In 1996, the Arizona Mountain Bike Points Series started what was thought would surely become a new tradition for the Southwest.There were several exciting race venues scheduled, but the grand-daddy of them all was the AMBA Finals held at Sunrise Park Resort.
1997 continued this tradition. With the MBAA State Championship Point Series Race Finals, Sunrise Park Resort has become the premier race venue for Arizona (after, of course, the Cactus Cup!).
The 1998 MBAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING SERIES Finals were run at Sunrise Park Resort.
Now the bad news, 1999 did not see the State Championship races at Sunrise.
However, there were THREE MBAA Downhill Mountain Bike Series races!
Not only that, the lifts will were open every weekend starting in late June and continuing in the to fall color season (October). If you were like me an bought a season's ski pass, it was good for the entire summer, too! (good thing. the snow was horrible!)
Just be sure to call ahead first - (800) 544-6835
Sunrise Park Resort is owned and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. It is located 4 hours from Phoenix, 4 hours from Tucson, 3.5 hours from Albuquerque, and 4 hours from Durango, CO. Mountain biking is new to the tribe, but they are excited and somewhat supportive about the possibilities. The park can be reached at:
(520) 735-7600 |
| TravelFile | OnTheSnow.com |
The tribe has a $240,000 grant to build a multiple-use trail from Pinetop to the park along the old logging railroad. Completion date is tentative (at best), but hope is it will be soon. This trail will include two new campgrounds along the trail (one full-service at McNary and one "primitive" along the way), as well as connecting to a third existing campground at the park. Total trail length will be about 25 miles. If you add in the White Mountain Trails System and the trails at the park, there will be literally hundreds of miles of developed trails in the area! However, much like when the hill is open, don't hold your breath!
The resort consists of three mountains, Sunrise Peak, Apache Peak, and Cyclone Circle (click here for a map). The resort opens lifts for mountain bikers to Sunrise Peak (elevation 10,700').
The Downhill courses are awesome. The start at the top of Sunrise Peak (elev. 10,700') and runs about 2.5 to 3 miles (rough guess)to the main lodge (elev. 9,100').
One is pro/expert and is truly a death-defying experience! The other is beginner/sport and is plenty challenging. Both have awesome tight single-track sections through the forest. If speed is what you're after, the "cat track" road is very fast.
There is some trail fine-tuning to be done, but it is getting better. For example, the pro/expert course has a section that drops steeply off some logs into a hard left turn. I've seen several bikers sample soil close up at that spot! Likewise, on the beginner/sport course, one of the woods sections has a couple of oblique approaches to the snow-making pipes. These are very slippery when wet and close up inspection of the iron is almost inevitable.
The pro/expert course is to the left toward Crown Dancer. The beginner/sport course is to the right down Spruce Ridge. The cat track can be accessed just off the beginner/sport course near the top of the mountain. Watch for flying DH'ers since the courses cross the road in several places.
Most of the ski runs are open to bikes, too. The problem is they are steeper than they look! There are some deep water bars cutting across most of the runs. If a vehicle has been on the hill, it can be fun. However, riding long grass and hitting a deep ditch in the middle of the hill can be quite challenging.
The Cross Country course was closed in 1999. Too bad - it was fun. You can still ride it, but it is not maintained. What it used to be:
The Cross Country course is a climber's delight. It consists of three loops which converge at the main lodge and total approximately 6.0 miles. Don't count out the miles until you've tried them!! Every year, there are several DNFs. Some are mechanical, but some are just plain oxygen-deprivation! The same course used for all of the 1996 and 1997 races.
The staging area and finish line is right in front of the main lodge. There was a fair amount of single track through the woods. There is over 1000' of elevation gain - 200 on the first loop, 300 on the second, and 500 on the third. The start was at 9100', and everything was up from there.
The first loop headed out along the side of the parking lot (sorta like the Cactus Cup course at West World), and went toward a second lodge at the bottom of a side basin. The entire first loop was on roads, so it was pretty fast and non-technical.
The course then heads up Pinedale for the first major climb of the day. The pack jambs up at the top of Pinedale as everyone jumps off their bikes to hike (which was really only 1/3 of the way up the climb!). The trail winds through the woods and up the slopes to it's base+300' crest. Some good downhill runs lead toward the "rock garden". This sadistic piece of work claimed its share of endos. It consists of a short run through a switchback of rocks interlaced with mud holes. Many choose to pick up their bike and run through this part.
A sharp right starts the third loop and it heads back up the mountain. There is some steady climbing to what appears to be the mid-point of the hill. Actually, it's closer to 1/3 the total height of the mountain.
The downhill stretch on the third loop is my favorite. It's somewhat technical, very fast, and has a good amount of single-track. There is one steep double-down section that attracts a lot of spectators. The only way to hit it is fast. The timid were doomed to fallure (no, that's not a mis-spelling). The bold can catch some way-cool air.
The slalom course is good too. It ends up going down the bunny slope, but that turns out to be plenty steep. The course is laid out on "virgin" grass and no pre-rides are allowed. The races are good with lots of crashes and several taco'ed wheels. A great place to watch is in the lodge - right next to the $1 beer!
The resort has full concessions (food, soft drinks, beer, etc.). There is lots of camping nearby. The tribe has a campground right at the hill, and there are several just a few minutes down the road run by the National Forest service. Water is available at most sites.
This is by far the best venue in Arizona, and according to some of the racers,one of the best (if not the best) in the country!
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