[ricrellim]

I rode this weekend at Sol Vista for the first time. I have to say I was truly amazed. I would classify myself as an intermediate rider that mainly rides blues and single black trails. These trails at Sol Vista are so well designed they encourage you to go big. I would say that if I rode there exclusively I could double my skills really quick. <BR><BR>

Last weekend I broke my frame so I rented a bike this weekend and once again I was blown away. I rode an amazing Santa Cruz that was perfectly setup and well taken care of. Everyone was so nice to us and it really made a lasting impression. I felt inclined to share my enthusiasm for the trails, the staff, and the riders of my favorite new park.

 

[$tinkle]

i've wanted to check it out, but it didn't look built up yet. good to hear the conditions are there. that's a nice part of the state.

- was it crowded?
- what are lift $$?
- is there enough variety?

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

SolVista is hands down one of the best riding mountains around here. During the MSC race, it was so well organized and the people were super nice! The mountain has amazing riding, and the ONLY downside is, it never gets a good downpour of rain making the trails pretty dusty and loose. Besides the dust, the trails are all super fun to ride!

Not to mention the DS course will be the most fun you have ever had on a bike.

 

[zzsean]

i've wanted to check it out, but it didn't look built up yet. good to hear the conditions are there. that's a nice part of the state.

- was it crowded?
- what are lift $$?
- is there enough variety?

Lift tickets are $20 on Sat/Sun and $12 on Fri.

There are good numbers of riders so that there is a great vibe to the place but I wouldn't call it crowded by any means. There are bursts of activity so that there might be 10-30 riders gathered at the lift chatting and loading but the load times are always quick. They use the same bike load system that Whistler uses.

The variety is there and growing fast. This year they have put in new trails: Silk Johnson, Tron, Ashy Larry and a new trail is being built this week for the race this weekend - Buc Nasty. You can get a video tour of the trails at: http://bikesolvista.com/2008/trails.php

The trails are very DH oriented and have a great race feel to them rather than a freeride feel so I personally find that I will ride a trail 4-5 times in a row working on lines and options and then move to another trail and do the same thing. If you are after a mountain with wooden stunts then Sol Vista is not your place, but if you are after a mountain with rocks, jumps, gaps and corners of all types then Sol Vista is your place!

 

[ricrellim]

We started out on Silky Johnson because we just wanted to get a vibe for the place (green run). It was so fun and fast that we just rode it over and over the rest of the day. There were a lot of dudes practicing for the G3 race that were killing that trail.

This is my second season downhilling at various other resorts and I have to say my day at Sol Vista was the best ever. My roomate & I just sat around all last night watching the videos on the bikesolvista site. The videos are awesome and I wish every hill would do this but I have to say they DO NOT do these trails justice.

 

[TankerX]

what is the closest airport?

 

[Bikerpunk241]

You could fly into Grandby, but it's a little guy, the closest big airport is gonna be Denver (about 2 hour drive, give or take)