As we all know, summer is coming to and end, and winter is approaching (sigh). But, there’s still time to mountain bike! Fortunately, the “summer” hill will be shutting down on Oct. 6, so you still have time. I was introduced to DH mountain biking this year while volunteering at a camp for a few weeks, and I must say, its a crazy fun sport. I will be looking at some of the best DH runs (in my opinion), and talking about how everything works!
COP provides excellent service, products, and is a great place to mountain bike. You can purchase a summer pass for $169 if between the ages 13-24. Day passes for different age groups can also be purchased. Bikes, helmets, and protective gear are provided in the rental store if you don’t have any equipment, and can be rented for a decent price. All of the mountain bikes are supplied by the company Norco. Norco supplies quality, long-lasting bikes. If you’re interested, you can go check out their website: www.norco.com. There is also a shop where you can purchase water packs, protective gear, biker apparel, and much more! The hill has two chairlifts, one for skyline luge, and one for mountain biking. Besides the DH runs, there are some dirt jumps, a skill park, a discover park, and upper and lower Narnia (beginner runs located near the carnival tent). There are many x-country runs which can be accessed for free. These runs are also referred to as the “East lands.”
There are a variety of different DH runs at COP. You can access both the west and east trees. The west trees consist of three blue runs (Dragon Slayer, Safari Planet, Double Jeopardy) and two black runs (Lazer Fade, Haircut Rabbit). Dragon Slayer is a fairly easy run and consists of many bridges, rollers, and quick turns. Safari Planet, which is my favourite run, consists of several jumps, wide turns, and is very high speed. Double Jeopardy is kind of like Dragon Slayer and Safari Planet put together. Haircut Rabbit, along with Lazer fade, are two difficult runs created for advanced riders. Haircut consists of huge jumps, quick turns, and hard terrain. Lazer Fade is very similar. If you’re interested, you can check out this video that features two riders cruising through Safari Planet to Haircut Rabbit:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dN0nD1HUg
The east trees consists of one green run (Green Tea) three blue runs (Tender Vittles, Fired Up, Bankers Hall) and one black run (BBQ-Jello). If you’re a beginner, Green Tea would be a great choice. It has terrain of moderate difficulty, and features many berms, bridges, and minor jumps. Tender Vittles, Fired Up, and Bankers Hall are all very similar. They are like Green Tea, but the turns are sharper and the terrain is more difficult.
Overall, the Mountain biking at COP is awesome! It features X-Country runs, DH runs, dirt jumps, a discover park, and a skills park. Both the facility and service is great. The rental and tech shop provides excellent equipment and bikes. The store provides excellent accessories that are ideal for the average mountain biker. So, if you’re looking for something to do before winter comes, why not go for a mountain biking adventure at COP!
