The Coast Gravity Park is ready to open on May 10, offering 17 mountain bike trails from beginner to expert that can be ridden for a fee.
The downhill trails are marked just like ski hill trails, from green to double black diamond, and riders must purchase a pass on-line ahead of time to ensure enough shuttle rides to the top of the mountain are arranged.
Currently the downhill park is operating solely on a shuttle service, however the future may hold a gondola for the hill, project coordinator Jeff James said.
“The whole development is going to be a phased approach,” he said.
This first phase dubbed the “testing, proof of concept” phase will show investors what kind of profits can be expected from the park and then they can decide what kind of improvements (like installing a gondola) should be made.
There are currently about 10 investors in the Coast Gravity Park, James said.
The park sits on land owned by the Stockwell family accessed via a logging road just outside of Sechelt and members of the Coastal Crew have had helped shape the downhill park over the past year.
Downhill riders Dylan Dunkerton, Curtis Robinson and Kyle Norberton make up the Coastal Crew — a sponsored group of riders who have been building trails and filming their exploits around the world since 2008.
While they were instrumental in the trail building at Coast Gravity Park, it couldn’t have happened without the stellar support of the Stockwells, contractor Darren Hemstreet and machine operator Kayne Boyce.
Dunkerton said collaborating to build the downhill trails so close to home was “a lifelong dream for us as the Coastal Crew.”
Now that dream is ready to be showcased to the public, although there have been a few preview days with select riders already.
“We got some great feedback from riders who made the journey up, about the quality of the trails and the quality of the overall experience,” James said.
On May 10 the park will be open to the general public and James hopes to hear the same kind of positive feedback.
“There are trails for everyone of every level to ride,” James said, encouraging families to enjoy the park together.
In order to experience the new park, riders must purchase a pass on-line at www.coastgravitypark.ca and if booked before May 1, they’ll get an “introductory rate” of $40 for the day.
Opening day was sold out shortly after it was offered, but at press time there were still spaces left open on May 11.
The park will be open weekends throughout the spring and summer, but may open during weekdays if there is enough demand from the public.
Find out more at www.coastgravitypark.ca.
