Summer Survival Guide: Best Bike Park Gear of 2025

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We get it: summer can be tough for skiers. Those winter withdrawal symptoms lead to summer survival instincts as we spend more and more days away from our skis, miserably melting in the heat of those long summer days. Luckily, there are a few coping mechanisms we have in our tool kit, like spending days on the river, climbing or running in the high alpine, and ripping singletrack or endless dirt roads on our mountain or gravel bikes.

For me, the easiest and most fun way to get my gravity fix in the summer is by riding bike park laps. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love pedaling my mountain bike on long backcountry rides, but the thrill of ripping downhill on a challenging tech trail or boosting jumps in the trees is just about as good as skiing. Besides, visiting bike parks in the summer is a cool way to spend some time at my favorite ski resorts in a new way.

Bike-park specific gear can be a bit of an investment, especially for those of you just dipping your toes into the lift-access world, but trust me, having the right gear is well worth it. If you’re riding anything more than the occasional day at the bike park, your daily trail riding gear really won't cut it. A full-face helmet, a back protector, and heavier-duty knee and elbow pads are a must-have. Pants and a long-sleeve jersey are also nice to have, and given that you won't be pedaling much (yay, chairlifts!) that extra coverage is well worth it. 

I’m not going to go into specifics on which bikes, components, or other equipment are best here (I suggest you see what the good folks at BIKE Mag have to say about that), this is purely a list of what I’ve found works best for me to wear while riding bike park laps.

Smith Hardline MIPS Full-Face Helmet

Sun Valley, Idaho-based Smith Optics has been leading the game in optics and protection for years, with some of the finest ski goggles and helmets in the game. Of course, they’ve been making bike protection for nearly as long, and their newest full-face helmet the Hardline MIPS checks all the boxes we’ve come to expect from a downhill helmet. The Hardline helmet is the bigger, burlier cousin to Smith’s lightweight enduro-style full-face Mainline helmet, and is much more appropriate for day-in-day-out bike park riding, shuttle laps, or gnarly enduro riding that doesn't require much pedaling. On days where I’m looking for a lighter-weight full-face better suited to big days in the saddle, I’d opt for the Mainline.

Much like Smith’s best ski helmets, the Hardline MIPS is built with Koroyd (lighter, stronger, and safer than traditional helmet foam), features a MIPS liner, and even comes in a premium Carbon Shell option to save additional weight. At 992 grams, this is one of the lighter full-face helmets on the market. 

Out of the box, I find that the Hardline helmet fits on the snugger side, but comes with swappable cheek pads to fine-tune the fit.

Smith Squad MTB Goggles

Don’t be that person who pairs a full-face helmet with sunglasses. You’ll be complaining about dust in your eyes all day long, and those sunglass arms will leave uncomfortable marks on your temples after being smushed by the helmet. There’s a reason mountain bike goggles exist, and Smith also happens to make some of the best of them.

Our favorite option is the Smith Squad MTB or the larger Squad XL MTB, which take the same frame and shape as the Squad snow goggle, ditch the foam insulation, and pair it with a single-pane Chromapop lens. These seamlessly integrate with the Hardline, Mainline, and most other full-face helmets we’ve tried. Both options come in a constantly-rotating list of color options and feature easily-swappable lenses.

POC Oseus VPD Torso Protector

Spend enough time at a bike park, and you’re bound to take a few dirt naps. Crashing is a part of the game, but trips to the hospital don’t have to be. Up your level of protection by investing in and wearing a back and chest protector for downhill laps–there’s a reason all the pros are required to wear them in races and events. Impact protection foam has come a long way in the last few years, meaning back protectors, knee pads, and elbow pads have similarly evolved to become slimmer, lighter, and more comfortable–all while increasing their level of protection. I’ve worn a host of pads over the years and have learned that I’m a big fan of under-jersey chest and back protection. This type of protection puts the impact foam pads into a stretchy spandex-like vest or shirt, allowing for full freedom of movement, better breathability, and a lower-profile look. Turns out I don’t love the stormtrooper exoskeleton look.

POC’s Oseus VPD Torso protector is one of my favorites, both for fit (snug and low-profile) and the amount of protection it provides. I’ve taken a few pretty hard slams wearing this and it sure has saved me. It features removable chest, rib and back pads, plus small lower back pockets to stash a lift pass, a few snacks, and a small tool.

