Trestle Bike Park

Don’t rent here if you’re big or tall. Lots of bikes that afternoon, none were extra large and they were very good at telling me my bike was big enough. As a result I could neve sit down on my seat. Additionally they insist on so much safety equipment… we were the most protected riders on the hill. The private guide/​lesson was a plus but the ill-​fitting equipment ruined the experience and drained my wallet. Wiser now.

This place is hands-​down number one! In addition to killer trails, the staff is too notch and extremely friendly. If you downhill, come here ASAP!

Great people, great equipment and great downhill trails to fly down. One of my top 3 all time fav sports.

Tried downhill mountain biking at Trestle last week. I bike, but have never done any serious mountain biking. If ya want a pro’s review, go look in some real mtb forums. If you’re a curious Unilocaler, read on…
It was a blast! Two of us went, and took full advantage of the website coupon (must print out ahead of time!) for 2-​for-​1 Wednesdays. Two of us got bikes, gear (inc. spiffy full-​face helmets, armor-​plated shirts, knee-​and-​shin guards and gloves) and a lesson for $ 120. Oh, plus a lift ticket.
Now, I almost never do lessons. I hate the group thing, I hate waiting for others to flail, I hate others watching me flail… but am I glad the guys at the rental place unabashedly pressured us into it. My wife, far smarter than me, wanted to do the lesson. «But the lesson is only 3.5 hours, and if we get the package with the lift ticket instead, we can ride all day!» I whined. Still, there was a lot of pressure. Good thing I caved.
John could’ve been my son, but was super-​patient with two forty-​something ladies as he drew the short stick and was assigned to teach the two of us. We did know which brake controls the rear wheel (right, here in the US) and that is the good one to use… if you wind up using the left brake hard you will throw yourself off your bike. Anyhoo, John grabbed us and our bikes and took us up the lift to the top. The lift was a bit difficult at first – you load your bikes onto a rack (it moves fast) and then you catch the seat behind it. Lucky, John was there to save me the first time. By the end of the day I got it…
The lesson was a lot of fun. We started out on a baby hill, learning the ‘stance’ and how to ‘angulate’. Downhill biking is different – you don’t corner much like a road bike at all, you keep most of your weight on the front tire, and you stand on the pedals most of the time with your feet level, letting gravity do the work. John spent time making sure we got the basics, then down trail we went…
WHEE!!! Not pedaling is fun! We took Green World (Road?) a lot. Easy, mostly wide, and some initially scary berms that we soon learned to take pretty fast! The bikes will roll over most anything. John was forever patient with us, even telling us «Good Job!» when we screwed up the tight-​turny singletrack he took us on. He said we could ride any blues or greens on the mountain, but as first-​timers, the greens were more fun (less technical, more swoopy). And swoopy it was. Lots of fun to just control your ride down the mountain, trust the bike, and look like a badass. Oh, and we felt like we were having more fun that the poor folks who didn’t have a clue, were sitting on their saddles trying to ride down the mountain… would’ve been us if we hadn’t taken a lesson.
Overall, great, not scary for anyone who can control a bike & who is a bit adventurous, and bonus to the guys who let us keep the bikes past lesson-​time for one more ride up the mountain. We were pretty tired, but grateful! Good business move, we will be back! Yes, expect to be scared when you’re riding up the lift (no snow! Weird! Uhh, what did we get ourselves into, I’m dressed like a gladiator!) but after the first ten minutes you’ll be fine. Have fun!