A couple weeks ago, Snow Summit announced the opening of their new jump trail, Blue Steel. As far as clever trail names go, Blue Steel was a triumph. Its reference to the cult classic film Zoolander communicates how fun and, honestly, kind of ridiculous it is that we’re taking chairlifts up mountains so we can ride sweet jumps. It’s also a genius name because Snow Summit’s Blue Steel is a blue trail. It’s where you start before moving on to bigger jump trails like Party Wave. And then there’s this blue steel we’re talking about today.
Photo Credit: Skye Schillhammer
Blue Steel was opened today at Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham, Washington. It was designed by Niko Vink and the corporate shredders at Transition Bikes. It resembles some of the event lines you see at the Fest Series or Audi Nines. It’s not quite that big, but it’s far bigger and more serious than what we’re used to seeing in a bike park.
Photo Credit: Skye Schillhammer
It’s also not a lift-access line. You walk back up like nature intended. Not only will that inspire a “session” atmosphere, with riders waiting at the top of the line until there’s nobody dropping in, and then it’s their turn. And other riders, pushing back up past the lines, turning their heads as their buddies are mid-run. This setup also means these jumps aren’t on the too-generous downhill slope that most park lines are on. In a way, the line is more BMX than MTB because speed is your friend, not your enemy. Knowing the people behind Blue Steel, it all probably lines up quite naturally. Get the first one, and you’ve got the rest.
Photo Credit: Skye Schillhammer
