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Highland Mountain Bike Park - Opening weekend vidder!

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,993
716
I always wanted to go to Highland, but it seems like it's ALL jumps. I suck at them. Is there any other reason to go there?
 

Gunner

Monkey
May 6, 2003
533
0
Framingham, MA
I always wanted to go to Highland, but it seems like it's ALL jumps. I suck at them. Is there any other reason to go there?
They have dh trails there too, this video featured just some of the jumpy trails. The beginner trails would be awesome to learn some jumping, all super mellow!
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I always wanted to go to Highland, but it seems like it's ALL jumps. I suck at them. Is there any other reason to go there?
to learn jumps.

also to practice your patience as you wait in line :rolleyes:

seriously though, highland has FINALLY built up beginner/intermediate lines that compare with their amazing expert lines. previously you had to be 100% committed or risk death. Now, you can suck it up like me and build confidence. Seriously, their trail building abilities are second to absolutely none on the east coast. you WILL wait in line though, so plan your trip well. Maybe it was just dusting off the winter blues, but it took us 40 minutes to push through the lift line and get a run done last weekend...and the runs don't last long.
 

Gunner

Monkey
May 6, 2003
533
0
Framingham, MA
to learn jumps.

also to practice your patience as you wait in line :rolleyes:

seriously though, highland has FINALLY built up beginner/intermediate lines that compare with their amazing expert lines. previously you had to be 100% committed or risk death. Now, you can suck it up like me and build confidence. Seriously, their trail building abilities are second to absolutely none on the east coast. you WILL wait in line though, so plan your trip well. Maybe it was just dusting off the winter blues, but it took us 40 minutes to push through the lift line and get a run done last weekend...and the runs don't last long.
Opening weekend and closing weekend are historically always the longest lift lines you'll see at Highland. :(
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
seriously? Time to start running more chairs.
honestly it's great for them. I hope it stays busy and they buy another lift, build more HTCs, add more crazy ****. I really wish he had started with a taller mountain though. It would be amazing what they could do with the elevation that attitash or jiminy or virtually anywhere else has. Highland's trails are pretty amazing...
 

Pegboy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2003
1,139
27
New Hamp-sha
If you can sneak up on a Friday or other mid week days you will have virtually no wait..unless it's a race weekend, but even then Fridays are good. Weekend lines can be long..not 40 min long (never seen that before except on closing day!), maybe 10 min, but it always feels longer when you want to get on the trail.

Even Sandwich is now speaking positive of the place! (your past comments were valid) The point is, highland is the quinessential "mountain out of a mole hill". It's small, no question about that but I don't think you could do more with a hill of equal size and there certainly are a lot of places that have done FAR less with more.

It has trails that have features that straight up scare me, but I am also able to bring my 9 yro there and both have fun. It could possibly be one of the best places to learn how to progress: from smooth bermed trails, to mild jump lines, to big jump lines, to DJ's, to some rough rocky trails, to an air bag, to a slope style course and an indoor BMX park. It's not big but they have made tons of terrain.

I feel good about giving them my money.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I always just assumed highland was another ski resort with a bike park in the summer. Being that its a year long drive from my house I never really looked into it much further, is highland a bike park only?

Is it worth a 15 hour drive when things like platty, seven springs (6 hours) snowshoe and mountain creek are all about 9-10 hours?
 

John P.

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,170
0
Golden, CO
I always just assumed highland was another ski resort with a bike park in the summer. Being that its a year long drive from my house I never really looked into it much further, is highland a bike park only?
Yes. They're closed for the winter.

Is it worth a 15 hour drive when things like platty, seven springs (6 hours) snowshoe and mountain creek are all about 9-10 hours?
Yes.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I always just assumed highland was another ski resort with a bike park in the summer. Being that its a year long drive from my house I never really looked into it much further, is highland a bike park only?

Is it worth a 15 hour drive when things like platty, seven springs (6 hours) snowshoe and mountain creek are all about 9-10 hours?
Highland is a bike park only. They have a slow uplift with the best racking system possible (the standup racks with a third hook). They also have a very nice dirt jump section if you bring your little bike.

It's hard to say whether it's worth a drive or not. I think it's one of the best bike parks on the east coast. I think you'd be missing out if you never went there. They're open for extended periods of time (like thursday through sunday, and all week later in the year) so doing a multi-day trip would be worth it. I think it's worth a road trip for, but I'd have a hard time justifying driving 15hours for just that. You also might be able to fly into Boston and rent a car or bum a ride with others who are heading up. I would justify driving by making a big loop, and hitting some other places on the same trip. It is 180* from plattekill though. Highland was built from the ground up to be a bike park with bike specific accoutrements (and an on-site bar, yay!), whereas plattekill embraces its ****tiness. It just depends on what flavor you feel like.
 

schwaaa31

Turbo Monkey
Jul 30, 2002
1,431
1,018
Clinton Massachusetts
I always just assumed highland was another ski resort with a bike park in the summer. Being that its a year long drive from my house I never really looked into it much further, is highland a bike park only?

Is it worth a 15 hour drive when things like platty, seven springs (6 hours) snowshoe and mountain creek are all about 9-10 hours?
If you're more into jumps, berms, indoor bike park, then I'd say yes. They've got that dialed. If you're more into ragged DH trails, I'd say no. They have only 2 trails that I think would be considered rough DH trails. Not knocking on Highland, they just don't have the area/vertical for it. IMO anyway. What they do with what they have is amazing. But if you're looking for more DH style trails, I wouldn't drive 15 hours to go there. You'd get burnt out pretty quick IMO.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
If you're more into jumps, berms, indoor bike park, then I'd say yes. They've got that dialed. If you're more into ragged DH trails, I'd say no. They have only 2 trails that I think would be considered rough DH trails. Not knocking on Highland, they just don't have the area/vertical for it. IMO anyway. What they do with what they have is amazing. But if you're looking for more DH style trails, I wouldn't drive 15 hours to go there. You'd get burnt out pretty quick IMO.
sounds like a great place to take the kids (if it was closer) but probably doesn't fully suit my fancy, or at least not enough to make the drive.

Someday I want to do an east coast loop hitting a few of the bike parks, but with most of them primarily offering weekend riding only thats kinda tough.