Sneak Peak: Two Trails Open Off Sweetwater Gondola on Saturday
This Saturday, September 5th, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort proudly unveils two new downhill bike trails to the public: “Solitoga” and “Deer Jump”. For the first time ever, Sweetwater Gondola will whisk patrons up the mountain about 1200 vertical feet for biking. Customers purchasing bike park tickets Saturday, as well as existing summer season pass holders, will be granted upper mountain access for a sneak preview of 2 new trails at Teton Village.
The bike park is growing and upping the ante
Years of trail building, as well as numerous “downhill enhancements” of the existing Saratoga trail result in “Solitoga”, a new 2.61 mile downhill bike trail pouring from the top of Sweetwater Gondola, as well as “Deer Jump”, a 0.62-mile long jump line option.
Solitoga (Saratoga+Solitude)
A mixture of 6-foot wide bike park road and ripping singletrack. Keep your speed and crush some vert! Pumps, bumps, rollers and berms keep you looking far ahead for what is coming up next! Moose brush and nectar mingle on the pallet, permeating the atmosphere. A bird’s eye view of the Jackson Hole valley follows you down the mountain if you take time to glance over. Fun for the whole family!
A birds-eye view of the whole valley on the way down of Solitoga
Deer Jump
Deer Jump offers something NEW for Teton Village… with two LARGE JUMPS for bikers to play on! Deer Jump, (located near the wintertime Ashley Ridge Stash Park), peels you from Solitoga trail, through several big switchback berms, and into our money jumps! The first jump is a level tabletop to get you set up, and the second is a super smooth step-up that is 30 feet or so to the knuckle with a nice long landing you can take 25 feet past. From the money jumps, the trail swells to 25 feet wide, with multiple line options, reminiscent of something you might see at Whistler… the rest of the trail is peppered with flow and medium-sized jumps. Deer Jump ties back into Solitoga, right above some seriously fast singletrack ripping to the top of Teewinot Chair, and our existing bike park trails.
The new double set on Deer Jumps
A team of heavy equipment operators and hand workers blazed paths in steep terrain, through granite boulder fields, raging water, thick forest, and tangled brush. It took several years of work between breaking trail and having a finished product; and we did it so Jackson Hole can be even more fun than before! As I type, construction is underway on two more new trails!… “Deepest Darkest” is a long, high-speed flow trail headed south from Sweetwater, and “Dirty Harry” can be summed up as a World Cup DH course headed down Jackson Face…(If you like steep, technical trial, eg. Lithium, this is for you).
NOTE: All trails from the Sweetwater Gondola are intermediate and expert terrain. No beginner trails at this point.
Learn more about the event here: Sneak Peak- New Sweetwater Bike Trails
Happy trails, and keep the rubber side down!
