I just got back from an epic weekend of riding on Silver Mountain in Kellog Idaho. I originally planned to race the informal race they had going on, but after seeing the selection of trails I’d be missing out on riding by focusing on the course, I decided to take the weekend off and just rip the goldmine of single track laid out before me. Silver Mountain has the longest Gondola IN THE WORLD (yes for real) to take riders to the top of the mountain, where riders have the option of four tracks to start. There are several areas where trails merge and riders have more choices, making a total of at least a dozen different ways you can get from top to bottom with the various combinations. One of the runs called Hammer has lots of jumps, drops, and berms, while Jackass is just an all out ripper. Alhambra offers riders some of the best turns I’ve ever been treated to. To give you an idea of the scope of the trail system, I rode Jackass, to Alhambra all the way to the bottom for my first run on Sunday morning. I was really enjoying the sunshine, blue skies, and freshly watered ground (from recent rain) and the literally hundreds of perfect berms and flowy terrain, which made entire sections feel like a dh pump track. It felt like I rode forever down the hill, and when I got to the bottom I realized I’d been riding non stop for 30 minutes to make it back to the bottom. This mountain has a very European feel since the trails are VERY long and are spread out. All the trails dump out about a 10 minute ride from the Gondola, which means you have to pedal back, but the tracks and adventure of such a vast area make it worth every pedal stroke. The lodging at the new resort at Silver Mountain was first rate, with park passes to the new waterpark included where there are lots of water rides, and even a wave for boogy boarding, or surfing! We saw lots of familiar faces from the east side, and felt right at home with the warm welcome we were given for making our way out there. It took us 4:45 to get home with “Lead foot Greg” behind the wheel back to Seattle, but it’s an easy drive on I-90 the whole way (the Gondola is about 1 minute off I-90!) and actually takes less time than getting to Whistler. If a big mountain adventure sounds good to you, head out to check out this awesome area. Lift passes are only $30 with tax included, and food and drinks are also very reasonable. I’m looking forward to getting out there again next year! I’ll hope to see you there.

-Simon