February 14/08 8:33 am - More Kona Bike Parks Added for 2008

Posted by Editor on 02/14/08
 

More Kona Bike Parks Added for 2008
Courtesy KonaWorld

Since 1998, when we joined forces with Whistler Resort in British Columbia to create the first Kona Groove Approved Bike Park, we have been the leader in developing exciting, sustainable bike parks throughout the world. And we haven't stopped. This year we have added four new Groove Approved venues to our dirt-filled quiver.

In the U.S., Kona has joined forces with the oldest bike park in the world - Mammoth, CA. Boasting 90 miles of trails, 3,000 feet of vert, guided bike tours and full rental bike service, Mammoth Bike Park is equipped for adventure in 2008. Offering riding for all ability levels, the new bike park also includes a shuttle, two gondolas and two chairlifts.

In addition, we have established three new European bike parks in Klappen, Sweden, Leysin, Switzerland and La Molina, Spain. Situated in the Pyrenees and developed by the Misser brothers, the La Molina bike park features a gondola, seven DH and XC trails boasting 2,000 feet of vert, four-star hotels and stellar rental bikes. This year, the resort will host the Open Bike Parks Pirineus and Territorio Hermida events.

With the grand ushering in of our proud new Kona Bike Parks, the sites
join an elite worldwide group that includes Bardonecchia, Italy; Canada Olympic Park, Canada; Verbier, Switzerland; Les Gets, France; Levi, Finland; Leogang, Austria; Snowshoe, USA; Mt. Buller, Australia; Tamarack, USA; Killington, USA; Livigno, Italy; Panorama, Canada; Gravity, Bolivia; Winter Park, USA; and Whistler.

And continuing where we left off last year, our rental bike fleets at both our Kona Groove Approved Bike Park and Kona Bike Park programs will feature a wide variety of Garbanzo bikes for the young and not-so-young. For those fearless mini-rippers who have endless energy and stay out from dawn til dusk, the programs offer the specifically-designed Garbanzo 2-4 and Shred 2-0. Older riders can saddle bikes like the Garbanzo Stinky SC, Garbanzo Supreme, Garbanzo Shred dirt jumper and the XC-slayer Garbanzo Dawg. Bikes will vary at each venue.

Within the last year, our Kona Groove Approved Bike Parks have been the sites for world-class competitions. Consisting of DH, XC, 4X and DJ areas, some of the comps included the Kona 24hr event (Levi); Out-of-Bounds Weekend and 26Trixs events (Leogang); Nissan Big Air (Livigno), Crankworx Colorado and Whistler, as well as numerous World Cup events. This year Nissan will be sponsoring our European Bike Parks and will assist with event support, trail signage and promotional items, and much more to help improve the riders experience. As always, officials from ALL Kona Bike Parks will meet once a year to discuss important topics such as Bike Park alliances, trail guidelines, marketing, and more to ensure the most consistent and best service possible.

For more info on Kona's Bike Parks, the Kona Groove Approved Bike Park program and individual parks can be found at www.konaworld.com and www.konabikeparks.com.