2023 Summer CB Devo Downhill Program

Crested Butte Devo summer lift-access downhill programming will run for nine weeks starting Tuesday, June 20 thru Friday, August 18.  We will be using the first week that the Crested Butte Resort Bike Park is open for staff training, team building, and communicating program details with our registered families.  Standard CB Devo programming will begin on Monday, June 12 and we will be working hard this first week to get groups established for both our regular and downhill programs.

In the event of lightning and/or poor trail conditions due to thunderstorms, programming will be postponed or canceled and there will be no make-up days offered as we cannot guarantee coach availability after posted program dates.  We will be communicating closely with CBMR staff on all weather and trail conditions so that we are able to keep you all informed to the best of our ability.  Please be sure to sign up to receive the CB Devo DH Team App notifications!!

Please note that all grades are for the 2023-24 school year and that riders will be placed in the group that is the best fit for their ability, which may not always align with their grade.  With the high demand for youth programming in the valley, paired with limited coach availability, CB Devo Downhill programming will follow the same process as our standard programming with pre-registration open from February 20 – March 5, 2023 for 2022 CB Devo participants only.  New applications will be accepted from March 13-26, and you can find this application on the SUMMER PROGRAM REGISTRATION page of our website.  If you have not already subscribed to the CB Devo newsletter, please do so at the bottom of the home page at CrestedButteDevo.com to receive the most current information.  You must complete user registration, and create an account, before you can submit a New Athlete Application.

Our summer CB Devo Downhill programming schedule below has been finalized for the 2023.  Program fees are calculated at a rate of $70/day.

Jr. Devo Boys | Grades 3-5 | Tuesdays ONLY, 9 – 3 pm ($560); NO PROGRAMMING ON TUESDAY, JULY 4

Devo Girls + Boys | Grades 6-8+ | Wednesdays ONLY, 9 – 3 pm ($630)

Jr. Devo Girls | Grades 3-5 | Thursdays ONLY, 9 – 3 pm ($630); one day/week option only due to demand in 2022

All Groups | Fridays 9 am – 3 pm;  Jr. Devo Boys and Devo Girls + Boys can add this additional day for a two/days per week program option.  The two-day/week program fee will be $1,260 for the nine-week season on Wednesday/Friday and $1,190 on Tuesday/Friday (NO PROGRAMMING ON TUESDAY, JULY 4).

Please note these days are in addition to two day/week for those in our Jr. Devo and Devo groups participating in standard CB Devo programming.  We encourage all families to choose wisely when it comes to signing their children up for four days/week of riding bikes – it’s a lot and we try to be mindful of burnout at a young age.  Keep it fun, keep kids riding for life 🙂

Drop-off and pick-up will be at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort Bike Park base area.  Coaches will meet at 8:30 am for our “daily huddle” and we kindly ask that your child is at the base area no later than 8:45 am gearing up.  Our goal is to be READY TO ROLL at 9 am sharp.  Riders are expected to be picked up no later than 3:15 pm at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort base area unless otherwise communicated in advance with CB Devo admin.

We are anticipating a few popular FAQ’s and have listed those below:

• Is it still a requirement for my child to ride with CB Devo two days a week?  YES!  The CB Devo Board of Directors voted unanimously last fall to require all riders in Jr. Devo – Devo (grades 3-8) to participate in two-day/week programming in order for us to best fulfill our mission.  We were finding the demand for two-day a week programming far outweighed one-day programming for most groups and this was leading to fitness/skill disparities among our Jr. Devo groups.  The addition of the downhill day option is intended to better develop safe descending skills with the repetition of lift-service access to bike park trails.
• What will my child/ren learn throughout their day with the CB Devo Downhill Program?  Oh man, we’re SO happy you asked 🙂  Our downhill programming will follow a similar curriculum as our standard programming.  This curriculum includes skill development, as well as trail etiquette, being a kind and respectful teammate, and how to take good care of our bodies.  We are so excited to have the opportunity to teach safe descending skills with the repetition provided by this lift access. Each rider should have an extra tube, a pump, multi-tool and tire lever set as our coaches will be conducting on-trail maintenance clinics to help athletes become more independent with their bike maintenance needs.
• What equipment will be required for downhill programming?  A mountain bike with suspension (full suspension with disc brakes strongly recommended), full-face helmet, goggles or sunglasses, full-finger gloves, knee pads and a chest protector will be required for all blue & black groups with elbow pads strongly recommended.  For green level riders, full-face helmet, elbow pads, and chest protector are not required but are all strongly recommended.  Eye protection, a good fitting half-shell helmet, full-finger gloves and knee pads are required.
• Why is there no programming offered for riders younger than Jr. Devo grade 3?  For the same reason, we offer one-day a week programming for Mini Devo – 2 riders and half-day programming for our Mini Devo – 1 and younger riders, we believe that these riders have so much to learn about the safe fundamentals of mountain biking – such as good vision, body position, and spatial awareness – and this will continue to be our focus with these younger age groups.  Additionally, we want to be absolutely sure that these riders have a solid understanding of good trail etiquette and what it means to be a respectful trail user.  Please note that we will be getting our younger groups on the mountain during their regularly scheduled CB Devo days throughout the season to work on descending skills.
• Is CB Devo Downhill programming for beginners?  We are currently offering downhill, progress-based programming for blue and black level riders only in 2023-24 grades 3 and older.
• Is there drop-in programming available?  Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to manage group dynamics with irregular, drop-in athletes and therefore we do not offer this program option.
• Will there be DH only programming offered at a later date?  In an effort to align downhill programming with the existing CB Devo mission and philosophy, we are very mindful of the importance of commitment, consistency, and quality.  While we will likely have a limited number of DH program only spots available in 2023, we will continue to prioritize safety and our dedication to progress-based programming which are the drivers of every decision we make.

I’m sure I missed something, so please direct any questions related to CB Devo programming to the CB Devo director at [email protected].  Thank you so much!

If you are interested in the Crested Butte Devo High School Race Team, please contact Jenny.