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Dharco Gravity Knee Pads and Gravity Elbow Pads

In my opinion, much like back protectors and a full-face helmet, knee pads are a must-wear in the bike park. The higher speeds, bigger impacts, and higher risk of crashing means you’ll want to up the level of protection compared to a standard trail ride. Knee pads protect you from the ground, but more importantly, they protect your knees and legs from the sharp ends of your bike in the event of a tumble. I don’t usually wear elbow pads, but they’re not a bad call for high-volume days at the bike park.

Australian brand Dharco has been making waves in the mountain bike world these past few years, with eye-catching prints and innovative apparel styles aimed at the DH racing and bike park crowd. This year, they dropped a line of Gravity Knee and Elbow pads that feature the highest level of impact certification (L2) in a flexible, pedal-friendly, and (read: comfortable) package. These types of pads have typically been very bulky and used hard plastic exteriors to achieve their protection rating. Dharco’s Gravity Knee and elbow pads offer a strap-free extended sleeve design that stays in place without any awkward knee pad gap between the pads and shorts or a short-sleeved jersey.

Five Ten Freerider Pro BOA Shoes

Footwear is the final piece to the puzzle when it comes to your mountain bike kit. Personally, I’m a fan of riding flat pedals, and for years, my go-tos have been Five Ten’s Freerider Pro. These marry extremely sticky sole rubber (maximum pedal grip), with a comfortably low-profile shoe that doesn't feel clunky. Five Ten recently released a version of the shoe featuring the BOA Fit System, which solves the only problem I could seem to find with the original version: how to tuck away the laces.

Want a similar shoe designed for clipless pedals? Try the Five Ten Hellcat Pro.

Norrona Fjora Flex1 Pants

Unless it’s literally a billion degrees out, I’m wearing pants at the bike park. Since I’m generally not pedaling, the extra dust and abrasion protection is well worth it. There’s lots of bike-specific brands that have made great bike pants out there, but the ones I’ve loved the most recently came from an unexpected place: Norrona. The Norwegian outdoor apparel brand has long made excellent technical apparel for skiing and climbing, so it’s no surprise that their first venture into mountain biking apparel really knocked it out of the park.

The Norrona Fjora Flex1 pants are the right amount of stretchy, with pockets in all the right places, and baggy-ish fit that tapers around the ankles to prevent getting caught on your bike. I’ve probably ridden over 100 days in them already, and they don’t seem to be showing any signs of wear. They are available in men’s and women’s cuts.

Curious Creatures Sun Dog Shorts

Curious Creatures bills itself as the mountain bike apparel brand that makes “clothes that look like clothes.” In fact, that’s still a pretty rare thing these days in an industry that forever loves to harken back to its awkward adolescence with loud neon jerseys plastered in all kinds of obscene logos. Shaun Palmer was cool in the 90s, let’s move on.

With a small but refined set of men’s and women’s apparel, Curious Creatures accomplishes their mission well, particularly with the Sun Dog riding shorts. These stretchy but low-profile baggy shorts are insanely comfortable for long pedal rides, durable enough for hot bike park days, and don’t look so techy that I wouldn’t wear them to the office after a morning ride or the bar after an all-day epic. They’re simple, look “normal,” and that’s exactly the point. These too, are available, in a men’s and women’s cut.

Related: The 12 Best Ski Resorts for Mountain Biking in North America

Stio Shifter Short Sleeve Shirt

Kind of like those Norrona pants, it’s perhaps no coincidence that my favorite mountain bike jersey was made by a ski brand. WNDR Alpine’s Stasis Tech Tee, while likely hard to find these days, was the perfect hot day riding shirt.

A close second would be the Stio Shifter Short Sleeve Shirt, which offers amazing moisture-wicking breathability, a little extra arm coverage for sun and abrasion protection, and fun style (there's biking cowboys on one version). The loose-fitting collared shirt fits perfectly over a back protector.

Troy Lee Designs Ace 2.0 Gloves

I tend to go through bike gloves faster than any other bike gear I own, but Troy Lee’s Ace 2.0 gloves have somehow outlasted just about anything else I’ve tried. Ironically, these are some of the thinnest gloves I’ve worn, but they won’t seem to give up the ghost. Fine by me.

Related: The Skier's Guide to the Whistler Bike Park

Summer Survival Guide: Best Bike Park Gear of 2025 first appeared on Powder on Jul 25, 2025