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Breckenridge Bike Guide: Western Sky/Slalom

A view of the Slalom singletrack if you choose to connect the Western Sky and Slalom trails in Breckenridge, accessible via the B&B Trailhead.
Photo from Trailforks via Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance

The trail starts with a fun table, maybe 15- to 20-feet long. Soon after that, you’ll pass an old, abandoned, yellow snowmobile on the left leading to the start of some nice, really fun, tall berms. Expect high speed on this trail; it’s best ridden as a downhill trail, but prepare to watch out for potential climbers. The trail full of jumps and berms dumps you out in a meadow, where I’ve seen moose. From there, you can decide if you want to descend the Breck side toward the Flumes, or you can do Tom’s Baby and head over to ZL toward the Tiger Run side of things. Staying straight takes you to easier trails while taking a right gets more gnarly.” — Ben Ferrante, Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance president

From the B&B Trailhead, ride up the X10U8 Connector, X10U8 and a portion of Sidedoor (detailed in the Backdoor/Sidedoor guide) to an intersection with Prospector Gulch Road. Hang a left on Prospector Gulch Road and ride down a gradual and then more steep descent (beware of mountain bikers coming up the dirt road from the other direction) to an intersection with Gold Run Gulch Road and ride along the relatively flat hillside to an intersection with Chantilly, where you will make a right.

After a couple of quick switchbacks on Chantilly, you will come to the beginning of the Western Sky route proper, and the start of a thrilling 3-minute portion of up-and-down singletrack that will hug Gibson Hill at rider’s right.



If you’re an experienced rider, it should only take you a handful of minutes to cover Western Sky’s near mile of distance before reaching Slalom. You’ll know you’re nearing the intersections with Fall Classic and Gold Run Gulch Road, where the Slalom singletrack begins, once you table-top out on Western Sky at 10,235 feet before a pair of super-steep switchback descents, at one point briefly reaching a 30.5% grade downhill.

Once at the Slalom singletrack proper, you’ll realize this stretch of 0.75-mile singletrack is maybe the closest trail Breckenridge has to a Whistler-style flow trail. Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance leaders Ben Ferrante and James Welch say this path features a fast descent with huge bermed corners and table jumps.



Though it can be ridden in either direction, a steep climb in reverse is not recommended considering the trail’s challenging features as well as the likelihood you’ll encounter riders coming from the opposite direction zooming through the trail’s winding flow down into the Toxic Forest — over a 350-foot descent.

The Western Sky trail hugs Gibson Hill at right before a few switchbacks give way to the Slalom singletrack downhill in Breckenridge.
Photo from Trailforks via Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance
If you go

Distance: 1.6 miles
Rating: Moderate
Elevation: 10,204-9,913 feet (-291 vertical feet)
Type: Singletrack
Season: June-September
Extensions: Fall Classic, Gold Run Gulch Road, Hard Luck, Toxic Forest, Middle Flume, Upper Flume
Parking: At the B&B Trailhead off French Gulch Road parking lot


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