An Inside Look at Why Outerbike Landed on Four New 2020 Venues
/An Inside Look at Why Outerbike Landed on Four New 2020 Venues
Outerbike comes to South Lake Tahoe, Killington, Duluth & Deer Valley
After hosting successful events in Crested Butte, Bentonville and Moab last year, Outerbike saw an opportunity to expand into new locations for 2020. When it came to choosing the perfect destinations and communities to host a bike demo, Outerbike was on the lookout for a handful of key components.
We wanted to hear from our past attendees on where they’d like to see us go, so we put together a questionnaire to hone in our search. The response was overwhelmingly positive, aligning on a shared desire for locations with stacked loop trails, strong mountain bike advocacy group presence and just the right balance of population and destination popularity. Introducing Outerbike’s four new 2020 locations:
One of the biggest pieces of feedback received from our survey was a call for a California event--you asked, and we listened! As an emerging mountain bike destination, South Lake Tahoe encapsulates the feeling of a true mountain town. From the Bijou Bike Park to the tremendous riding just outside of town like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, it is a true up-and-coming mountain bike destination and now a stop on Outerbike’s 2020 schedule.
South Lake first came on the map as the glitz-free and superiorly scenic alternative to Las Vegas. And while it certainly maintained that front for decades, it’s now the area’s outdoor riches that are spurring the economy in the form of adventure tourism. Minutes from town, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy hiking, climbing and - increasingly - world class mountain biking. Thanks in large part to the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA) - who started building, maintaining and advocating for multi-use trails in the Tahoe area in 1988 and are still going strong today. South Lake Tahoe is home to some of the most amazing, high quality alpine mountain biking, including an array of diverse skills trails, and scenic beauty in the country, nestled on the shores of one of America’s most scenic lakes.
Outerbike co-founder, Mark Sevenoff, was ostensibly at the forefront of Killington-area mountain biking for years. As a freshman at Castleton University in the mid-80’s, he was dismayed to find upon arriving that he and only one other person had a mountain bike. A mere four years and a minor coup later (that saw the on-campus bike club reshaped into a mountain bike club), there were more trail-ready bikes scattered about town than people lined up at Ben & Jerry’s on Free Cone Day. It made sense to eventually bring Outerbike to where one of its founder’s carved up double tracks before the proliferation of clipless pedals, and 2020 marks the first year in Mark’s old stomping grounds.
Killington is a far cry from what it was in 1987 with trails designed by Gravity Logic to suit riders of every silk, an easy day-drive from Boston or New York City, and one of the fastest growing mountain bike destinations on the east coast. Outerbike Killington will offer the chance to demo bikes on every imaginable terrain.
Duluth is a small city with a big personality located on the westernmost shore of the world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior. The lake is at the core of daily life in Duluth and the city’s rugged shoreline and hilly forests offer a year-round playground for those seeking adventure. Duluth is indisputably the center of the upper midwest mountain bike scene.
As one of only seven IMBA Gold-Level Ride Centers™ in the world, Duluth has long been a coveted location to host an Outerbike, and 2020 marks that inauguration. A mountain bike destination “unicorn,” Duluth is the rare urban location that has a plethora of trail access minutes from town, and a city that’s placed mountain biking on a pedestal as a way to increase not only tourism but residents’ quality of life. Our chosen venue of Spirit Mountain bike park has manicured midwest flow trails sculpted by IMBA Trail Solutions, Rock Solid, Trail Logic and other trail building teams. And best of all, the Duluth Traverse Trail now passes through Spirit Mountain from east to west and provides links to the entire system.
Since this blog was written, sadly our Deer Valley event for this year has had to be canceled due to Covid 19. However, we’ll be back in 2021 and until then we’ll be dreaming of the amazing trails at this Wasatch gem.
Spread over six mountains and featuring up to 3,000 vertical feet of elevation change, Deer Valley offers nearly 70 miles of mountain bike trails, including four flow trails designed by Gravity Logic and the interconnected Park City region which was awarded the first-ever Gold Medal Ride Center designation by IMBA in 2013.
Easily accessible from the Salt Lake City International Airport, getting to Deer Valley is easy and visitors can be at the resort before noon, ready to ride right away. It really couldn’t get much easier! With riding season kicking into full gear in June, Outerbike will come into town summer solstice weekend. Visitors will enjoy lift-served and cross country trails as well as lots of lodging options and restaurants.
Outerbike will also be returning to Crested Butte, Moab and Bentonville on the 2020 schedule. Click here to learn more about each designation and to register.
