Back in March when we reported on the newly-launched Loam Pass, the Pass already offered an impressive 30+ destinations for just $249. Now, Loam Pass has announced that they’ve added 12 more iconic destinations to their list, including some of the most famous bike parks in the USA.
Notable bike parks added to the Pass include Angel Fire Resort, Woodward Park City, Mt. Bachelor, Killington Resort, The Highlands, and Spirit Mountain. All of these are iconic parks, and the geographic dispersal of this addition is impressive.
Unfortunately, one notable miss on the Loam Pass map is Colorado. Granted, Angel Fire is quite close to the Colorado border and routinely draws Coloradans south into New Mexico, thanks to its renown as one of the best bike parks in the nation—no caveats or qualifiers required.
However, Colorado is home to at least 13 bike parks, many of which are in the running for best-in-the-nation status. With names like Trestle, Snowmass, Keystone, and Steamboat on the lips of downhillers across the country, it’s a shame that the Loam Pass doesn’t offer any tickets in this hotbed of lift-served riding.
When you look at the numbers, it’s clear to see why adding some of these top-tier parks to the pass could prove challenging. The Loam Pass provides two days of riding at each of their 40+ destinations for just $249 for the year. But when a walk up pass to places like Trestle Bike Park and Keystone cost $74 for a single day, the math just doesn’t add up. Adding just two Colorado resorts to the pass could easily put them in the red. However, a day pass at Angel Fire is $77, so perhaps I’m missing something in my analysis.
In any case, hopefully the Loam Pass will continue to expand their offerings at major resorts. Personally, I’d be willing to spend more to have access to higher-end bike parks. Since 2024 is the first year that the Loam Pass has been offered, hopefully this is just the beginning!
For now, click here to view the full list of all bike parks and shuttle services that their $249 annual pass provides access to.
Pricing not a challenge, and plans to add Colorado bike parks in 2025
Updated May 29, 2024:
Loam Pass responded to our original request for comment after we went to press and filled us in on the challenges of adding bike parks in Colorado.
According to Joseph Foresta, Co-Founder of Loam Pass, “We do a revenue sharing model, so pricing is not a driving force for bringing new destinations on.” Rather, the most substantial challenge that they noted was the politics of working with the two dominant companies in the North American ski industry: Vail and Alterra. The vast majority of the bike parks in the state are owned by these two companies.
That said, there are a few key bike parks that aren’t owned by the big two corporations: Purgatory, Powderhorn, and Granby. In fact, Spider Mountain in Texas is already on the Loam Pass, and it’s owned by the same parent company that owns Purgatory. In fact, a Mountain Bike Power Pass for Purgatory includes unlimited days at all of the other Purgatory-owned bike parks, including Spider Mountain, Brian Head, Pajarito, and Lee Canyon.
Will we see one or more Colorado bike parks on the Loam Pass for 2025? Foresta said it’s likely, but that it’s too early to comment more.
