WINTER PARK, Colo. — Winter Park Resort will step up its mountain biking presence next summer by adding roughly 10 miles of new trails that will mainly focus on downhill and free-riding.

“There won’t be any climbing. They’re designed to be for coasting and pedal-free,” said Bob Holme, manager for the resort’s bike park and terrain park, and youth-marketing manager.

The idea to expand on the resort’s mountain biking is part of a greater effort to enhance summer activities. The U.S. Forest Service is working with the resort on the project — which is part of the resort’s master development plan — and is currently reviewing the proposal through its environmental assessment.

Holme said the resort and the Forest Service have been working on the mountain bike master plan for three years.

“It’s so great to have it to the point where we start building new trails,” he said. “Anyone who’s been to Whistler knows it’s light years ahead of anybody — it’s an insanely vibrant place in the summertime because of their bike park.

“I see us, in five years, being a scaled-down version of that, and in the long-term, equal to that.”

Holme envisions turning Winter Park into one big bike park, with trails for all types of riders and a lift to access all the trails. The resort’s biking trails will be designed to handle downhill-specific bikes, Holme explained, and will incorporate new jump trails, elevated trails (wooden platforms), new single track, technical single track and more skills areas, along with rollers, banked and sloping turns and downhill BMX tracks.

The Forest Service, the resort and local trail organizations are also working toward building a better connecting trail between the town of Winter Park and the resort. The project is also part of the resort’s master development plan.