Slamfest, the annual downhill mountain bike races at Mt. Sima, will feature a new race this year for riders to compete in. Along with the downhill races the 2019 rendition of Slamfest will also have Enduro races.

Enduro racing, in it’s simplest definition, is a type of mountain bike racing where the downhills are timed and the uphills are mandatory but not timed. Riders are timed in stages that are primarily downhill, with neutral transfer stages in between. The transfer stages usually must be completed within a time-limit but are not part of the accumulated time.

Slamfest organizer Joshua de la Salle said Enduro racing is becoming ever more popular in the mountain biking world.

By offering an Enduro race the hope is that it draws more people to the two-day event.

“We are trying to see, by doing an Enduro event if there is a demand for it,” said de la Salle. “We are trying to get more people out.”

The trails used for the Enduro race will be easier than the downhill races.

“The Enduro will have more blue to single black trails,” said de la Salle. “The Lefty Loosey trail used in the downhill is very hard.”

Lefty Loosey, running along the southern boundary of Mount Sima, starts at the top of the mountain as a double black diamond extreme rating but finishes at the bottom with a single black diamond difficulty rating.

It will be the only trail used for the downhill races.

De la Salle already has the Enduro course mapped out for the Aug. 31 race date.

“Riders will take the chairlift up and ride down for stage one which is timed,” said de la Salle. “All three stages will start at the top of the mountain.”

Stage 1: of the Enduro race will be down Sluice Box and Stage 2: will run down Loam and Behold. The third stage will have the riders navigate down Drop the Clutch, which was used last year in the downhill races.

Drop the Clutch is longer than Lefty Loosey and is a machine-built flow trail.

Slamfest, de la Salle said, has already gotten a lot of interest but that it is usually dependant on the weather.

Last year, the conditions were wet, muddy and slippery for the more than 40 riders who competed.

Slamfest was started over 10 years ago and has been held under different club banners. This year it is strictly an independent event.

Slamfest runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. Registration is now open online.