083 – Sunrise Park Resort: Arizona's Only Lift-Assisted Bike Park with Builder Colby Landin

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In this action-packed episode, we talk with Colby Landin, trail and track builder at Sunrise Park Resort, Arizona's only lift-assisted bike park. Colby shares his journey from building BMX tracks in his neighborhood at age 8 to designing professional-grade mountain bike features at Sunrise. Learn about the unique challenges of building jump lines on Native American tribal land and how the park has evolved from expert-only terrain to family-friendly trails that accommodate riders of all skill levels.
The episode explores Sunrise Park Resort's exciting expansion plans, including the upcoming addition of Apache Peak, which will nearly double the size of the park. Colby discusses the cultural aspects of working on tribal land, the importance of proper trail maintenance, and what makes Sunrise's terrain unique compared to other bike parks in the Southwest. Whether you're a jump enthusiast, an Arizona local, or planning a mountain bike road trip, this insider look at one of the Southwest's most distinctive bike parks is packed with trail knowledge and riding inspiration.

Shoutouts.

First, shoutout to the White Mountain Apache Tribe, who owns and operates the Sunrise Park Resort. We love to recreate on your mountains in the winter and summer and we appreciate you sharing them with us and working to make the trails even better.
Second, we couldn’t talk about Sunrise without shouting out the Tonto Gravity Riders. They’ve been advocating for and working on trails throughout the state (including Sunrise and with a focus on the Pinal Mountains) since 2010.

Sunrise Park Resort Summer Activities

- Bike Park: 31 trails (8 green, 4 blue, 10 black, 8 double black). 2 lifts.

- Alpine Coaster (3000’ of track, up to 25mph)

- High Flier Zipline (tandem lines, 2100’ of elevation, up to 50 mph)

- Tubing Hill (magic carpet ride up, 300’ hill)

- Airbag Jump (18’ & 32’)

- Rock Climbing Wall (42’)

- 3d Archery Course (15 target course)

- Disc Golf (lift accessed).

eMTBs are allowed at Sunrise Park Resort.

Note: Other than letting us record this episode at the resort, we have received no compensation or perks from Sunrise. We bought our tickets full price.

Colby Landin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colbys_bike_tracks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@skillsandbuilds3987
Sunrise Bike Park
Web: https://www.sunrise.ski/summer/downhill-mountain-biking/
Trail Map: https://www.sunrise.ski/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Trail-Map-Sunrise-Park-Resort-Summer-2024-VistaMap-large.jpg
Tonto Gravity Riders
https://www.tontogravityriders.org/

Ollies Cacti (Colby’s Home Grown Nursery of desert plants)
https://www.instagram.com/ollies_

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Chapters

1. 083 – Sunrise Park Resort: Arizona's Only Lift-Assisted Bike Park with Builder Colby Landin (00:00:00)

2. Mountain Bike Park Builder Interview (00:00:12)

3. Creating BMX and Mountain Bike Tracks (00:06:06)

4. Trail Ratings and Jump Line Construction (00:12:52)

5. Trail Maintenance and Community Collaboration (00:26:04)

6. Mountain Bike Park Culture and Etiquette (00:37:46)

7. Mountain Bike Park Amenities and Expansion (00:42:16)

8. Mountain Biking Destination Development (00:51:51)