Surviving Snow Summit: Our First Time Downhill Mountain Biking
- Jace
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
Just when you thought you couldn't pack enough riding into one weekend, we decided to push our luck. It was August 2025, and we had just finished the 25-mile Tour de Big Bear the day before. Instead of resting our legs, my dad, Nigel, and I loaded up the truck and headed to Snow Summit for our very first downhill mountain biking experience.
Here is how our first attempt at gravity-fueled riding went down. Literally.
Gravel Bikes and Skipped Pads
We showed up right when the park opened, and the stoke was high. As we were walking in, I actually saw a few guys rolling up on gravel bikes. I had to stop and ask, "You guys going down on those?" They said yes. I still don't know if they actually survived the mountain, but if they did, absolute legends.
Now, my only real experience flying down a mountain was on skis, and I’ve eaten it plenty of times doing that. I knew downhill biking was fast and potentially sketchy. I thought about renting knee and elbow pads, but honestly? I was just too excited to get on the chairlift. I skipped the rental line, hopped on the lift, and just hoped for the best.
The First Run (And False Confidence)
The view from the top of the lift is absolutely sick. Dropping into our first run, I was definitely nervous, but it actually wasn't as terrifying as we had built it up to be in our heads.
Because we spend so much time riding local SoCal dirt, we know how to handle our bikes. Navigating the mountain honestly just felt like taking all the fun, two-minute downhill sections of our normal rides, like the Fullerton Loop, and stitching them all together into one massive 15-minute descent.
We were feeling pretty good. In fact, Nigel was instantly ready to go find the advanced trails. Dad and I were a little more cautious. We weren't quite ready to start launching off jumps just yet.
The Inevitable Wipeout
Of course, that false confidence catches up with you. Downhill riding can easily get away from you if you aren't paying attention.
On one of our runs, I came into a turn carrying way too much speed, hit a slippery patch of dirt, and washed out. "Hello? You okay? Yeah, I'm good. What the heck?" It wasn't a massive crash, but it was enough to knock my handlebars completely crooked and leave me with a few fresh scratches to take back home.
Note to my future self: Next time, just rent the pads.
Watching the Wild Ones
Before we packed up the trucks, my dad and I actually caught a high-performance downhill mountain bike competition happening on the mountain. I pulled out my camera and managed to snap some pretty cool photos of the action.
Let me tell you, those kids are absolutely wild. Seeing them confidently fly down the mountain at top speed, launching off jumps and everything...it was mind-blowing. But honestly? It was also the exact moment it clicked for me. Watching them reinforced why I ride: intense mountain bike races just aren't for me. Give me a quiet dirt trail to explore at my own pace over a massive gap jump any day.
The Verdict: Trail vs. Downhill
At the end of the day, bombing down Snow Summit was an incredible rush. You go fast, you push your limits, and it is non-stop action.
But I'm going to be honest: I think I actually prefer regular trail riding. I didn't grow up doing downhill, and I missed the rhythm of a normal mountain bike ride—the pedaling, the climbing, the exploration. Downhill is an absolute blast, but true all-terrain trail riding just feels more like me.
My dad summed it up perfectly while we were packing up the trucks: "I think we just need to practice more. It’s a great adventure, and everybody should do this at least once in their life."
He's absolutely right.
Have you ever tried dedicated downhill mountain biking, or are you strictly a trail rider? Drop a comment below or join us on our next local group ride. We promise there are no chairlifts (and hopefully no crashes) involved!
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