2007. Many
ski areas are converted into downhill mountain biking venues in the summer, such as Whistler Mountain Bike Park and Fernie Alpine Resort, alongside the specifically developed all-season downhill trails. At some courses, bikers ride gondolas, trams or chair lifts to the starting point, or "shuttling" with motorized vehicles is used to transport riders to the top of the hill. Others are accessible by riding (or pushing) bicycles to the starting point. Urban downhill courses have also appeared in mountain-side cities, with the courses going through city streets and sidewalks, such as the Taxco Downhill event in Mexico. one of the most famous downhill mountain biking venues is mont-sainte-anne in canada. Courses used in competition often feature several "lines" through or around difficult obstacles. For example, the "A line" might be a direct line over a large jump with a
sketchy landing, the "B line" a smaller jump with a better landing, and the "C line" completely avoids the jumps, but may take longer.
Australia Australia has produced a large number of internationally successful downhill racers, including
Sam Hill,
Chris Kovarik,
Nathan Rennie and
Mick Hannah. The large majority of Australian downhill riding and racing is accessed by shuttling in cars, buses or by walking to the top of the track (push runs), however the venues at
Mount Buller and
Thredbo provide lift accessed tracks during the snow less summer months.
Mount Stromlo, near Canberra, hosted a World Cup Round in August 2008 and the 2009 World Championships. The top can be accessed by either riding up singletrack, or by shuttling via the road. Australia's first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup was held in Cairns in 1994–1995. followed by the World Mountain Bike Championships in
1996 and again in
2017, placing Cairns on the map as the premier Australian mountain bike destination.
Austria Located in the
Alps, Austria is very suitable for downhill riding. A large majority of
Austria's downhill tracks are accessible via
lift shuttles. A World Cup track called the "Planai" is located in the city of
Schladming. It is about 5 km long and with an average descent grade of about 35% it has become a legendary World Cup race track known for its technical and steep sections. Since 2010 Austria's biggest bike park in
Leogang has taken over hosting the annual UCI World Cup DH races. It has also been host zu multiple Downhill World Championship events. The race track is called "Flying Gangster" and most of it is open to ride for amateurs visiting the bike park. It is known for its high speeds and an extremely difficult final section called "Vali's Hell" (named after multi-time World Cup winner and World Champion racer
Valentina Höll).
Bolivia Most of Bolivia's downhill riding is done in the
Andes Mountains in and around
La Paz. In the city there is the Pura Pura trail, there are also a few trails through the forest. Camiraya at the outskirts of La Paz has more and longer trails. The Loma Loma and Chu Chu trails are a little further out in
Sorata. There are also trails in other parts of the country, for example in
Cochabamba and
Potosí.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina is rich with mountains especially around the capital city of
Sarajevo, in which a downtown race is held, although
mountain bike and downhill especially are still developing to become known sports. Mountains like
Igman,
Bjelašnica and others are being increasingly used for downhill racing. Currently there are a few tracks on Trebević,
Igman,
Bjelašnica, Cavljak – Barice, all featured tournaments on an international level.
Unexploded ordnance is one of the reasons for slow development of this sport in a country with a such great potential for it.
Canada Canada is famous for its downhill racing as well as other sorts of mountain biking. The
Whistler Mountain Bike Park in
Whistler, British Columbia hosts the annual
Crankworx and Joyride Huckfest racing events. The province of British Columbia is also home to several other large lift-serviced mountain bike parks, including
Sun Peaks in
Kamloops, BC,
Silver Star Mountain Resort in
Vernon, BC,
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in
Golden, BC and
Fernie Alpine Resort. The
North Shore Mountains of
North Vancouver, BC, are a famous downhill biking destination in their own right. The popular style of technical downhill freeriding that involves many man-made trail elements originated here. The style is often referred to as "North Shore Style." Canada has produced many world-class mountain bike racers, including downhillers
Andrew Shandro and Steve Smith. The mount of Bromont, situated in Bromont, Quebec, and Mont-Sainte-Anne near Quebec City are great places for downhill biking.
Croatia Downhill MTB races have been held in
Croatia since 1993, when the first competition was organized outside
Zagreb, on the same mountain that today hosts the world cup races in alpine skiing. Until the past 4–5 years, Mountain biking was banished from popular hiking trails and ski slopes around the capital. However, with the rise in popularity of DH and enduro, (gravity) riding, Trail management regulations have been relaxed and along with allowing riders, have begun to allow for the development of MTB-specific trails, cooperating with the local riding community to communicate which trails are acceptable and which are not. Additionally, the area known as 'Grma' has seen the growth and development of DH-specific trails. MTB DH riding has also flourished in other parts of Croatia, especially in the northern Adriatic coastal region and in the northern (continental) part of the country. In 2010 the national DH Cup events were held in
Buzet (Istria),
Samobor (Zagreb area),
Pakrac (Slavonia), and Gracisce (Pazin, Istria). Additionally, multiple enduro races around the country are now part of an annual 'Cro-enduro series and the fall of 2017 saw the organization of the first-ever Croatian Enduro National Championships. Urban downhill events are also held in the coastal city of
Rijeka. 2018 saw the first
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup held in Croatia, on the island of
Lošinj.
