Nearly 20 percent of the United States’ adult population, or 39.3 million people, are estimated to have participated in off-road mountain biking in the last year. The number of participants has remained fairly steady while the number of enthusiasts has grown nearly 150 percent.* No matter how it’s measured, the sport of off road and freeride mountain biking continues to grow in popularity, but what exactly is it?

The International Mountain Biking Association has defined freeriding as “a style of mountain biking that celebrates the challenges and spirit of technical riding and downhilling.” Freeriding is in fact a form of mountain biking that involves riding freely on a bike. It is a relatively new sport, which combines different aspects of mountain biking, such as downhill and dirtjumping as well as some cross-country.

“Defining ‘freeride biking’ is like defining ‘freeride skiing’ – it means different things to different people,” said Pete Webber, Communication Director for the Colorado-based International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). “Basically it’s a style of mountain biking that focuses on technical and more challenging riding. It doesn’t mean that it’s for experts only; it means that instead of going for a 20-mile ride people are going on a 5-mile ride to push skills on difficult terrain to try to master it.”

Regardless of how one defines it, the sport has gained a tremendous following over the last few years. Snowshoe Mountain’s bike program business has increased 180 – 200 percent since 2003. Freeriding and downhilling is helping to utilize valuable ski resort facilities in warm-weather months. These facilities also provide an ideal setting for freeride parks, technical downhill trails and dirt jumps, attracting people from all around the country to the region’s largest four seasons resort. Snowshoe’s lift accessed park allows mountain bikers to make three times as many runs as without lifts.

Snowshoe offers over 100 miles of cross-country, downhill and freeride trails. In addition to the lift-accessed mountain bike park, a slopestyle and dirt jump park will be added to the list of mountain biking attractions this season.

IMBA’s 2005 Ski Resort Honor Roll

Whistler, CANADA: Model facility for lift-serviced riding
Deer Valley, UT: Brilliant cross-country and downhill trails
Tamarack, ID: IMBA‘s Trail Solutions develops state-of-the-art trail network
Snowshoe, WV: Intrawest building Whistler of the East

Winter Park, CO: Great variety of trails, including beginner-friendly options