Trail of the week: “Halfpipe”

Courtesy of pinehillpark.org

“Halfpipe” is highlighted in solid yellow.

By Tony Accurso

“Halfpipe” is an advanced riders trail located in the Pine Hill Park trail system of Rutland. The trail is divided into an upper and lower section.The upper section can be accessed at the Watkins Road intersection near “Freefall,” and the lower off “Sisyphus.” The ride begins with a turny section, followed by a sweeping right hand turn which splits into two lines, the left line leading to a small rock drop. The speed picks up as one progressed down the trail, and riders will navigate some tight single track followed by water bar hits, small berms, and straight fast sections. There are plenty of small rocks and features to pop off of, and the tight turns followed by descending run outs are tons of fun!

The real fun begins on the lower section, which is basically a half mile roller coaster ride! At the entrance of the trail, one can choose to air off the large hit on the right, the small hit on the left, or ride straight down to  to carry speed through the first sharp turn, which is followed by a steep high speed descent. At the second rise, which crests at the next sharp switch back  it all begins again. This up-down pattern continues on down the trail, with optional hits on the inside of the trail allowing plenty of air opportunities, and a technical rooted turn at the crest of one of the turns. Take advantage of the high speed-run out to link this trail with “Exit Strategy” for a super fun run!

Tony Accurso is the owner of Alpine Bike Works and Fat Bikes of Vermont located at 2406 Route 4 in Killington.