10 For 10
The 10 Best Trails From the Past 10 Years with Brice Shirbach
Photo Credit: Katie Lozancich & Kevin Horstmann
2025 marks my tenth year (10!) as a Pivot Cycles athlete.
This decade with Pivot has been quite formative in many ways, from expanding professional pursuits, to friendships, life goals, and even evolving world views, my affinity and admiration for so many of the people behind the brand cannot be overstated. The same affinity applies to the bikes as well. Having the good fortune to call yourself a Pivot Athlete means getting to throw a leg over the best bikes on the planet, and it’s been quite a treat to witness the evolution of these bikes for the last 10 years.
As the bikes have evolved,
so too have the trails we ride them on, and while a big chunk of my own focus has been on trying to elevate the visibility of advocacy and community surrounding trails, the “rubber to dirt” element is also top of mind when I travel, and a look back at the last decade reveals a glut of incredible trails that I have been lucky experience firsthand. Whether it was a race trip during my early years as a member of the Pivot-Reynolds Enduro Team, or my time as a contributing editor for Pinkbike, various print opportunities, or producing the self-filmed series of Underexposed short films for Pivot today, my life has evolved around and been intrinsically connected to trail riding.
With all of that in mind,
we thought it might be appropriate to celebrate a decade aboard my favorite bikes
by making a list of my favorite trails. This is something of an undertaking, because over the last 10 years I have visited countless communities around the world, and ridden who-knows-how-many different trails. A list like this is a really fun way for me to take a long and purposeful stroll down memory lane, and provides an opportunity to hopefully encourage others to explore parts of the world that perhaps they would not have otherwise.
Before we get into the list of 10 of my all time favorite trails, I think we should establish something out of the gate: The trails on this list are purely a reflection of my own personal preferences as a rider. There is a trail spectrum that ranges from the life or death terrain found in the southwestern Utah desert as seen at events like Red Bull Rampage, to ultra wide corridored machine-built flow, to rake and ride, to rustic hiking trails, gravel roads, and so on. I tend to like ‘em fast and steep, with bonus points added for duffy or loamy dirt. However, I am also a firm believer in the old adage “variety is the spice of life”, and I think you’ll find a healthy mix represented throughout my list.
Beyond the style of trail design as well as the terrain itself,
there are additional factors that went into this list for me.
First impressions are important, but how much fun is a trail even when it becomes familiar? Is the trail a standalone masterpiece, or is it a part of a larger network of amazing trails? Is it simply one single trail, or a top-to-bottom ride that involves multiple trails? Do the views add to the experience? In truth, none of those factors stand above the others as a singular requirement for this list, rather they reflect the inherent challenge of defining the traits that go into what makes a great ride, well, great.
Oh and two more things: Every year is an opportunity to explore new zones and ride new trails, so while this list is a reflection of my honest feelings, it will in all likelihood be something of a moot point in another year and beyond, as I continue to see more of the world and revisit a few of my own favorite corners of the globe. Also, I will not be mentioning any trails that are not fully above board, so to speak. With all of that being said, here is my best attempt at organizing my thoughts around the 10 best trails I have ridden…so far.
Honorable Mentions (in no order):
Brown Pow, Bellingham, WA- Brown Pow is a rad trail. It drops you 1,700 feet over the course of 2 ½ miles through some classically beautiful PNW forest. It also is a Bellingham stand-in for me, as 70% of what I’ve ridden in Bellingham is not particularly legal, so Brown Pow gets the nod here.
Kandagnar, North Conway, NH- North Conway is kind of like the Squamish of New England, with tons of progressive and purpose built trails, granite slabs galore, and loamers in every direction. Kandagnar is the cornerstone trail for this community.
Teocali Ridge, Crested Butte, CO- It’s a grunt and a half to get up to the top of, but “Teo” more than rewards you for the effort.
Mclovin, Harlow Lake Trails, Marquette, MI- Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has so much going for it, and the trails at Harlow Lake are quietly my favorite in the region. McLovin is the best of them all.
Ollweite Line, Solden Bike Republic, Solden, Austria- When I visited Solden, Austria back in 2019 for a Pinkbike piece, I was blown away by so many of the trails there. 6 years later, this is the trail that I keep thinking about.
10: Kitsuma, Old Fort, NC
Pisgah National Forest has a multitude of trail networks throughout its nearly half million acres and three separate ranger districts. It has become a bit of a “mecca” in the Southeastern United States, with several world cup athletes calling it home, a handful of bike parks popping up, and is homebase for a few notable MTB and cycling brands. There’s a lot to love about Pisgah, but for me Kitsuma just strikes a chord in ways few other trails do. It’s long, fast, physical and fun. It drops down one of the largest escarpments on the east coast, and is about as quintessential Pisgah as it gets.
