West Dover, Vt. (May 20, 2013) – For the twenty seventh year Mount Snow will open for lift served downhill mountain biking starting this Friday, May 24 with nine different trails offering 1,200 feet of vertical excitement for bikers of all ability levels, not just experts. Newcomers to the sport can take advantage of the resort’s new First Lift learn-to downhill mountain bike program which utilizes Trail 7 – the East’s only lift served introductory downhill trail – and includes equipment rental, lift pass and ninety minutes of instruction.

Completed in July of 2012, Trail 7 was built with the goal of opening up the sport of downhill mountain biking to a much broader spectrum of bicyclists that might not have previously considered getting on a chairlift to access bike trails. It follows three miles of switchbacks and carefully constructed berms down the Main Face of Mount Snow with no more than a comfortable 12% grade the entire way allowing riders to easily control their speed.

“This will be the first full season that Trail 7 has been open top-to-bottom and we really want to start encouraging people to give downhill mountain biking a try. That’s why we’re offering the First Lift program to help guests get used letting gravity do the work,” said Erik Barnes, Mount Snow’s director of resort operations. “We’ve also been taking great care of the rugged, steep single track Mount Snow has always been known for so when we say we have terrain for ‘bikers of all ability levels’ we really do mean it.”

The bike shop at Mount Snow Sports at the Grand offers a top of the line rental fleet with everything from cross country to full suspension downhill bikes as well as a full selection of kids bikes. Helmets and body armor are also available to rent and the store also has a full selection of retail items
The Canyon Express lift will be open Friday through Sunday every weekend through Columbus Day with additional days scheduled throughout the summer including every Wednesday from June 5 through August 21.

For more information on mountain biking at Mount Snow, visit www.mountsnow.com/biking