This makes me so sad. The wife & I loved the bike park at Blue so much. It's a real shame that they had to close it down. If it wasn't for blue, we might have never gotten to where we are now. Michigan didn't have the kind of trails we were looking for when we first started riding, so we often drove out to Blue a couple times a month during the warmer months.
And now, Horseshoe Valley outshines Blue Mountain in every way in the summer. So if you're looking for an adventure park in Ontario, Horseshoe Valley is the clear choice!
Thanks for putting this together. To this day I get people asking to bike there. Shame how it went down, I was going to go for the first time the year it shut down so I needed this video.
If it gives you any hope we still have the bike lift racks in storage. I've been at blue for 7yrs and i still hope the bring back DH biking, Seeing a dedicated and loyal community pretty much be forgotten is heartbreaking
Thanks for posting this! Great job explaining the whole situation. I miss this place, especially as an early rider at the resort from the late 90's. Watching it grow into what it became before the 2007 injury and 2012 injury, and watching it fall was something else. Now we are forced go to Quebec or the States for actual lift access downhill, which is unfortunate. Or if you want to play in the sand and wait in line for a lift that would be faster to hike for a 60 second rush, you can visit Horseshoe. Great place, great staff, great build team, but just not enough elevation or correct soil conditions for us dh folks. I'm glad it was here to pick up the slack and the inspiration it gives new riders to the spot, though! I miss the days when Horseshoe was the option to ride when it was raining at Blue as the conditions at horseshoe are only decent during or immediately after rain.
MR Dan Skelton stating that one mid winter Saturday of skiing business is about the same as an entire summer of biking business is total bullshit. Anyways why get rid of Lift access downhill riding all together I mean they could have just reduced the amount of trails and just had like 2 greens 2 blues 2 blacks and a jump line and still catered more to nature and hiking trails and other activities. The mountain is huge even if it’s not a big money maker I don’t see why you gotta upset a large community and get rid of it. They could have even put up a second lift or something strictly for bikes. Money motivated man that’s whack. I bet one day the trails will return though.
I guess Skelton never heard of ebikes. Whatever his public reason, COVID was just an excuse to shut down the park. The real reason is likely risk management and liability from some lawyers kids on the trails. Ontario used to be a great place to live, it's thoroughly ruined.
and he based his numbers on what was happening during the worst 2 years for any tourism and hospitality business. And I know they weren't doing that great with skiing during those 2 years, either. This decision was about corporate greed - whether BM ownership or their insurance company.
I understand their point view but they have start something that whole family can bike facility I would love to bike their with my 8 years old son. Thanks for Video.
Hopefully things change in the future. I have a hard time understanding the revenue logic when Horseshoe and Sir Sams are able to make something of it. Especially when Horseshoe keeps investing more each year. Blue could charge a lot more for passes, I would still pay
Makes you wonder if biking in Ontario isn't all there or if the people taking care of Blue Mountain really failed to attract bikers. Mountain biking surged right when they shut down and every bike parcs in Quebec are doing great.
The terrain at Blue Mountain, Horseshoe or anywhere in Ontario doesn't come close to what Quebec has. It also gets expensive and time consuming making a 4h round trip every weekend and paying for a lift ticket when there are arguably better trails very close by that are free to ride.
Blue is more worried about packing their restaurants and shops… it’s more of a business section than anything else… Great place to be if you want to spend money on booze and food… not the place to be if you want to get steezy on the slopes!
Yeah well Blue Mountain was never Whistler and could never be Mount St Anne. However, downhill riding is a modernist version of mountain biking where mountain biking was about ascent and descent.
A shame, but for better or worse, if the business doesn't sustain itself then it's hard to justify keeping it going. Some of the smaller ski areas near me came to similar conclusions. In one case, the trails are on public land, so a group of bikers continues to maintain the trails and it's not a huge mtn (a hill, really...) and there is a relatively easy climbing path to the top. It would be perfect for e-bikes. The other area opens occasionally for XC and enduro races. Fortunately, the two ski areas within an easy drive from my house seem to be fairly stable and do a decent business. It helps that the biking season near me (PA/NJ, USA) is much longer than the ski season.
