back (with a report that there was plenty of easy to find and easy to follow beginner trails to ride), both boys were excited to give it another try. On one condition: mom rides. Oy.
I kept a positive exterior – a happy look on my face – but inside I was near full blown panic attack on that lift ride. I realized as we neared the top that I wasn’t entirely sure how to get off the lift without skis on my feet. Both boys reminded me that I’ve done that every time we’ve taken a summer lift ride for a mountain coaster ride, or even recently when riding a lift to the Anakeesta resort in Gatlinburg, TN. It somehow felt different on your home court ski lift – bizarre to be sitting there without your skis. We all got a good laugh, I started to breathe again, and my 9-year-old was excited to tell his classmates that he had to teach his mom how to get off of a ski lift without skis over the weekend.
The boys didn’t allow me any time to overthink, worry, or panic. They grabbed their bikes at the top of the mountain and were off on a green marked trail straight ahead of the lift exit. I followed, and was smiling ear to ear in just a few pedal strokes.
We navigated sharp turns, bounced over rocks and roots, rode uphill for short stretches, and, of course, careened down lots of short steep hills, and some longer, less steep sections. I had to jump off of my (err…Mike’s) bike a couple of times when I didn’t feel confident, and the boys loved showing me what they could accomplish: ending a short, steep downhill section by cruising over a narrow bridge, and attempting some of the jump options along the trails.
We got to the bottom of the trail, and to Mike’s delight, all three of us gave the experience a 10 out of 10.
Our Next Step in Family Downhill Mountain Biking
With a garage full of bicycles in clyclocross, road, fat tire, tri, and BMX styles, the idea of adding yet another set of four bicycles to our fleet seems….excessive. That said, the only action my tri bike has seen in years is atop an indoor trainer parked in front of my television, so…we may have some wiggle room.
Full-suspension mountain bikes, for anyone who has not researched them lately, do not come cheap. At all. One full suspension 24 inch (kids!) mountain bike I found retailed at over $1900. Gulp.
Kids grow out of bicycles quickly, we have learned. While I love supporting the bicycle industry and local bike shops, paying nearly 2K for a bicycle that will need to be replaced in a few short years just isn’t in our family’s best financial interest currently.
And so, I’m going to give Craigslist a whirl for the first time in my adult life. There are a couple of medium frame full-suspension bikes for sale in our local area for far less than retail of any new full-suspension bike, and a a number of 24 inch front suspension models for the boys. I’m excited to let you know how it goes!
I figure while I’m trying out the platform as a buyer, I may as well try as a seller too. We have a a micro DK BMX bike, a 12″ Trek, and a 16″ Specialized we’ve outgrown and are ready to sell. I’m also considering selling my Trek Speed Concept tri bike.
Selling bicycles is tough for me – they all hold memories. I will never forget the day I came home from work to see my 2 and a half year old cruising down the road on that bright red 12″ trek, pedaling with no training wheels. And watching my boys race their first pedal bike BMX classes on that DK micro – the sweetest memories. But selling these bikes will hopefully offset the cost of an outfit of used downhill mountain bikes. And we will no doubt be making a lot more memories on a lot of different bikes in the years to come.
