Published: July 10, 2009 12:00 am      

Mountain biking has something for all ages

Last Sunday, we decided to take a motorcycle ride down into the Catskills. After all, it wasn't raining.

I had heard of the mountain biking on the ski trails at Plattekill Ski Center outside of Roxbury and wanted to check it out.

With the lack of snow in the winters, many ski areas have become year-round recreational facilities by operating their ski lifts and opening their trails and slopes to a new breed of biker. It makes good sense and helps them pay the bills.

When we arrived at the end of the road, green, grassy slopes came into sight and the lift was operating.

Lift attendants loaded mountain bikes onto the sides of the chair lifts and riders clad in abundant protective gear settled into the chairs for the ride to the top.

Yes, you need plenty of protective gear for this sport. The ride back down the narrow trails, over rocks and among the trees is far more than a little pedal in the park.

Those who participate in extreme mountain biking need a good helmet, a chest protector, shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee and shin pads and a few other bits of protective gear. There was a young fellow in the bathroom doctoring several bumps, scrapes and scratches when we arrived. Those resulted from one trip down the mountain.

Riders of all ages _ ranging from young kids to middle-aged parents _ come to the mountain, camp for the weekend and get in numerous rides a day. It takes 8-10 minutes to get to the top of the mountain and far less time to get to the bottom. One guy told us he already made 36 trips that day.

You don't need any equipment to try the sport. If you want to see if it's for you, everything is available for rent. For $75, you can rent a Scott mountain bike with disc brakes and great suspension. Another $15 will cover you in protective gear, and riding up the chair lift for the day costs an additional $30.

Compared to other sports, it's actually not that expensive.

Throughout the summer, bike camps are offered to teach you all the ins and outs of the sport. These camps are geared toward different age-groups and cover topics such as beginning mountain biking and advanced downhill racing.

I have been intrigued by the sport since vacationing near Lake Placid and watching the extreme riders come down Whiteface Mountain. Now that I've found a place near home, I may have to give it a try.

Imagine heading off the top of the mountain on two narrow tires and on trails named "Frame Buster," "Nightmare," "Wicked Wreck" and "Twisted Sister." You jump off a few rocky outcrops, ride around banked corners, cross ravines on narrow wooden bridges and hope to miss the trees on the closed in, winding trails so you can get to the bottom as fast as possible _ just to get back up and do it all again.

I guess dodging traffic on Route 23 is not dangerous enough when I pedal to Oneonta several times a week. A trip down the mountain will add a little spice to my life.

Maybe you'd like to join me one of these weekends. For more information, check it out on the web at www.plattekill.com.

Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at robrockway@hotmail.com.