Yeah, I'm hopeful that the rise of mountain biking will continue to push ski hills to open more bike parks. Do you ride at Mountain Creek NJ? I was there in September, and it was an absolute blast. But, it was fairly empty. There were maybe 20 riders at the park for the whole day.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff yes, I ride a Creek with some frequency. The crowds there ebb and flow. Last weekend it was mobbed. Partly because of a race and partly due to late season FOMO. I believe Mtn Creek sells a lot of season passes, which helps offset the occasional slow weekend.
Odd that. In New Zealand, Mountain Biking is the biggest thing at the moment as it is one of the easiest things to keep social distancing in... (Very hard to ride within 2 meters of another rider, and the clientele generally don't ride when they have a 'Cold' keeping the spreaders away.). Luckily in NZ we don't have a 'Suing' society so one person that decides to do something above their skills doesn't ruin the whole business for everyone... oooo My coffee was too hot, give me a million dollars!... Coffee is boiling.. get a clue! Something were missing here in Wellington, And a lot of parks seem to miss this... is a long slow technical.. Something with a shallow fall so not a lot of uphill but not exhausting so you can focus on a lot of littls drops and rocks and narrows etc... but not above the common riders skill... (it seems you have to be a Black trail G4 rider (NZ terms) to enjoy most skill trails... G3 general population are not allowed anything other than fast flow or XC tracks with all the features removed. (The local tech train (Wellington's Makara Peak 'North Face' just got revamped, and they removed all the tech, turning it into a fast g3 instead of a tech G4... ok more can ride it now... but now there is NO other track like it... Progress I guess.). Luckily Wellington is made of hills and there are tracks everywhere....
@@DrunkAndPissedOff We managed to keep covid out.. until they decided opening the doors to Australian tourists while they had Covid outbreaks was a good idea... Luckily we kept covid in Auckland... until Aucklanders decided stuff the rest of us and broke out (Mainly the druggies.. and they refused to help with tracing...) But that gave us time for everyone to get the Vaccine... well 90%... Which leaves the last 10% that refuse to get the vacine because the Sasquach Aliens would inject them with a chip... but that works out because come Xmas they'll open the doors to Auckland so all those unvaccinated conspiracy theorists will get covid... and solve a LOT of problems.. And that will allow us to open the borders to the rest of the world... and your IN. And NZ will be an even better place as Covid is weeding out the nuts... wait... aren't I nuts?... q8D
Ontario has been taken over by land developers and corrupt governments trying to make a quick buck. I knew it was doomed when Interwest invested there.
The DH trails are not maintained. I rode a few of them-they are not safe in my opinion. It was completely overgrown with no signage. The XC trails are open if you buy a day pass, however.
They should just open it for anyone, whoever wants to go can go, but it aint there responsibility. I mean its just a dirt path on the earth, why cant we just access this dirt path?
Yeah, they were selling fully built downhill bikes (Trek Session) for $500. Sadly, they offered them first to staff members. So, staff bought and flipped all of them.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff no way! I hate when companies back door stuff like that. No bikes available now? I work in Collingwood daily so I might stop by their shop to investigate!
When I got there, the inventory had been picked through. I cleaned out all of their Maxxis tires, handlebars, and other parts that I thought were flippable. There were a bunch of chainrings available, along with used kneepads and body armour for $10. You should definitely call the shop and ask for Taylor (the shop manager). They have some road bike tires at 80% off. I don't know road bikes, but I think they would make a good flip.
This makes me so sad. The wife & I loved the bike park at Blue so much. It's a real shame that they had to close it down. If it wasn't for blue, we might have never gotten to where we are now. Michigan didn't have the kind of trails we were looking for when we first started riding, so we often drove out to Blue a couple times a month during the warmer months.
And now, Horseshoe Valley outshines Blue Mountain in every way in the summer. So if you're looking for an adventure park in Ontario, Horseshoe Valley is the clear choice!
Thanks for putting this together. To this day I get people asking to bike there. Shame how it went down, I was going to go for the first time the year it shut down so I needed this video.
its sad that there is less and less dh riding in ontario, horseshoe is all that is left.
It’s a damned shame 😪
@@nathan42694 Oh, really? What's the bike park called?
what ever happened to Kelso/Glen Eden?
and horseshoe builds their trails with sand.
Im from kamloops bc and moved to toronto for college, so sad theres no decent freeride trail here
Whoever sued Blue Mountain sucks
If it gives you any hope we still have the bike lift racks in storage. I've been at blue for 7yrs and i still hope the bring back DH biking, Seeing a dedicated and loyal community pretty much be forgotten is heartbreaking
I'll bet they stay in storage until they are rusted and no good for anything.