Watch the video HERE.
9: Machete, Buen Camino Bike Park, Costa Rica
This is a hard one to explain. In March of 2024 I spent 10 days in Costa Rica, and I loved every second of it. From the cloud forests to the jungles and everything in between, it was truly an eye-opening experience. If I’m being honest, it was a bit of a blur because we covered so much ground so quickly, so identifying any single trail from that trip is tough because it all kind of blends together, but my day filming on Machete was a standout. It is a nearly perfect combination of purpose built and natural tech, with deep powdery corners that make you feel like you’re truly surfing the dirt, perfectly built senders that allow for loads of creativity, and a leisurely 20 minute pedal from bottom to top so you can rinse and repeat as much as you desire.
Watch the video HERE.
8: Super G, Sentiers Du Moulin, Lac Beauport, Quebec
10 years ago, the trails surrounding Quebec City were something of a “hidden gem”, aside from the Quebecois themselves and a few adventurous Vermonters, not a whole lot of people were tuned in to the trail development north of the New England border. Well, those days are gone and the secret is out, so to speak. I’ve spent the last decade becoming well acquainted with those trails, and in some ways, this selection is kind of representative of the region as a whole, as on any given day I could easily say there are a handful of trails from this part of the world that are inside of my top 10. But I always come back to Super G at Sentiers du Moulin. It’s almost entirely bedrock and slab for the first half of the trail, and it might be the single most rewarding trail for pushing the pace on this list. Finding your flow state here is a gift.
Watch the video HERE.
7: Bug Springs, Mount Lemmon, AZ
The American Southwest is chock full of bucket list locales, and Arizona in particular is home to several. For me, Mount Lemmon outside of Tucson stands above the rest of the country’s bottom left corner. Lemmon is a “sky island”, a reference to the numerous habitats that exist from base to peak on the towering mountain ranges found across southern Arizona. As an example, the top of Mount Lemmon is actually home to a massive Aspen grove, while at the base of the mountain you’ll find towering Saguaro Cacti. Bug Springs is right in the middle, and is quite possibly my favorite trail anywhere in the American Southwest. It is the total embodiment of “all mountain” riding, with high speed sections, slower technical sections, steep and technical moves, a bit of pedaling, and incredible flow. It also offers jaw dropping views from top to bottom as the trail takes you through a transition zone from sub-alpine to high desert. It’s a masterpiece.
Watch the video HERE.
6: Lil Sumpin to Plum Line, Mad River Valley, VT
I love Vermont. More than just about any other place on Earth. I love the total sensory experience throughout the tiny New England state. The dirt is perfect. The trailbuilders might be the best in the country. Swimming holes are life. Maple syrup. Cheese. Okay I’m glitching out here. I think sometimes the smaller scale of east coast mountains can be seen by some as a detriment, but I have never looked at it that way. While the mountains in New England are generally much more modest in comparison to their western counterparts, it’s the depth of the valleys that really sets the tone here. The Mad River Valley is a perfect example of Vermont’s beauty. This selection is technically two different trails, but Lil Sumpin finishes ⅔ of the way down Plum Line, so I’m counting it as one. This descent utilizes a steep ridgeline adjacent to Lincoln Peak in Waitsfield, VT, and incorporates several steep slab lines, incredible loam, high speed and playful terrain, and a touch of exposure to keep things honest. It’s Vermont’s version of big mountain riding, and I love it.
5: Speakeasy, Whiskey Run Trails, Bandon, OR
Oregon’s coast might be the most visually stunning part of the contiguous United States. It’s a ceaseless clash between two forces of nature: land and sea. That clash has shaped the landscape in truly unique and breathtaking ways, with precipitous coastal mountains that lead directly to a rugged coastline with jagged rock formations accenting all 360+ miles of the state’s shoreline. Mountain biking in this part of the world is a treat, with temperate rainforests full of deep, duff-filled soil, trees dripping with glowing green lichen, and year-round riding due to the Pacific Ocean’s constant regulation of the weather.
There’s a lot to love about riding Oregon’s coastline from top to bottom, but the crown jewel of it all are the Whiskey Run trails in Bandon, and there’s one trail in particular I find myself obsessing over: Speakeasy. It starts in a clear cut section with a view of the Pacific, taking riders down a series of jumps that get progressively larger before entering a dark and deep section of timber at a high rate of speed through incredible corners and loamy slashers. Every single second on this trail is good fun.
Watch the video HERE.
