All I can say is Wheeeeeee! My word to describe the experience I had riding the Coast Gravity Park for the first time ever! And I think those of you who have done it too would probably concur.
That’s right, the Sunshine Coast has a brand new bike park.
The Coast Gravity Park is the first of its kind and located just above East Porpoise Bay. The park has been officially open since May, and since then, riders from all over the world have been experiencing these unique machine-groomed trails carved through oceanfront rainforest.
I was fortunate to ride it with some 25 local females ranging in age from 29 to 59. Some were veterans out to shred, while others, like me were Coast Gravity Park first timers.
Now, those of you who ride with me know I am a cautious rider. I rarely crash (gingerly knocking on wood now) and I won’t ride things I am not comfortable with, so to say I approached this night with some trepidation would be accurate — excited trepidation.
In the end hoots, hollers and high fives filled the mountain air. Regardless of ability, there was something for everyone to ride in this special pristine wilderness. Knowing that our very own Coastal Crew designed and built these gorgeous trails overlooking the Sechelt Inlet and beyond made me even more excited to be there.
There is a reason why people from all over the globe come to ride the best dirt in the world. In our bike shop, tourists from Australia to Iceland are raving about some of the best downhill mountain biking they have ever done…right here in our own backyard.
Whether you ride it or not, one thing is clear, the Coast Gravity Park is a gem, a special place that is showcasing another piece of our paradise, the place where we call home.
Until next time, see you out there!
Editor’s note: Lydia Watson’s column appears monthly in Coast Reporter. She handles marketing and outreach programs for Off the Edge Bike shop in Sechelt and is the convenor of the highly successful mountain bike operations program at Capilano University.