Thanks for posting this! Great job explaining the whole situation. I miss this place, especially as an early rider at the resort from the late 90's. Watching it grow into what it became before the 2007 injury and 2012 injury, and watching it fall was something else. Now we are forced go to Quebec or the States for actual lift access downhill, which is unfortunate.
Or if you want to play in the sand and wait in line for a lift that would be faster to hike for a 60 second rush, you can visit Horseshoe. Great place, great staff, great build team, but just not enough elevation or correct soil conditions for us dh folks. I'm glad it was here to pick up the slack and the inspiration it gives new riders to the spot, though! I miss the days when Horseshoe was the option to ride when it was raining at Blue as the conditions at horseshoe are only decent during or immediately after rain.
MR Dan Skelton stating that one mid winter Saturday of skiing business is about the same as an entire summer of biking business is total bullshit. Anyways why get rid of Lift access downhill riding all together I mean they could have just reduced the amount of trails and just had like 2 greens 2 blues 2 blacks and a jump line and still catered more to nature and hiking trails and other activities. The mountain is huge even if it’s not a big money maker I don’t see why you gotta upset a large community and get rid of it. They could have even put up a second lift or something strictly for bikes. Money motivated man that’s whack. I bet one day the trails will return though.
I guess Skelton never heard of ebikes. Whatever his public reason, COVID was just an excuse to shut down the park. The real reason is likely risk management and liability from some lawyers kids on the trails. Ontario used to be a great place to live, it's thoroughly ruined.
and he based his numbers on what was happening during the worst 2 years for any tourism and hospitality business. And I know they weren't doing that great with skiing during those 2 years, either. This decision was about corporate greed - whether BM ownership or their insurance company.
Go to Hardwood Hills....get the cardio in..... greater variety of trails from beginner to professional
I understand their point view but they have start something that whole family can bike facility I would love to bike their with my 8 years old son. Thanks for Video.
Obvious they don't care about anything other than large profit. I won't be going there winter, spring, summer or fall.
30 seconds decents... sounds a lot like Horseshoe. I miss riding at Blue..
Long live the shoe
Kolapore is also close.
The yeah I bought a proper mountain bike for the first time blue closed 😢
Same
So...what happened to the riders in those respective years? 2007/2012? Fatality? Disability? Never got a chance to ride Blue, just Horseshoe.
Iree mon. Perhaps it best you all be comin down here in Jamaica. We have it the most wonderful bicycle trails here mon.
Hopefully things change in the future. I have a hard time understanding the revenue logic when Horseshoe and Sir Sams are able to make something of it. Especially when Horseshoe keeps investing more each year. Blue could charge a lot more for passes, I would still pay
Makes you wonder if biking in Ontario isn't all there or if the people taking care of Blue Mountain really failed to attract bikers. Mountain biking surged right when they shut down and every bike parcs in Quebec are doing great.
The terrain at Blue Mountain, Horseshoe or anywhere in Ontario doesn't come close to what Quebec has. It also gets expensive and time consuming making a 4h round trip every weekend and paying for a lift ticket when there are arguably better trails very close by that are free to ride.
Blue is more worried about packing their restaurants and shops… it’s more of a business section than anything else…
Great place to be if you want to spend money on booze and food… not the place to be if you want to get steezy on the slopes!
Yeah well Blue Mountain was never Whistler and could never be Mount St Anne. However, downhill riding is a modernist version of mountain biking where mountain biking was about ascent and descent.
@@kb2491mountain bikers don't consume all day. It's just another US style resort area for wealthy fat people.
A shame, but for better or worse, if the business doesn't sustain itself then it's hard to justify keeping it going. Some of the smaller ski areas near me came to similar conclusions. In one case, the trails are on public land, so a group of bikers continues to maintain the trails and it's not a huge mtn (a hill, really...) and there is a relatively easy climbing path to the top. It would be perfect for e-bikes. The other area opens occasionally for XC and enduro races. Fortunately, the two ski areas within an easy drive from my house seem to be fairly stable and do a decent business. It helps that the biking season near me (PA/NJ, USA) is much longer than the ski season.
