Chasing Gravity Episode 5

Bike parks...feet dangling, the gentle swaying of the lift as it carries you upward. There
is just something about being sky high, surveying the runs below from a bird's eye view
that gives my heart a little extra flutter. It's almost as if my senses are heightened with
anticipation, just knowing the moment I hop off the lift, it's time to shred.

The month of June found us in New Mexico and Arizona, exploring a couple of bike
parks nestled in the mountains of these southwestern states.

The journey to Angel Fire Mountain Resort gave us a bit of a sense of pseudo-isolation.
Absent was the feeling of the hustle and bustle, the rush that mainstream cities can often
inflict you with. In it's place, the solitary town of Angel Fire welcomed us with relaxed
vibes and a small town feel.

Angel Fire's slopes offer numerous run options. Divergent terrain gives the resort a
unique characteristic, as well as providing any rider with a choice of numerous trails and
varying levels of technicality to challenge themselves with.

Remnants of volcanic activity from eons past are present still to this day in the form of
porous rocks littering many of the trails across the mountain.

A call of an elk resonates periodically through the air. The austere beauty of the
surroundings and contented atmosphere of Sunrise Mountain Resort makes for a prime
riding area to escape the searing heat characteristic of the lower lying Arizona cities in
the summer months.

Dense patches of forest had us dodging and weaving through the pines, opening up from
time to time into high speed, chunky ribbons of singletrack.

In some ways, we found riding at Sunrise similar to taking a step back in time. The trails
are raw, and generally seem to follow a natural course of their own down the mountain.

For the most part, Sunrise Resort lets the naturalness of the mountain challenge the rider,
only helping to complete or enhance the existing terrain with manmade additions when
the need calls for.