When we heard about a new lift-accessed bike park in Texas, we had to find out more. Spider Mountain bills itself as the only bike park open year-round in North America, and its four-person chairlift hoists riders up 350 feet of vert to a variety of DH trails, some flow, some technical with built-in bridges, berms and jumps.
The park was designed by Hogan Koesis, director of mountain biking for Mountain Capital Partners, which owns and operates Spider Mountain and six ski resorts. Koesis has more than a decade of experience in the biking industry, designing, developing and constructing trails.
Spider Mountain is located in the Highland Lakes area in central Texas, 60 miles northwest of Austin. We sent Texas-based photographer Sandy Carson to Spider Mountain earlier this spring to see exactly what the Lone Star State had cooked up.
“Well, they say everything is bigger in Texas and even though the total vertical is only 350 feet, tiny in comparison to other DH parks, It’s nothing to sniff at. Actually it’s pretty revolutionary and right on Lake Buchanan if you want to boat while you are at it. Spider Mountain has a handful of fun lines from beginner to double black and it’s open year-round, and only an hour from Austin. I brought my crew up there to celebrate my birthday and we were hooked.”
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!