Big White Ski Resort is opening for the summer this weekend.
Vice President Michael Ballingall says it’s the third season the mountain will be open for the summer, but the first with downhill mountain biking available.
“Mountain biking is becoming a much more popular sport among men under 35 and of course when you start to look at that age demographic and who’s coming to the alpine, we at Big White Ski Resort thought we would get into the mountain biking business.”
He says they've been developing trails since April but because some parts of the alpine still have about a metre of snow, downhill mountain biking won't be available until August 4.
Alpine Bike Company out of Whistler has been designing the trails.
“They’re day in and day out, boys and girls up in the alpine with Tonka Toys, moving rocks around, blowing up rocks and making trails that are family sized trails,” says Ballingall “so these are wide trials, groomed run, that the whole family can enjoy.”
Ballingal says while mountain biking won’t be available just yet when they open on Friday, most of their other summer activities will be.