It’s time to pump up your tires, grease your chain, dust off your riding pants, strap on your helmet and drop into the Stratton Bike Park. Now moving into season four of mountain biking in southern Vermont, the Stratton Bike Park is bigger than ever with more trails on the way. Last year we got to enjoy the addition of Crusher, Loam Shark & Fern Gully, bringing our trail count up to ten downhill trails and one uphill trail. Below you will find new additions to the Stratton Bike Park for season four, including five news trails with a projected opening of July 2022. Take a spin down all of the park’s current trails with the Stratton Bike Park Trail Previews.
Stratton Bike Park Season Pass
For riders that can’t get enough of the berms, turns, bumps and jumps an unlimited Stratton Bike Park season pass is now available. Adult season passes are priced at $249 for ages 13 and over. Junior season passes for ages 12 and under are priced at $199. When you purchase an adult pass, up to two children’s passes can be added on for $149 each when packaged together in the same transaction. The Bike Park Season Pass is valid every day that the Bike Park is open for summer 2022. Your Bike Park Season Pass also grants your access to Scenic Lift Rides on the gondola or American Express all summer long.
Be sure to purchase your season pass early! Only a limited number of passes are available for the 2022 season.
New Trails Coming Summer 2022
With the continued expansion of the Bike Park and bike community at Stratton, five new trails have been approved to be completed this summer based on the feedback from our annual rider survey. At the conclusion of last season we sent out a survey to Bike Park visitors, compiled the data, and worked together with Sinuosity to envision, design, and map out the five new trails to be built this summer. Look for these trails to open around the July 4 weekend pending weather and build times. The trail descriptions are as followed:
- Kick Start – Skills Park (gold trail near the bottom) – The skills park will be accessed via the Cub Carpet and will have one main trail that snakes its way back and forth across the learning area. Throughout the traverses, there will be optional features like rollers, doubles, a tabletop jump, rocks, and other low-consequence freestyle features that newer mountain bikers can practice on before heading up to American Express.
- Lunch Pad – Jump Trail (gold trail near the top) – The newly designed and highly sought after jump trail will have as many jumps as Sinuosity can pack in. With a similar flow to Bermie Sanders, but more of an open freestyle feel. “This trail should be a fun hybrid of our typical flow trail style with jumps mixed in throughout.” – Brooke, Sinuosity
- Bear’s Den – Dual Direction Trail to Sun Bowl (light green trail) – This will be a great option for a freeride after work or to go explore the Sun Bowl side of the mountain in the summertime. This dual-direction trail will go over some large rocks and ride more classically technical than your typical flow trail. There will also be an approximately 100ft long boardwalk with rollers and rocks incorporated that goes over a large boulder field in a beautiful old-growth maple grove. This trail will be very unique to Stratton’s terrain.
- Fox Trot – Blue Trail through Daniels Web (lighter blue) – This trail will be home to low consequence slopestyle features. The Sinuosity crew is looking into placing a wooden wall ride and “there should be room for something else interesting.” We always love a good surprise from these trail builders. The lower wooded part of that trail will probably feel like the bottom of Garden Gnome, followed by some linked berms on Home Run.
- Paper Route – Blue Trail to Snow Bowl (darker blue) – This trail will feature a mix of flow and natural tech, making its way down to the bottom of the Snow Bowl Express chair and then continuing into the Cabin Fever glade, proceeding down Lower Wanderer and back to the main base area.
New Rental Bikes, Rental Sizes & Demos
New rental bikes for 2022 have already begun to show up at the resort which is exciting news after a summer of high demand and low supply for bikes and bike parts. Additional Trek bikes are being added to the existing fleet of Trek Slash and Trek Fuel rentals, as well as adding two additional bikes from Scott.
New bikes from Scott complete the full scope of rental bikes available at Stratton. At the low end, or “low to the ground end”, is an option for riders of all sizes, the Scott Roxter 20. This is the bike of choice when the kids are ready to hit the trails. 20-inch wheels give the clearance kids need for features found on beginner bike trails. A no suspension frame makes the bike lighter and more maneuverable for even the lightest riders, while 8 gears and full disc brakes equip riders with both pedal power and stopping power. This bike is for kids aged 5 to 8 years old, or approximately 45 to 50 inches in height.
