Rapid Fire: Mike Montgomery at Highland Training Center – More Mountain Bike Videos

Highland Mountain Bike Park opened for the season and was blessed with gorgeous weather all weekend! The weekend was filled with fun events as Aaron Chase and Mike Montgomery were on hand for free Ayr Academy coaching on the trails and at the Ayr Bag. One Industries also sponsored a mountain-wide scavenger hunt as clues were given out via Instagram, capped off with the top prize of a full One Industries kit given to the rider with the strongest throwing arm as participants hurled a pair of knee pads for top speed!

Opening Day Photo Gallery

Thank you pass holders for joining us to shred in the sun at Highland Mountain Bike Park. Congratulations to Pat and Eric who got first chair and first runs of the 2013 season! It was the perfect way to kick off an exciting season, and we are stoked to share the mountain with all our riders all season long!

Whether you’re in the market for a new ride or just interested to checkout the latest and greatest bikes; the Highland Demo Center will be your one stop shop!

Highland will have over 80 bikes available to demo and/or rent for the day- riders will have the opportunity to try out a number of different bikes in a day to assist them in making the tough decision of what to purchase! Highland has also partnered with a number of dealers/retailers along the East Coast who will support the program in store by giving consumers discounts on purchase when they show their Highland Demo Center receipt.

Furthermore, purchase a bike at a participating dealer and receive free lift access to Highland; anywhere from a free day ticket to a 3 Ride Card depending on the price of the bike.

Highland owner, Mark Hayes explains the vision behind the Demo Center; “When I bought my first mountain bike I did a test ride around the dealer parking lot then crossed my fingers and hoped for the best on the trails. The idea of actually being able to test a bike on terrain the bike was designed for was not an option. Now thanks to a partnership with some key dealers and manufacturers riders can take the guesswork out of the bike buying process. The Highland Demo Center program is the perfect addition for today’s bike customer and it’s great that our partners were able to step up to make it happen for 2013!”

Highland Mountain opens for the season on Wednesday May 1st for Season Pass Holders and to everyone on Thursday May 2nd! Come ride America’s Bike Park!

View the Demo Center’s bikes >>

Another epic Highland Mountain Bike Park season is in the history books!

Jean jacket? Check. Mullet wig? Check. Pink tiger print sweat pants? Check. It’s S’Ender Bash time baby!

The season ender celebration began well before the lifts made their last revolution ’round the bull wheel for 2012. As the lift line waned and the bar began to fill the Highland Trail Crew set out on their annual season ending mission. Clad in costumes and mounted atop classic clunker bikes, the Crew made their final pilgrimage down the hill. With Slim in the lead they trundled down Happy Hour. Cheers erupted from spectators riding the chair lift above. The S’ender Bash had officially begun.

Inside the Highland Base lodge the crowd was ramping up. Some solid videos entries were submitted to the 2012 VitalMTB S’Ender video contest but none whipped the crowd into a fever pitch like George Ryan’s epic edit “Pursuit of Happiness.” A home spun vid, “Pursuit” highlighted George and friends (Aaron Chase and Adam Hauck to name a few) raging around the east from Jersey to Highland. George walked away $500 richer with the first place entry, promptly spending it on $3 drafts.

“Cop Outs, Cop Outs, Cop Outs!”

The crowd was ready for more stimulation in the form of some wholesome punk rock music and Highland’s resident rockers The Cop Outs were happy to oblige. By the end of their third song the mosh pit was turbulent. Those unwilling to swim the stage-front sea of writhing bodies sought refuge at the far end of the lodge near the tattoo parlor.

“Tattoos?” You ask.

Flipping right, Highland had arranged a Tattoo parlor to be set up on the lodge’s porch and the artists put ink to dermis all night long.

By the time the band had finished their best rendition of “Bro Hymn” to date, not one but two people had gotten Highland H logo tattoos!

Where else in the world can one go to ride a classic Schwinn cruiser down a mountain, watch some vids, win five hundred bucks, mosh your face off, pound Peebers, and get a bad ass tattoo?

See you in 2013 my Highlanders.

-Ryan Thibault

From FMBA World Tour Spring Training, to the MTB Grand Prix and Claymore Challenge midsummer, and the Battle of Hellion just a few weeks ago, it’s been a season for the record books. Everyone from pro freeriders and racers to the next generation of lil’ rippers have been coming out to the park and putting their tires in the Highland dirt, with huge grins and high fives following. Who can forget the viral video of 4yr old Malcolm shredding Hellion?

Our Highland Camps programs helped lots of riders reach the next level, or just get stoked on getting some air and hitting berms for the first time. The Ayr Academy Sessions continued to be the place to be for young riders looking to get some coaching from and shred time with pros, and of course to have a ton of fun! And lets not forget the new for 2012 Ayr Bag, the best way to go big and progress your skills in the east!

Next season is shaping up to be bigger and badder than ever with trail projects and many high amplitude events planned. Like the work so far on NE Style? It’s just the beginning… The classic trail’s re-charged and re-booted grand opening will be an early season highlight that’s not to be missed. Make sure to get to the park and be among the first to hit the roller-coaster like feature now named “Skybrow“. The Claymore Challenge will return again as a stop on the FMBA World Tour, with the world’s best riders throwing down their biggest tricks to progress the sport and win the coveted Claymore Sword. Can Brandon Semenuk win again!!? We’re honored to hold the event and be part of the FMBA, and a huge thank you has to go out to RedBull for making events like the Claymore Challenge possible.

Claymore 2012 from Highland Mountain Bike Park on Vimeo.

It’s a bittersweet time of year when the lift stops spinning and it’s just a little too cold to ride, but we hope that you’ve got a seasons worth of shred memories, and maybe footage too! To keep the stoke alive make sure to follow us on Facebook and at HighlandMountain.com over the winter as we keep you up to date on next year’s exciting plans and projects. We’re getting ready to release some flashy new Highland gear, and combined with a 2013 season’s pass, we can’t think of a better holiday gift!

Thanks again guys and gals for shredding the park this season, packing our events to the brim, and enjoying new favorites Bonesaw, Power Hour, and Cat’s Paw. See you next May!

Highland in October from George Ryan on Vimeo.

2 Wheeled Demo Reel 1.0 from Lucent Productions on Vimeo.

17 Questions: Dave Smutok – More Mountain Bike Videos