Lurking in an unknown corner of North Carolina lies the smallest and sketchiest bike park in the southeast. A booster shot to prevent tetanus and a current medical insurance policy is mandatory however, common sense is optional. Due to the lifeless humidity of the air and a severe infestation of mosquitoes in the summer this park operates from early November through late March…or April…or May…or whenever the giant insects return. This year the park is better than ever with a massive one-tenth acre expansion including an extra pile of dirt on the lander of the main jump line, even more rusty nail filled construction debris to gap over, and a hip straight in to the adjoining creek side mosquito farm. Make sure you dress warm because the park staff only lights an oil drum full of toxic pressure treated wood scraps on fire for special events. If you’re the sensitive type you may want to find another place to ride. The staff at Nailz N’ Shankz prides itself on talking trash to any and every one on site. If you dare to ride without a pass beware of the vicious guard dogs on patrol at all times. They’ll be sure to alert the barefoot security guard to chase you down the road in his pajamas.
This was an extra special day at the park. Not only was it opening day but for the first time ever there was a sick jump competition complete with killer prizes! The weather was nice and chilly in the shadows of the woods. Needles to say the lone spectator at the event was amped to have a first row seat to the action. Necker, Mini-Boy, Uncle Ronnie, Steve-O, C-Los, OG, and yours truly enjoyed pushing our limits with blazing 10 second runs down the huge 25 foot gravel slope. All in all it was a great day of shredding and hurt feelings. So relax, kick back, and enjoy the pictures form an epic day of competition and opening festivities at the best little bike park in the world! Special props go out to our very own Nate Dogg for the photography on this one.

With the holiday weekend looming ahead it took no time at all to decide how to spend an extra day off from work. A few phone calls and text messages later and our plans were set. A weekend at the bike park was upon us and the whole crew was more than eager to rip the trails at Snowshoe.
To say Snowshoe is a great bike park is an understatement. No matter what you’re into, whether it’s Downhill, XC, Slope Style, 4X, or Free Ride the bike park has you covered. The fact that there are two lightning fast quad lifts is just the icing on the cake. We rolled deep for this trip: OG, Amy, Steve-O, Rose, C-Los, Melissa, Rat Hair, Sukie, and little Ray-Ray all showed up to enjoy the weekend.
Friday started off a bit cool. We had just spent the previous week sweating it out in 90 degree temperatures in Hickory and here we were, getting ready to drop in to the trails under windy and overcast skies at a chilly 48 degrees. It was kind of a shock and a refreshing twist all at the same time. Getting warmed up was easy and conditions were pretty good at the start of the day. Just a bit of moisture to keep the dirt tacky and the roots slick enough to add a little nervous excitement. We spent most of the first day rolling the groomed trails and exploring some of the new trails as well.
Snowshoe has made a solid commitment to keeping the park a fresh experience and the proof is in the quality of the new trails. New downhill race tracks like “P”, berm and table top connectors such as “Cliff Jenkins” and “Lucid”, a new 4X race course, and the re-opening of trail”B”all added to the gravity fest. The best new trail has to be the re-opening of “Ball and Jack”. Huge berms , beautiful table tops and tight twisty sections make this one a winner for sure. What was once an extended rock garden has been packed in and transformed into an insane straight shot directly down the mountain. This was perhaps the scariest part of both days in the park. I don’t get paid to ride a bike so I’ve got no business straddling the line between blazing fast and out of control; but slowing down to a manageable speed was actually tough in this section. Failing to keep relaxed and alert here could spell true disaster for any rider. After scaring the s#!t out of ourselves for an afternoon we wrapped things up with a huge spaghetti dinner and viewing of Hot Tub Time Machine to relax.
Day two was full on. The sun had broken the clouds apart and bluebird skies prevailed. The picturesque early fall day suited the trail conditions well. We all knew today was going to be reserved for some truly nasty rock garden filled runs. Back to back “Lower Quick Draw” and “Hareball” runs were a common occurrence. Top to bottom nonstop runs linking “Sport Course” to “Ninja Bob” to “Ball and Jack” to “Power Line” left us in a kind of “hurts so bad it feels good” state of being. After the Western Territory lift closed we crossed over to the Basin side and finished out the day with some true beat down runs on “E”, “A”, “B” and “Raging Bull”. Due to the holiday weekend the lift was open until 6:00pm and we shamelessly took advantage of every last minute. By the end of the day the bike park staff trail sweeper followed us down make sure we didn’t try to sneak in another run. All of us were toasted and ready for a cold beer and a hearty meal at the Foxfire Grill. A low key evening spent watching The Hangover brought an end to seriously great weekend of riding, kidding around and hanging out with the whole crew.