France , France The
French Alps are home to many downhill routes
Switzerland Located between the Alps and the Jura and surrounded by the downhill nations of France, Germany, Italy, and Austria. It is kind of a center for the European downhill scene. There are tracks in or near every city with high quality and steep descent. It has several World Cup tracks like "Champéry" or "Portes du Soleil. Switzerland is the home of parts manufacturer DT Swiss, EDCO Swiss bicycle components since 1902, frame manufacturer BMC and bike manufacturer Redalp.
Thailand Mountainous regions of
Northern Thailand offer great venues for downhill mountain biking.
Chiang Mai is the most famous location for downhill mountain biking in
Thailand. The Chiang Mai Downhill Challenge, which was held in November 2012 and 2013, attracted World Cup riders, such as Steve Peat, Josh Bryceland, Sam Dale, Brook Macdonald, Wyn Masters, and Edward Masters, as well as a Belgian free-rider, Nico Vink.
Doi Suthep mountain is where most downhill actions take place in Chiang Mai. Tour operator, such as X-Biking Chiang Mai, offers guided tour or shuttle service to the trailheads and pick up the riders once they complete the trails. The Thailand National Championships, are held in many different venues across Thailand by the Thai Cycling Association. It also attracts many riders across Southeast Asia. The cheap living costs, great foods, warm climate, and great ridings make Thailand a "must-visit" place for riders on a budget.
United Kingdom Within the UK, most of the main downhill tracks are in the
Scottish Uplands,
Highlands,
Wales, and Northern England, as these are more mountainous areas. Fort William in Scotland is Britain's only World Cup standard track and was the venue for the 2007 World Championships. The UK has a powerful race scene with a national series and numerous regional series with a strong representation of all age groups present. The country has produced many of the world's top downhill mountain bikers, including
Steve Peat,
Gee Atherton,
Danny Hart,
Josh Bryceland,
Brendan Fairclough,
Rachel Atherton,
Manon Carpenter, and
Tahnee Seagrave.
United States The
Sea Otter Classic, held each April at
Laguna Seca near
Monterey, California, is a major riding event that opens the racing season. In 2008, experienced racer Mark Reynolds died after a crash at the Sea Otter Classic, highlighting the dangers of the sport.
Plattekill Mountain in the Catskills, Mammoth Mountain, the
Northstar at Tahoe,
Brian Head Resort,
Attitash and
Deer Valley ski resorts, and Moab (Utah) are also well known to mountain bikers.
Snowmass, Colorado is also developing as a location for the sport. Mountain Creek Bike Park in Vernon, New Jersey is a downhill venue that hosts their own series of competitions called the Gravity Series. In the southeastern United States,
Snowshoe Mountain is well known for its extensive mountain bike park, camps, and freeriding areas during the summer.
Bryce Resort offers a self-described progression-based bike park, built by Gravity Logic. Massanutten Resort also has a bike park with some of the rockiest terrain on the east coast. UCI Pro Downhill riders, Neko Mulally and Dakota Norton have built, train at, and promoted races at Windrock Bike Park in
Oliver Springs, Tennessee as well.
Vail, Colorado was the site of the 1994 Downhill World Championship. The trail was renamed "'94 Downhill", and is still ridden by downhill bikers today. In 2006, The U.S. National Championships were held at the
Infineon Raceway in
Sonoma, California. In 2007 and 2008 the U.S. National Championships were held in Mt. Snow, Vermont, and in 2009 and 2010 the U.S. National Championships were held at SolVista Bike Park in Colorado.
Venezuela El Volcan, a small mountain in the southeastern, touristic
El Hatillo Municipality of
Caracas, has a
Downhill course that has about 500 meters of vertical drop, it is used by hundreds of riders a day during dry and wet weather, mostly on weekends. El Volcan is the representative [Downhill] Track of Caracas city. The course is open to the public and riding is neither specifically allowed nor prohibited by law. The trails are also used by hikers all week long. Shuttles are about 10
Venezuelan bolivars per trip, they run from the parking lot of a Farmatodo drug store in La Boyera, up to the summit using public avenues and paved roads, taking from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on traffic in the area. The course apart from being used mostly for recreational purposes. It has also been used for irregularly scheduled downhill races due to the lack of organization in the rider's community. ==Governing bodies==