Adaptive Mountain Biking in Jackson Hole Increasing in Popularity Growing Inclusion
It’s no secret that mountain biking in Jackson Hole is fast becoming a hot summer and fall activity all over the valley, but did you know that the popularity of the sport is also growing for people with disabilities?
Adaptive Mountain Biking (aMTB) is when adaptations or modifications are made to bikes and trails to allow people with disabilities enjoy the sport of mountain biking just like anyone else.
Adaptive Mountain Biking Equipment
Three-wheeled hand cycles and recumbents with fat tires are popular examples of adaptive mountain bikes, while bucket bikes and four-wheeled bikes are also seen out on the trails, although less frequently. The aMTB bikes are tailored to off-road riding with suspension and often have an e-assist, or small motor, to help with steep climbs and obstacles.
There’s wild progression in adaptive mountain bikes currently as bikes are getting more advanced by getting less wide and by offering important features such as articulating wheels that can tackle obstacles like rocks more easily. The catch is that these bikes are often custom made and thus expensive, ranging from $10,000 - $20,000!
It’s so worth it, say most, if not all, people with disabilities. It’s more than just a ride, having an adaptive bike affords you access to places deep in the outdoors that weren’t possible to get to previously.
Finding the perfect bike that suits a specific disability can be liberating and empowering for people with disabilities, especially if they are newly injured. An adaptive mountain bike is a prime example of a piece of equipment that has the power to transform into a primary mobility device. A bike can become a way to move through the world under a person’s own power, and ideally, alongside friends.
Adaptive Trails: Universal Design Works for EveryBODY
It’s also the wild west in terms of accessible trails for adaptive mountain biking in Jackson Hole and worldwide. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, but many mountain biking trails aren’t always accessible and therefore not necessarily adhering to this law. The good news is that creating and modifying trails is now more on the radar of many trail agencies and organizations and it’s fairly easy to do.
Sometimes all it takes is a few tweaks to build or modify a mountain bike trail to make it inclusive for people with disabilities. According to Catalyst Sports, the bare minimum standards recommended to make a trail accessible is having a minimum trail width of 36 inches and when climbing and a maximum obstacle height of 12 inches. [See aMTB Trails and Universal Design Tips infographic below]
The trail should also be challenging, though, and not separate, such as a segregated ‘green’ run in a different location, or at the bottom of the bike park. Just as mountain biking has different levels of riders, so does adaptive mountain biking! Some advanced adaptive riders who are pushing their own progression thrive on ‘black’ trails and appreciate challenging terrain.
JHMR created a universal trail design that not only brings flow, speed, and excitement to adaptive and non-adaptive riders alike but also strengthens the bond within the biking community, which is featured in the short film called, Digging for Answers: The Story Behind Universal Trail Design in Jackson Hole.
Even before this new trail was built at JHMR, approximately 90% of its downhill trails were accessible for adaptive mountain biking! There are also other mountain biking trails in the Jackson Hole area that are accessible for certain bikes and riders such as Shadow Mountain, Nemo, Phillips Ridge, Cache Creek and others with more in the works.
How Can I Get Started Adaptive Mountain Biking in Jackson Hole?
That’s where Teton Adaptive comes in! It was these same slopes where the Deepest Darkest trail was created where Teton Adaptive had its founding in 2005, only snow covered! The founders were ski instructors who wanted their friends to be able to ski, so they started the non-profit organization whose mission is to develop recreation opportunities for people with disabilities living in and visiting the Greater Teton Area. As members of the Jackson Hole community, adaptive athletes should have the same access to recreation as anyone else and the skiing program took off, so the org soon added more programs such as paddling and cycling.
The Teton Adaptive Cycling Program started in 2012 and has steadily grown and gained traction and encompasses the following components:
Lessons: off-road mountain biking lessons for adaptive individuals or groups. The lessons for individuals and groups take place on varied terrain and are perfect for all abilities of adaptive riders.
Demos: a number of demo options where people can rent an adaptive bike for use on their own (once they’ve completed a quick orientation). This is a great way to find the right bike, which can be purchased with a grant available by many organizations.
Group rides with our local participants with mental and physical disabilities.
WYDAHO: for the past ten years, we’ve attended the WYDAHO Adaptive Hand Cycling Camp with two of our sister organizations, bringing together adaptive athletes, staff, and volunteers to this established three-day mountain bike festival at Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming.
Adaptive Mountain Biking (aMTB) Awareness Days: Downhill mountain bike riding at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort offers people with disabilities to try different bikes on the resort's downhill trails, which are 90% accessible.
Universal Design in Mountain Bike Trail Design: Teton Adaptive staff take part in committees and advocacy groups to increase the adoption of making trails accessible to everyBODY using the principles of Universal Design.
People with disabilities can get started in adaptive mountain biking in Jackson Hole by contacting Teton Adaptive and taking a lesson, or demoing an adaptive mountain bike including those from Bowhead Corp, Reactive Adaptations and more.
Inclusivity covers all aspects of our community regardless of identity or financial standing, so Teton Adaptive strives to make it more welcoming. By providing scholarships, programming, training, and accessible equipment for activities such as climbing, cycling, mountain biking, alpine and nordic skiing, paddling, paragliding, and sled hockey it expands opportunities for more inclusion in a historically inaccessible world.
