TESTIMONIALS
Whistler Mountain Bike Park, BC
Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Photo Credit: Rob Cocquyt
“I have had the privilege of working with Tom, Dave and Rob for many years both at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and during the initial startup of Gravity Logic. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park wouldn’t be the success it is today without their contributions. GL remains a key part of the WMBP team providing us with long term trail planning, design and layout. When it comes to providing development services for Bike Parks these guys are simply the best.”
WHEN: 2005 to present
WHY: In 2005, Whistler Blackcomb began to share its bike park expertise by sending its senior design and planning staff (under the name of Gravity Logic) to other resorts to assess the feasibility of new bike parks. In 2007, GL became a separate business entity led by the original bike park builders: Dave Kelly, Tom Prochazka, and Rob Cocquyt. Immediately following their departure, and continuing to this day, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park has hired GL to assist with planning, design, and construction of the ever-evolving and rapidly growing bike park. Most recently, Whistler Blackcomb engaged GL to assist with the expansion of the bike park into the Creekside zone.
WHAT: In 2013, GL completed a 5-year development plan for the ambitious expansion to the Creekside zone. As part of the process, GL designed most of the new trails, including Midgard, Miss Fire, and Earth Circus.
RESULT: With more than 250k visits annually, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park remains the most successful and highly regarded bike park in the world thanks to the passion of its earliest visionaries, its current staff, and GL’s ongoing involvement.
Thunder Mountain Bike Park, MA
Thunder Mountain Bike Park. Photo Credit: TMBP
“Anyone can build a bike trail... not many people can build it properly, incorporate it in a trail system and then guide you on running the whole thing as a business, Gravity Logic does all of those things better than anyone else. The GL team constantly exceeds our expectations, not only when things go right, but also when they don’t - the crew constantly works with us to make sure Thunder Mountain Bike Park is the best park around.””
WHEN: 2014 to present
WHY: In 2014, the Schaefer family hired GL to undertake a feasibility assessment for a mountain bike park at its ski area, Berkshire East. A mountain bike park was considered an important component of the summer business strategy and integral in their need to be able to operate Berkshire East as a four-season resort.
WHAT: After examining the results of the assessment, Berkshire East hired GL to design and build a comprehensive system of modern, lift-accessed mountain bike trails. Since 2014, GL has designed and built more than 20 miles of trails including the incredibly popular, The Gronk, and the legendary, Fort Hill.
RESULT: Thunder Mountain Bike Park is considered one of the East Coast’s must-visit bike parks and ranks in the top 3 most popular eastern seaboard destinations in the USA. In 2023, Berkshire East replaced the bike park’s fixed-grip chairlift with a high-speed detachable quad and expects its visitation to significantly increase with the new chairs’ added capacity.
GL continues to work with Berkshire East on its future expansion plans.
Deer valley resort, ut
Deer Valley Resort Trail Map
“We have been working side by side with Gravity Logic for more than five years and the experience has been a game changer. From planning and design to construction and maintenance, the team at GL has been a pleasure to work with. Their knowledge and expertise are some of the best in the world and it shows in their processes and products. We are excited to continue down the path of growth and improvement with Gravity Logic and to elevate our offerings to our guests.”
WHEN: 2014 to present
WHY: Deer Valley had a long history of mountain biking but felt that it needed to modernize its network of what locals described as “lift-accessed cross-country” trails. Visitation was steady but lacked the growth that the owners had hoped to see.
WHAT: In 2014, GL developed a Master Plan that called for the design and construction of several new trails over five years. It also suggested improving some of the older trails through minor realignments or complete rebuilds. Deer Valley management engaged Gravity Logic to design and build the trails as outlined in the Master Plan, while working closely with Deer Valley’s crew to improve their existing trail infrastructure.
RESULT Immediately following the construction and unveiling of Tidal Wave, a Blue flow trail, visitation to the bike park surged. In the words of Steve Graff, Bike Park Manager, “it was like turning on a switch”. Development continued in 2016 with the addition of Holy Roller, a Green trail suitable for riders of all abilities, and then Tsunami, a Black jump trail for advanced riders. In 2019, Deer Valley dropped the ropes on Undertow, the first modern trail to bring riders down to Snowpark. Undertow marks the beginning of the next phase of new trails and trail improvements for Utah’s most visited bike park.