4: Hush to OG, Mount Mahony, Powell River, BC
I’m sure there are people who will look at this list and wonder why Whistler and/or Squamish aren’t represented, and that’s because I have never actually ridden at either of those places. I’ve spent a lot of time in British Columbia, but never those particular locations. I have been to Fernie, the North Shore, Vancouver Island, and the Sunshine Coast, and while trails from each of those spots were definitely in consideration for this list, to me it was always going to be a trail on Mount Mahony that took it. Mahony is a towering coastal mountain that sits above the quaint community of Powell River, located on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation. I love all of the trails here. A lot. It’s entirely possible that collectively, they might be my favorite network of trails on the planet, but Hush to OG is the top-to-bottom run that speaks to me most directly. It’s clear by now that steep and loamy trails are the keys to my heart, and this run epitomizes that. You’re so active throughout this descent, whether it’s braking control, or the bike body separation, or committing to some amazing senders, it has it all.
Watch the video HERE.
3: La Culebra, Lake Antitlan, Guatemala
When I went to Guatemala in 2022 to work on a Sight Unseen film, I went in with a pretty open mind. It was easy to do so when you consider the scarcity of available media around mountain biking in this Central American country. That’s not to say I wasn’t excited, because I was very much so. In fact, it was due largely to the fact that so much of the trip was something of an unknown. It was truly the perfect embodiment of the entire Sight Unseen conceit: the joy that comes from exploring trails in an unfamiliar part of the world.
The trip proved to be at the top of a short list of adventures for me. The trails were stellar, if not mostly rustic. The landscape was breathtaking. But above everything else, it was the warm and vibrant culture that set this trip apart for me. The ride down La Culebra combines all of that. It’s an amazing ride down an extremely precipitous escarpment to Lake Antitlan, offering up high speeds with technical sections and a bit of exposure while taking in incredible vistas of the Guatemalan landscape. The real highlight of this ride is the final ¼ mile or so that takes you through the town of Santa Catalina Palopo, where crowds of kids are there to greet you and cheer you on as you make your way down steep stairs and through narrow corridors before ending in the town square. It is pure magic.
Photo credit: Kevin Horstmann
Watch the video HERE.
2: Hard Style, Mount Peg, Woodstock, VT
We have already established my love for the Green Mountain State on this list and I’ll be honest, I tried to avoid having multiple trails come from the same general region, but for such a small state, Vermont sure has a lot of world class trails. The town of Woodstock is a great example of how big things can come in small packages, as the community itself is home to only 3,000 people, but still manages to boast three separate but brilliant trail networks in town: Saskadena Six, The Aqueduct, and Mount Peg.
I love all three of these places and on any given day might swap this pick out for another trail from any of those networks, but Hardstyle on Mount Peg might be, in my estimation, peak purpose built trail design and construction. Gavin Vaughn is the architect of much of what makes Woodstock such a brilliant place to ride bikes, but this trail in particular is quite possibly the most pound-for-pound fun trail I have ever ridden. Ever. It’s not even a mile long and only drops you 500 feet from top to bottom, but is densely packed with features, from doubles, to step downs, step ups, crispy corners and picture perfect loamy singletrack in between, I can’t imagine NOT loving every moment you spend on this trail. Maybe it’s not the biggest or longest trail in the world, but that just means that once you get to the bottom, it’s easy enough to get back up to the top for some repeat efforts.
Watch the video HERE.
1: Molden, Sognefjord, Norway
I’ll admit that numbers 2-10 on this list are subject to change at any given moment, but this one isn’t. In July of 2023 I, alongside friends and frequent collaborators Katie Lozancich and Drew Bennett, as well as my wife Megan and Drew’s now fiancee Lauren, took a trip to Norway for a week of filming for what would prove to be the most ambitious Sight Unseen production to date. The film centered around the fjord-filled region of Sognefjord and was, to date, the single coolest mountain bike trip I’ve ever been on.
For most of my life, Norway had occupied the very top of my proverbial bucket list, so having the opportunity to tick that box was hard to wrap my brain around. Everything we rode was stellar, but one trail in particular stands above everything else for me. Period. Molden Mountain is a 3,661 foot tall behemoth overlooking the Lusterfjord and surrounding fjordlands. I’m limited in my ability to adequately articulate how it feels to be on that mountain, whether its shouldering the bike for the 3 hour hike-a-bike up the southern aspect, the life-altering views available from virtually every corner of the summit, or the 3,661 foot descent down the northern aspect of this Norwegian sentinel, but every inch of your being is humming with electricity throughout this experience. It’s something I’ve never felt before, and until I return–and I will return–I’m not sure I will ever feel anything quite like it. But hey, that’s why we keep riding. You never know what the next trail holds.
Watch the video HERE.
Photo Credit: Katie Lozancich
Keep up with Brice and his adventures vis his Instagram HERE.
