With a chair lift ride to the top, mountain bikers don’t need to earn their turns. And you don’t have to be a downhiller to agree that descending is usually the best part of the ride.
Bonus question for the comment section: Which lift-served trails are you riding this summer?
I did and it was fun but I felt like I didn’t deserve those beautiful downhills because I didn’t have to work for them!
Yes but the lift wasn’t running that day so I had to pedal. The high speed sections of the trail were frightening enough on the bike I had at the time – a 1997 XC hardtail with 48mm of fork travel and 580mm handlebars – that the experience inspired me to get a better bike.
Giants Ridge, Minnesota. There is also some really good XC in the Iron Range – Duluth, Cuyuna, Tioga, Redhead. Git sum!
Never used a lift of any kind and don’t need to since I got my first e-bike 3 years ago. What I’d love to know is how many lift-users (including use of any lift device: shuttle, helicopter, gondola, etc) still call e-bikes “cheat bikes”. Here in NZ the numbers of e-bike users is spiralling with no sign of easing while numbers of grumpy purists is declining – my personal perception.
I’ve ridden the DH trails but didn’t pay for a lift ticket. Instead I pedalled/hiked my bike to the top
Funny you posted this as I was doing my first day at Deer Valley in 20 years yesterday (the 25th).
I did and it was fun but I felt like I didn’t deserve those beautiful downhills. because I didn’t have to work for them! Instead I pedalled/hiked my bike to the top