JARVSO BIKE PARK, SWEDEN
Jarvso Bike Park. Photo Credit JBP
“Professionalism was our first impression of Gravity Logic. Tom Pro was in Europe on another project and, on short notice, took time to change his plane ticket to do an initial assessment of our mountain. A few months later Rob Cocquyt arrived in Sweden and, over the course of 19 days, began the process of design, construction, and supervision of our local crews. Gravity Logic was very professional and was a very good teacher for our employees. As work progressed, they continuously adjusted and adapted to our local conditions to ensure the highest quality of trails. The design of the trails could not have been any better. Gravity Logic understood exactly what we wanted to do with the park – a bike park for the whole family. We think that our investment in Gravity Logic is worth every penny. With their expertise we’re in the process of building a bike park that probably will be one of the best, if not the best, in Scandinavia.”
WHEN: 2009 to present
WHY: After a visit to Whistler Bike Park, a small faction of enthusiastic mountain bikers, led by Lars Loov, decided that they wanted to build a bike park at their local ski hill, Jarvsobacken. The group was independent of Jarvsobacken Ski Resort and they were very motivated.
WHAT: In 2009, there was virtually no mountain biking in that area. The closest bike park was in Are, about 3 hours north of Jarvso. Gravity Logic visited Jarvso and determined that a bike park was feasible although the mountain was a mere 200 vertical meters. The variable and interesting terrain made up for the lack of height.
RESULT: One of the original trails built in 2009, “Barboro”, has been voted as the best trail in Sweden. JBP has since added many trails, an additional chairlift, and replaced an old chairlift with a new detachable six-pack. In addition, JBP operates a very profitable rental/retail operation and a restaurant/bar. The biggest testament to their success was the 2019 opening of their new bike hotel right at the bottom of the bike park. Jarvsobacken Ski Resort has now invested in the Jarvso Bike Park and further expansion is planned to another side of the mountain which will include a new detachable chairlift. JBP is a testament that size does not matter, but solid planning and execution do.
Trestle Bike Park, CO
Trestle Bike Park. Photo Credit: TBP
“Gravity Logic has been an integral part of every aspect of Winter Park Resort’s Trestle Bike Park expansion. GL is the whole package. As a Bike Park Manager, I need contractors that have experience, commitment, industry knowledge, professionalism, and an understanding of resort operations. Gravity Logic has all of that and more. Their ability to work seamlessly with resort employees and equipment, mixed with their keen attention to risk management is priceless. When considering whether to build a bike park from scratch or to enhance an existing trail system, the best investment you can make is partnering with Gravity Logic. ”
WHEN: 2005 to present
WHY: The idea to create a downhill park at Winter Park Resort grew from decades of successful summer activities as well as the popularity of the cross-country scene in the area. Mountain Biking was a popular summer sport at Winter Park Resort and in the Fraser Valley since the early 1990s. As early as 1995, people were taking the Zephyr chairlift up and riding back down on cross-country trails. Meanwhile, Winter Park management were monitoring the growth of the lift-accessed downhill-focussed bike park in Whistler and wanted to emulate its success.
WHAT: In 2004, Winter Park hired GL to develop a 5-year master trail plan and provide skilled labour and project management. In 2009, the first downhill-specific trail was built. GL’s collaboration with the Trestle Bike Park continues to this day with the next phase of bike park expansion scheduled to start in the near future.
RESULT: Trestle bike park has seen visitation grow from a handful of cross-country riders to over 50 thousand visits each summer and boasts over 40 miles of downhill-specific trail. Trestle has hosted Crankworx Colorado, the Colorado Freeride Festival and, most recently, the UCI National Championships.
jackson hole bike park, wy
WHEN: 2008 to present
WHY: Jackson Hole Resort wanted to capitalize on its strong summer tourism business. They also wanted to allow local riders to develop the skills required for the epic shuttle and pedal-access gravity trails in the region.
WHAT: GL was hired in 2008 to develop a 5-year master plan. Our team recommended developing a bike park serviced by the Teewinot chair, a lift with only 300 vertical feet of elevation and terrain ideally suited for the design and construction of a variety of tourist-friendly trails. This allowed for the development of several trails at a reasonable capital cost.
RESULT: The Jackson Hole Bike Park is a great example of what is possible with limited vertical. The modest-sized park sees significant returns through its rentals and lessons. The success of the Teewinot model gave Jackson Hole management the confidence to expand by adding another chairlift with a much more vertical differential. GL is currently assisting with a makeover of Jackson Hole’s Teewinot zone and the design and development of trails further up the mountain. GL has also been engaged to develop a new 5-year expansion plan.