Down the Mountain

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If speed is your friend and consequences are something you save to think about later, then have I got a sport for you. Downhill mountain biking, in its varied forms, is not a sport for the faint of heart.

For those just starting out, the trails can seem more like a kiddie ride at the county fair: a few little bumps and rocks that make you smile and feel a bit excited, but nothing to shock your breath out of your body. Take it up a notch though, and you’re speeding headfirst down a double black diamond run on wheels—and there’s no snow to cushion your fall. And you will fall.  Everyone falls.

If ever there were an adrenaline sport, downhill mountain biking is it. The sport is more or less separated into racing (going downhill fast), slopestyle (involving tricks and stunts) and freeriding, (pretty much whatever you want it to be).

According to those brave few who encourage others to do the same at Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon, N.J., mountain biking has a reputation for being a western sport. While there definitely is more of it out west, Diablo owner Shawn Orecchio says that what New Jersey has that western states don’t have is varied terrain. Where western powder skiing may trump our eastern icy slopes, when it comes to spring and summer the east takes the cake. “We also get a longer season,” Orecchio says, “out west they get four months at best.”

While the folks at Diablo lament the lack of popularity of the sport (“it needs a hero,” Orecchio says, “there’s no Shaun White to really bring the sport into the mainstream yet,”) there continues to be a 30 percent increase in business each year since the park opened in 2003. “We are one of the few parks in the U.S. to offer this kind of riding and to capitalize on the new school part of mountain biking,” Orecchio says, “which is machine-built trails and freeride features.”

With 50 trails serviced by a high-speed gondola, there is more than enough terrain for everyone. The park’s focus this year has been on attracting new people to the sport by improving existing trails and increasing the number of beginner trails. In terms of features (walls, ladders, jumps, drops) they offer a range of technical levels to help riders build their skills and gain confidence with baby steps.

Another detail that sets Diablo apart is the use of metal in building features. Traditionally made of wood, using metal bases creates a cleaner more exact feature, with less flexing that is easier to hit and is much more durable. Orecchio’s expertise may just makes the park unique. After some time designing and building terrain parks in the winter, he realized that the metal would work just as well on the mountain bike features. He says that Diablo gets folks from other parks coming by to ask questions, take pictures and basically steal their ideas. “We don’t mind,” he says, with a giant grin on his face, “ it’s all about growing the sport for us and we’re happy to help. Features and things like that, that’s our niche.”

“The big growth sector of the sport is in the younger generation, which is drawn to the tricks and features of the slopestyle riding. “We find that once the young guys get their basic skills down they lean more toward slopestyle and tricks,” Orecchio says. “The older generation likes natural trails and racing. It’s not a versus situation, but there’s an older school crowd and a newer school crowd.” Diablo caters to that and is in the process of building its new slopestyle area on the mountain. “It’s important that it be hikeable,” says says PJ Post, a pro rider and member of the Diablo Gravity Team, referring to its location on the mountain, “so it’s all in one area, and you can focus on landing a certain trick. A lot of people want to stay up there all day and work on what they’re trying to land.”

“There are trails here that are difficult to walk down,” Orecchio says,  “and it’s such an adrenaline rush to ride a bike down them.” For Post and his teammate George Ryan, who has been riding for 12 years, it’s as much about the competition as the rush. Diablo hosts a series of events throughout the season. This month Orecchio is excited about the Camp of Champions, a 10-day ultimate summer camp for riders of all ages on Aug 23-31. Coaches and instructors from Whistler will be giving clinics and lessons for everyone from beginners to pros. There’s also the Jeep 48STRAIGHT King Of The Mountain event and summer concert series stopping by on August 22-24. For more info check out www.diablofreeridepark.com