Yeah, I'm hopeful that the rise of mountain biking will continue to push ski hills to open more bike parks. Do you ride at Mountain Creek NJ? I was there in September, and it was an absolute blast. But, it was fairly empty. There were maybe 20 riders at the park for the whole day.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff yes, I ride a Creek with some frequency. The crowds there ebb and flow. Last weekend it was mobbed. Partly because of a race and partly due to late season FOMO. I believe Mtn Creek sells a lot of season passes, which helps offset the occasional slow weekend.
This is sad but also strange since Blue Mountain and Horseshoe Valley are owned by the same company.
I don't think that Alterra owns Horseshoe.
That whole area sucks now…. Head west people!
I used to live there but it is so overcrowded with too many rules and regulations, the waterfront has been decimated as well.
Odd that. In New Zealand, Mountain Biking is the biggest thing at the moment as it is one of the easiest things to keep social distancing in... (Very hard to ride within 2 meters of another rider, and the clientele generally don't ride when they have a 'Cold' keeping the spreaders away.).
Luckily in NZ we don't have a 'Suing' society so one person that decides to do something above their skills doesn't ruin the whole business for everyone... oooo My coffee was too hot, give me a million dollars!... Coffee is boiling.. get a clue!
Something were missing here in Wellington, And a lot of parks seem to miss this... is a long slow technical..
Something with a shallow fall so not a lot of uphill but not exhausting so you can focus on a lot of littls drops and rocks and narrows etc... but not above the common riders skill... (it seems you have to be a Black trail G4 rider (NZ terms) to enjoy most skill trails... G3 general population are not allowed anything other than fast flow or XC tracks with all the features removed.
(The local tech train (Wellington's Makara Peak 'North Face' just got revamped, and they removed all the tech, turning it into a fast g3 instead of a tech G4... ok more can ride it now... but now there is NO other track like it... Progress I guess.).
Luckily Wellington is made of hills and there are tracks everywhere....
Sounds like I need to visit NZ!
@@DrunkAndPissedOff We managed to keep covid out.. until they decided opening the doors to Australian tourists while they had Covid outbreaks was a good idea... Luckily we kept covid in Auckland... until Aucklanders decided stuff the rest of us and broke out (Mainly the druggies.. and they refused to help with tracing...)
But that gave us time for everyone to get the Vaccine... well 90%...
Which leaves the last 10% that refuse to get the vacine because the Sasquach Aliens would inject them with a chip...
but that works out because come Xmas they'll open the doors to Auckland so all those unvaccinated conspiracy theorists will get covid... and solve a LOT of problems.. And that will allow us to open the borders to the rest of the world... and your IN.
And NZ will be an even better place as Covid is weeding out the nuts...
wait...
aren't I nuts?...
q8D
@@TheButlerNZ We're all a bunch of Monkeys. Nobody knows what they're doing.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff I used to know what I was doing but I sat down and waited for that feeling to subside.
Ontario has been taken over by land developers and corrupt governments trying to make a quick buck. I knew it was doomed when Interwest invested there.
can we still go and ride the trails without the gondolas ? or is it completely shut down ?
The DH trails are not maintained. I rode a few of them-they are not safe in my opinion. It was completely overgrown with no signage. The XC trails are open if you buy a day pass, however.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff that's just so sad man!! thank you for the response tho
They should just open it for anyone, whoever wants to go can go, but it aint there responsibility. I mean its just a dirt path on the earth, why cant we just access this dirt path?
Deep
Were they selling bikes?
Yeah, they were selling fully built downhill bikes (Trek Session) for $500. Sadly, they offered them first to staff members. So, staff bought and flipped all of them.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff no way! I hate when companies back door stuff like that. No bikes available now? I work in Collingwood daily so I might stop by their shop to investigate!
When I got there, the inventory had been picked through. I cleaned out all of their Maxxis tires, handlebars, and other parts that I thought were flippable. There were a bunch of chainrings available, along with used kneepads and body armour for $10. You should definitely call the shop and ask for Taylor (the shop manager). They have some road bike tires at 80% off. I don't know road bikes, but I think they would make a good flip.
blue mountan pa?
No, this is Blue Mountain Ontario
Blue mountain pa is doing very well
Anybody know the status of the trails now going up there soon
The XC trails are okay! They're mixed-use and quite short, however. I recommend visiting 3 stage, 20 minutes away for amazing MTB trails.
@@DrunkAndPissedOff yea that’s my plan but still gonna check them out