From the Ground Up: How Bogus Basin Built Idaho’s Gravity Mountain Bike Scene
The Early Days of Mountain Biking in Idaho’s Treasure Valley
Local Idahoans in the Treasure Valley have always been into biking, from BMX racing and building jumps to road and cross-country rides in the foothills. The endless opportunities for outdoor fun are part of what makes Southern Idaho’s Treasure Valley such a great place to live.
Over the years, Ridge to Rivers, a city-run trail organization, has been busy creating cross-country and multi-use trails in the hills around Boise. Most of these trails were repurposed from old horseback and motorcycle paths, but they rarely offered the kind of sustained descents that mountain bikers crave.
Above Boise, nestled in the treeline, is Bogus Basin, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mountain recreation area founded in 1942. Thisisn’t your average ski resort. Born from a local need for accessible recreation, Bogus Basin spent most of its 75-year history focused on winter sports.
While biking has always been part of the culture in Southern Idaho, the downhill biking community in the Treasure Valley didn’t really take off until the mid-to-late 2000s. By the 2010s, city-run bike parks were popping up, and local riders were stoked to take advantage of these new resources.
Eagle Bike Park quickly became the go-to spot for low-elevation flow trails, freeride lines, dirt jumps, and multi-use trails. Every year, the trails got better, and so did the skills of the riding community, leaving everyone hungry for more.
In December 2019, the City of Boise completed the Boise Bike Park, featuring two asphalt pump tracks and four top-to-bottom progressive slopestyle lines. Built by Alpine Bike Parks and funded through a partnership between the City of Boise and the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation, the Boise Bike Park became a major milestone for the community, proving there was serious demand for more variety and access to bike-friendly spaces.
Pirate Trails and the Early Vision for Gravity Riding at Bogus Basin
At one point in 2008, Bogus Basin even had its own North Shore-style pirate trail network, where locals secretly built trails and elevated ladder features in the woods during the summer. Although only a few relics of those days remain, the passion for gravity mountain biking at Bogus Basin never faded.
In 2015-16, Bogus Basin decided to reimagine its future, drafting a master plan to make the mountain a year-round destination for locals. A lift-served bike park was a key part of this new vision for summer activities, but it wasn’t until 2017 that construction finally began.
The creation of Berm Baby Berm by Joe Weede and Jeremy McGlathery marked the first purpose-built flow trail at Bogus Basin. The area also adopted a pirate trail, G19, built by the Reed Brothers back when the mountain turned a blind eye. Starting with a basic shuttle service to the mid-mountain lodge, The Basin Gravity Park began to take shape.
Meet CheddarChild: The Vision Behind The Basin Gravity Park
Enter Austin Smith, better known as CheddarChild.
Cheddar moved to the Treasure Valley in January 2017 to work as the Marketing and Program Coordinator at Bogus Basin. At just 22 years old, with a background in action sports, he was a natural fit for Bogus Basin’s new vision.
Cheddar is a maximalist. He has been a nationally competitive trampoline gymnast, worked at Woodward Tahoe, skateboards, is a die-hard park snowboarder, and most importantly, a dirt jump enthusiast. Fresh out of college, he was looking for a team ready to create a recreation paradise.
New to mountain biking, Cheddar bought his first bike in the summer of 2017 and started lapping Berm Baby Berm. His job took him to bike parks throughout the region, where he learned how they operated while falling in love with gravity riding. When not at the mountain, you could find him at Eagle Bike Park, dialing in his skills and connecting with other riders.
Fast forward a few years, and Cheddar had bought his first house and spent multiple summers building trail-style dirt jumps in his 50-by-50-foot backyard. Through countless iterations, he honed his skills behind a shovel and skid steer, developing a passion for shaping the earth.
Driven by his creative mind, love for downhill riding, and role as Director of Innovation and Marketing, Cheddar was determined to accelerate the timeline of The Basin Gravity Park.
Building The Basin Gravity Park
In the summer of 2019, Bogus Basin surprised everyone by replacing an outdated chairlift on private property. This upgrade allowed for a major pivot in the trails master plan, moving the proposed bike park from National Forest land onto private property and dramatically speeding up the construction process.
