Northfield, New Hampshire- One of the world’s most famous mountain biking parks is back in action.
Highland Mountain Biking Park opened on Wednesday, April 24th, for season passholders and on Thursday for the general public. Highland will have lift-serviced mountain biking from Thursday to Sunday until May 27th. After that, they’ll transition to daily operations for the summertime. The open trail count has started small, as it is mud season in New Hampshire, but it’ll grow in the coming weeks.
We usually post about skiing content here at Unofficial Networks, so I tend to focus on that portion of the outdoor sports industry. However, Highland’s background is steep in skiing history, so it’s worth diving into this unique mountain’s background.
The Highlands was a ski area from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. However, mounting debt, a broken snowmaking network, a lack of snowfall during the terrible 1994-95 winter, and extensive local competition led to its closure in 1995. For years, despite revitalization attempts, it remained abandoned.
In 2003, inspired by Whistler Blackcomb’s impressive mountain biking network, Mark Hayes formed Gravity Mountain, Inc., and purchased the ski area. However, the mountain would now be used exclusively for bikers. It reopened in the mid-2000s with the 1987 Borvig triple chairlift, which originally serviced the ski area, being updated to have bike carriers. Over the years, many biking trails and a new lift have been added.
Its extensive trail network and features have helped grow mountain biking in the United States, and it has a fitting slogan: America’s Bike Park.
Image/Video Credits: Highland Mountain Bike Park, Skimap.org