Reenivisoned Rental Area
Speaking of new bikes, the retail team has reenvisioned the bike rental process to get you out on the trails faster than ever. Rental and demo bikes will be moved into the Junior School Building this summer. This is the building right in between the clock tower, and the bike wash station for those familiar with the base area. This will be a one-stop shop for fitting your bike rental, full-face helmet and pads.
In addition to rental equipment, the newly designed Junior School building will also have retail merchandise from Smith, Dakine, FOX Racing, Osprey and more available to guests and riders in the following categories: Full Suspension Mountain Bikes, Full Face Helmets, Gloves, Protective equipment (knee pads, elbow pads, chest protectors), Bike Jerseys, Bike Specific Shorts, Socks & MTB Footwear.
Read our blog post to find out why you may need to ditch your old bike and Why Rent Full Suspension. The new rental categories have been separated into:
MTB RENTAL: ADULT
Get out on the trails with the Adult Rental Bike. Depending on your riding style, choose from the Trek Fuel, Trek Slash or Kona Process to find the perfect blend of performance for you. Available Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
MTB RENTAL: JUNIOR PLUS
Step up to the 24″ Kona Process JR. Modeled after the full-size Kona Process, this Junior Plus Rental is suited for kids ready for full-sized features and sends. Available sizes: JR
MTB RENTAL: JUNIOR
A bike for the smallest rippers that are ready to ride. The Junior Rental bike is for kids 5 to 8 years old who are ready to hit the trails with the family. Available sizes: JR
Group Mountain Bike Lessons at SMSS
The Stratton Mountain Sports School is the home of Vermont mountain bike lessons. With a new beginner area being completed in July 2022, to the park’s rolling green trails, blue flow trails, and black diamond race-inspired mountain bike trails, there is a path for all abilities to peddle. A new lesson product has been added for this summer, a group lesson for up to five people (ages 5+) for $199. The content of the lesson will vary based on the range of abilities of riders in the lesson. This lesson package will serve as a more exclusive experience with an instructor at the Stratton Bike Park for a group of friends or family of five. Single rider lessons are also available through the Stratton Mountain Sports School.
Vermont Mountain Bike Association
Stratton is a proud partner of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association. Founded in 1997, The Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that, through a family of 28 Chapters, serves as the unified voice for mountain biking in Vermont. When you purchase a VMBA Membership, not only do you receive a free day ticket to Stratton’s Bike Park, but you help to support over 1400 miles of MTB trails through the Green Mountains, 28 different chapters including one local to Stratton, Northshire Area Trail Systems, trail advocacy and more. Vermont Mountain Bike Association is an integral part of the future of mountain biking, trail building, and fun in Vermont.
On August 27, 2022, VMBA is headed to the Stratton Bike Park to catch some laps and rip some berms. Stratton and VMBA will be raffling off Stratton gift cards and doing group rides throughout the day. Just stop by the VMBA tent for info and raffle tickets. VMBA will also be selling annual memberships on the spot. If you haven’t purchased one yet, you may do so on the day and use your free DH ticket to ride with the group!
We envision a future where mountain biking is at the center of healthy, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable communities throughout Vermont, with well-planned, accessible, and progressive trail systems state-wide.
VMBA Vision Statement
Mountain Bike and Stay
When you visit the mountain, book a stay at the Black Bear Lodge for you and your bikes, and receive discounts on both your lodging and your bike park tickets. The Bike and Stay package includes lodging and two 1-day Stratton Mountain Bike Park tickets. One and two-night stays are available. Tickets are valid during your lodging stay and can be used on the day of your arrival or the day of your departure.
If one day of berms, turns and jumps isn’t enough, add on additional discounted tickets during the dates of your stay for just $20 each!
Same Great Sponsors
Thank you, Smith and Dakine for keeping our guests, staff, trail crews, and retail outlets ready for the trails. We want you to fit right in on Opening Day, so we are giving away two awesome prizes from Smith Optics. Fill out the form below to win a free pair of Smith Wildcat or Smith Bobcat sunglasses. Winners will be selected at random on May 16, 2022.
Posted April 28, 2022 by Andrew Kimiecik