Wasting no time, Cheddar connected mountain leadership with Kyle Jamason, who was wrapping up the Boise Bike Park project. This led to a partnership with Alpine Bike Parks to build The Basin Gravity Park.
Between fall 2019 and fall 2020, five machine-built flow trails sprang up beneath the Morning Star Chairlift. The Basin Gravity Park officially opened for lift service in the summer of 2020, with new trails continuing to roll out throughout the season.
Creating 40 Acres of Freedom
With the park now located on private property, Cheddar realized the need for more technical hand-built trails. Acres of new terrain became accessible off the Morning Star Chairlift.
The area, later known as the Bitterroot Zone and 40 Acres of Freedom, offered everything The Basin Gravity Park and the Treasure Valley lacked: native dirt, old-growth forest, chunky rock, and steep terrain.
With management’s approval, Cheddar rallied his friends, and they began scouting and building new trails.
Jerrick Montee, a local volunteer and photographer, recalls the early days of those trail-building missions:
“I met Cheddar in June 2021 during a dig day in what would become the Bitterroot Zone. While we dug, I realized this needed to be documented, so I started snapping photos as Cheddar and Braydon Bringhurst laid out a potential new trail. Other volunteers followed, clearing brush and scratching in a path with rakes. While this area didn’t become 40 Acres of Freedom, that volunteer day proved people wanted these types of trails and were ready to help build them.”
A few months later, after the chaos of race season and bike festivals, Cheddar put out a call for volunteers to help build a new zone.
On a chilly November Sunday morning, shovels hit the dirt beneath an inch of snow on what would become Hobo Juice, Colt 45, and Apple Pucker.
Jerrick remembers:
“Every Sunday, we dug until the ground froze, and I shot as much as I could. Thanks to a huge turnout, 20 or more volunteers on one day, we finally connected a top-to-bottom trail in 40 Acres of Freedom. It was rough, but it rolled.
To celebrate, we piled 12 bikes into a work truck and had an absolute blast ripping shuttle laps. While I wish I had snapped more photos of those first laps, sometimes you just have to put the camera down and enjoy the ride.”
The next few volunteer days were spent refining the trails, rerouting sections, and finding new connecting lines.
“I’m still stoked to have helped build 40 Acres of Freedom, a zone that marked a turning point in trail design for the Treasure Valley. I made great friends, captured some rad photos that won me the Ride Concepts Dig to Ride photo contest, and created epic memories on my bike.”
The Future of Mountain Bike Trail Building at Bogus Basin
With the success of the first trails in 40 Acres of Freedom and strong support from mountain management, The Basin Gravity Park continues to grow.
Trail revamps and new additions have become annual events, and Cheddar is always dreaming up new ways to connect the existing trail system.
In the summer of 2024, Bogus Basin retired and replaced two more chairlifts that now carry bikes, including one that soars over the Bitterroot Zone.
The Treasure Valley riding scene continues to grow, which means more trails are on the way.
Catch you on the next build.
————————————
This article originally appeared in Volume 2, Issue 2 of Trail Builder Magazine.
Jerrick Montee
Jerrick Montee is an Idaho native who has lived in Boise for around 15 years but has traveled all over the PNW as well. He is a freelance photographer, avid mountain biker, trail building volunteer, and works as a Photo Retoucher at FLY Racing. Jerrick loves spending time with his dog and girlfriend, being outdoors, and working on his car. His passion is capturing the once-in-a-lifetime moments of action sports, mainly mountain biking, snowboarding, skateboarding, and more.
Austin Smith
Cheddar (Austin) Smith moved to Boise, Idaho, 8 years ago to start his marketing and ski area management career. He is the Director of Innovation and Marketing at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, the nation’s largest not-for-profit year-round resort. He managed to merge his career with his passion for action sports, spending his time shaping various scenes both at the resort and in the local community. His passions are ever-expanding, but his current focuses are trail building, mountain biking, snowboarding, skydiving, and continuing to build a life with his boyfriend in Boise.
