TRUCKEE, Calif. – April 17, 2012 – With the summer season quickly approaching, Northstar is gearing up for the mid-June opening of its popular mountain bike park, the return of instruction programs for those interested in getting into the sport or progressing their skills, and a calendar full of cross-country and downhill biking events.
The resort’s Ride 101 program is designed to introduce newcomers to the sport in a friendly, unintimidating way. Instructors focus on basic bike handling, cornering and braking. Bumps & Bends takes the instruction to the next level, teaching participants how to approach and maneuver through small jumps and berm turns with confidence. This season, Northstar will again offer introductory packages that combine a lesson with afternoon lift ticket and bike rental.
“We look forward to building on the success the Bike Academy has had over the past couple of years introducing newcomers to cross-country and downhill mountain biking,” said Andy Buckley, Director of Resort Skier Services at Northstar. “And, new this summer, we’ll also offer services out of our new Adventure, Guiding and Learning Center for those who want to have other experience in the North Lake Tahoe area including activities like paddle boarding on Lake Tahoe, taking a guide out on popular hiking and biking trails in the area and more.”
PRO & AMATEUR EVENTS SCHEDULED
In addition to the return of Northstar’s cross-country and downhill race series events, the summer season is already filling up with a variety of amateur, professional and signature biking events, including:
• Gene Hamilton BetterRide Downhill Mountain Bike Camps – June 29-July 1 and August 10-12
• Tahoe Trail 100 (qualifying event for the Leadville 100) – July 20-22
• Pro Gravity Tour – August 3-5
• Tara Llanes Classic – September 28-30
The resort’s Downhill Mountain Bike Race Series will kick off July 8 with the first of eight events, and the Thursday night Cross-Country Race Series will begin July 12, also featuring eight races. For the complete summer event schedule, visit www.NorthstarCalifornia.com.
OPERATING HOURS
Northstar’s Mountain Bike and Hike Park, the largest lift-served bike park in Northern California, is scheduled to open Friday, June 15, 2011, weather and conditions permitting, and will be open Friday through Sunday until July 1 when it will be open daily until August 19. Following that, the park will resume Friday through Sunday operations until October 7. Operating hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays until Labor Day. The park will be closed September 22 and 23 for the Tough Mudder event.
Helmets are required for all riders and can be rented along with bikes and other equipment at the resort or online in advance. In addition, all rentals will come standard with a full face helmet and gloves.
A lift ticket or season pass is required for lift access. Daily lift tickets will be available for purchase for $46. For those who want to ride all season, Mountain Bike Park season passes are available now for $309 and can be purchased at the Tickets & Season Pass office in the Village at Northstar, by calling 1.800.466.6784, or online at www.NorthstarCalifornia.com through the last day of Sea Otter, April 22. After that, season passes will be available for $329.
With the opening of the Mountain Bike Park, Northstar will also resume its popular scenic chairlift rides for sightseeing and hiking. Daily tickets will be available for purchase in the Village at Northstar at the Tickets & Season Pass office. Lifts will operate for scenic lift rides and hiking during the same hours of operation as the Mountain Bike Park.
For more information about the Northstar Mountain Bike and Hiking Park, visit www.NorthstarCalifornia.com or call 1.800.GO.NORTH (466.6784). Summer lodging packages start at $50 per person, per night. Some restrictions apply. Reserve lodging online or call 1.800.GO.NORTH for more information.
About Northstar California Resort
One of the finest year-round mountain resorts in North America, Northstar is host to a base area village featuring unique shops and restaurants, a conference center, 9,000 square foot outdoor skating rink, movie theaters, on-site lodging, special events and more. A winter sport enthusiast’s paradise, Northstar offers 97 ski trails spread across 3,170 acres, award-winning terrain parks and snow sports including alpine and Telemark skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. Summer activities include mountain biking, golfing, scenic lift rides for sightseeing and hiking, fly-fishing and more.
Northstar is located on Highway 267, just six miles north of Lake Tahoe and six miles south of downtown Truckee. For more information, call 1.800.GO.NORTH (1.800.466.6784) or visit www.NorthstarCalifornia.com.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar California in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort property and hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
Contact(s)
Jess VanPernis
(530) 562-3866
jvanpernis@vailresorts.com
Taryn Holstrom
(530) 562-8036
tholstrom@vailresorts.com