During IMBA’s staff week, we had the chance to sit down with Pete Webber, IMBA Trail Specialist , and learn more about the Valmont Bike Park. He pulled out the original blue prints and shared the scoop on this incredible project.
Pete Webber goes over Valmont Bike Park blue prints with interested IMBA staffers
For those uninformed of the scope of the project, the Valmont Bike Park is to be a multi-discipline cycling park. Designed by some of the finest trail builders in the US, the bike park will finally bring legal singletrack to the citizens of Boulder, as well as Slopestyle and Dual Slalom Course, dirt jumps, pump tracks, a CycleCross Course, and other exciting features.
The scale of it is huge. The last we heard, it was to be a four million dollar park. From the BMA site: “The top level project of the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, Valmont Bike Park is being created through the partnering and cooperation of the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation, the International Mountain Biking Association and their trail building resources and expertise, and, most importantly, members of the Boulder community at large who have volunteered massive labor, management, and financial support to the Park. This unique harmony has enabled the town to create an environment that exemplifies the region’s stunning natural beauty and the commitment to sustaining the natural habitat of the park’s surroundings.”
Pete sent out an email on the second with an progress report from his position on-site:
As of Feburary 1st, dirt started being delivered to the site. Oh yes. Progress at the Valmont Bike Park in the shape of growing stockpiles of fresh dirt. The dirt is being delivered free of charge from various construction sites around town.
They’ve got dirt to get rid of after digging basements, and we need hundreds of truck loads to enhance the terrain at Valmont. The dirt shown in these photos will be used to to pump up the bike terrain in the flat southeast zone, as well as to shape the land around the dog park, steel building, and parking lot.
The Valmont Park is sure to up the ante for other city parks, cycling clubs and other organizations. Like everyone else, we anxious to see the results of this huge project.
The latest version of the trail map and race course concept has just been published on the Valmont park blog. (Things may still change but this should give you a pretty good feeling of what’s coming.)
– Shout out to the SF Urban Riders: if Boulder can do it, a city the size of SF certainly can do something! This is exactly what th SFUR is working towards..
To stay up to date on the latest news on the Valmont Bike Park, check out their blog:
http://bikevalmont.blogspot.com/
