In just over one year, we will begin the fun and excitement of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.
And believe me, that’s sooner than you can imagine.
My name is Russell Smart, and I am the volunteer team leader for all program activities for the Summit. Each month, I share information about another part of our world-class program experience that is going to be more diverse, more intense, higher energy, and more physically challenging than ever before.
For the next couple of months my blog will be about our HIGH-ADVENTURE activities that will be found in the Summit Center and the special Adventure Areas.
This month, our feature is mountain biking!
Beginners to Pros and Everything in Between
My guess is that most of you have ridden a bike before, and many of you have probably been on a mountain bike. Maybe you have even been on a challenging backcountry trail at one time or another.
But the mountain biking experience at the Summit is beyond anything that has ever been built at a Scouting facility.
At Action Point in the Summit Center, you will find a series of “warm-up” trails of varying difficulty and moderate lengths. The jamboree staff will check out your skill level and then put you on a trail that matches your current ability. Once you master that level, you can move up to a more challenging one.
And if you’ve never tried a “pump track” you will certainly want to check that out!
And There Will Be Miles of Fun
At the mountain biking Adventure Area in Adventure Valley you can try your new skills on a world-class series of biking trails. Too bad you won’t have time to ride them all in one jamboree experience–because there’s over 30 miles of them!
[pullquote]“The mountain biking experience at the Summit is beyond anything that has ever been built at a Scouting facility.”—Russell Smart[/pullquote]
So if mountain biking is your main interest, you’ll just have to come back to the Summit in 2014 for more fun and adventure in the backcountry. Before you know it you will be a true mountain biking “Gonzo.”
Gravity Logic is the company building our biking trails at the Summit. Check out some pictures and video from both the Summit and many of their other projects.
Next month we’ll complete our series on the high-adventure Adventure Areas with information about the BMX/Extreme Sports area. In the meantime, look for special Summit jamboree program patches in your local Scout shop related to each month’s blog.
We would love feedback from you anytime about anything related to the jamboree program.
Is biking your thing? Let us know in the comments.