Arrowhead Trails - Bike Parks and Pump Tracks
In just a few years, hundreds of pump tracks and bike parks have sprung up in communities around the world.Cyclists of all ages and abilities are “getting their pump on”.
Numerous Colorado communities have already built pump tracks and/or bike parks including: Gunnison, Crested Butte, Del Norte, Lyons, Ft. Collins, Eagle, Leadville, Snowmass, Keystone, Colorado Springs, Telluride, Winter Park, and right here in the Upper Arkansas River Valley. Salida, Poncha Springs and Buena Vista have public pump track projects in progress, and are actively seeking volunteers and funding for summer plans.
"Pump track mania is sweeping the globe. Mountain bikers everywhere are building endless loops of rollers and berms, and the riders are getting smoother, fitter and faster” states Lee McCormick, author of “Welcome to Pump Track Nation” published on-line in 2006.
The popularity of “pumping” highlights its inherent ability to offer an incredible cardiovascular and core body workout in an extremely short time. It rapidly develops and hones biking skills for all fitness and skill levels; whether you’re a five-year old kid pedaling thru the rollers or you just won the 2009 Pump Track World Championship in Australia, and a top-ranked downhill racer.
In our never ending fight against obesity and our pursuit of “quality of life”, we now have another tool. Pump tracks and bike parks are inexpensive to build, easy to maintain, expose less liability and serve a larger slice of communities than golf courses, health clubs or pools. Did I mention they are almost always free to use, like skatepark’s or your neighborhood, “daily” walking path.
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Pump tracks are unique trails carefully design to allow riders to maintain and increase their speed by strategically weighting and un weighting their bikes through turns, dips and hills. They require very accurate and careful construction to allow the unique pumping action to work properly. When done well, a rider can complete many laps with little or no pedaling. See the Arrowhead Trails Pump Track Construction slideshow highlights.
Town of Breckenridge, Colorado, Pump Track
Arrowhead Trails was pleased to accept the invitation from the Town of Breckenridge to consult and work with Breck’s exceptional in-house trail crew in the re-design and re-construction of the town’s existing pump track. The scope of the project was to add on roughly 300 feet of new track while incorporating the existing pumptrack features that locals had been enjoying for years. The project was a success and the Town of Breckenridge had a nice new track to enjoy within a week’s time! See the Breckenridge Pump Track Project Page.
Private Landowner Pump Track – Salida, Colorado
Arrowhead Trails has been very lucky to have the pleasure to work with a local private client here in Salida in the design and construction of a massive backyard pump track. The intermediate level track is over an 1/8 of a mile in length and incorporates 2 - 180* berms, 7 - 90* berms, 5 half-berms, and over 40 rollers! Salida Pump Track details.
The Link School, Buena Vista, Colorado
Arrowhead Trails, Inc. was approached by the Link School in Buena Vista, owned and operated by Bobby Lewis, the creator of the outdoor oriented alternative high school, to design and build a bicycle pump track as an alternative learning activity with the students.
The students were eager participants to the challenge. ATI composed a design and directed the students enthusiasm in the realm of moving, shaping, and creating earthen structures including rhythmic gravity flow sections and a series of berms, jumps, and log trestles for the kids to increase their mountain bike riding skills.
Arrowhead Trails, Inc. employees were impressed by the teenager’s attitudes and work ethics as they creating a piece of riding art the summer of 2010. Their eagerness to learn new skills and provide labor to the project was an inspiring experience for all of us. See the Link School Pump Track slideshow
Town of Salida, Colorado, Pump Track
The Salida Pump Track was Arrowhead’s forth pump track to build. The planning effort was coordinated by the Salida Mountain Trails Organization, and incorporated a beginner loop, an intermediate loop, and an advanced loop. This was truly a community project with multiple locals donating in-kind services. Dirt was donated by local Dentist, Brent Sites, dirt hauling services was donated by Diesslin Structures, and Arrowhead provided the construction of the pump track.
May 2010 - Homerun Pump Track - Salida, CO |
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Private Landowner - Pumpanhoot Pump Track – Salida, Colorado
The Pumpanhoot Pump Track was Arrowhead’s third Pump Track to build and we were fortunate enough to work with a local private landowner who happened to have ample space for a giant track, not to mention free dirt! And lots of it! The Pumpanhoot track has received lots of use and positive feedback as it hosts the local high school mountain bike team on a regular basis allowing them to hone in their skillset to better attack the trails come race time!
April 2010 -
Pumpanhoot, Salida, CO
Private Landowner – Absolute Pump Track – Salida, Colorado
A very fun, and truly a backyard project, this local back yard bike park was a blast to dream up and create. The client had numerous things/objects in the backyard that he asked us to incorporate into technical skills features if possible. We gladly agreed and managed to use odds and ends to create skinnies and ladders that weaved in and around a nice M-shaped pump track, and a beginner dirt jump line. The result was a backyard that could keep any mountain biker busy for hours.
November 2009 -
Absolute Bike Park -
Salida, Colorado
Private Landowner – Pump Farm Pump Track – Salida, Colorado
The Pump Farm Pump Track was Arrowhead’s first attempt at building a Pump Track and fortunate for us, Anton van Leuken, owner of Salida Bike Shop, donated his back yard to the experiment. Due to a limited budget, we opted out of buying and importing dirt and instead decided to dig the track into the ground via a mini-excavator. Call it beginner’s luck, but this track came out fast and well-liked by everyone who has ridden it. Since its initial construction, Anton, friends, and family have poured even more love into it, tweaking it to perfection.
December 2009 -
2009 World Pump Track Champion Mick Hannah Training Session -
Pump Farm, Salida, CO
“For a family who loves riding bikes, having Arrowhead Trails build a pump track in our backyard was a dream come true. Arrowhead trails did a superb job of laying out, excavating and sculpting the track. The pump track is simple to ride, exhilarating, and a great workout. We've found it to be accessible to all skill levels since it can be ridden at any speed. We've had everyone we know, from young kids to decades-long mountain bikers ride the pump track, and they all love it. The more we ride it, the better our bike handling skills have become, so that pumping the bike over rollers instead of pedaling, and cornering through bermed turns has become a fluid and fast, super fun, endurance challenge. Anyone who can pedal a bike will have fun riding a pump track. As parents, we strongly believe that every town should have one in their park alongside the swing sets and basketball courts.”
Amber, Anton & Ava van Leuken
Salida, Colorado October 2009