THE LIMFAA BIKE PARK

The story began in May 2025. My friend Jeffery reached out and asked if I would be interested in building a bike park in Beijing. I said yes almost immediately. Before that, I had only built two hand-built trails: one in Zhongmensi, Beijing, which is an unofficial trail, and the other at Genting Resort for the GDR downhill race. Designing and building an entire bike park was a huge challenge for me. But as a mountain biker and a racer, challenges excite me.

Jeffery is definitely not the typical rich boss you often see in China, and he is the same age as me. We met about 15 years ago while riding in the mountains, and now he is a successful man. I was surprised when he came to me and said, “Hey Keith, I’ve got a place—do you want to build a bike park?” It felt like a hero shot in a movie, like an adrenaline rush for someone who was almost dying.

Jeffery the guy in the grey T-Shirt brings me to the place

Let’s turn the clock back ten years. I decided to attend university in British Columbia, Canada, because I felt studying in China was too stressful—and mountain biking was way more fun. B.C. has some of the best bike parks and trails in the world. At that time, I believed Whistler Bike Park was the only reason mountain biking skill levels were so high in Canada, but I’ve completely changed my mind since then.

The first place I ever rode in Canada was Coast Gravity Park, which was also a filming location for the movie Arrival. My friend Magnus Manson—who is a professional downhill racer and a Canadian DH champion—was our guide. On my first lap, following Magnus down the trail, I started thinking, “This is not what I’ve seen on the internet. It’s different.” There were so many details everywhere—in the trails, the people, and the culture. That place, and the Sunshine Coast locals, deeply inspired my understanding of trail building, mountain biking, and even how to live. That’s why the trails at LIMFAA Bike Park feel so unique compared to other parks in China.

The LIMFAA Bike Park (40°08'18"N 116°55'21"E) is located at the closest ski resort to Beijing. It’s about a 50-minute drive from where most people live in the city. Designing a bike park here was a serious challenge. Let me explain some of the issues we faced.

First, due to policy restrictions in China, we were not allowed to cut down any trees. Second, we couldn’t use the existing chairlift to shuttle riders, also because of policy. So we decided to build a simple shuttle road, but it occupied the main gentle slope of the mountain. Third, the mountain itself is only 150 meters tall. The top half is extremely steep, with a maximum slope of 82% and an average of 64%. Even though I personally like steep terrain, this is too difficult for most average riders in China. In contrast, the lower section of the mountain is very flat. And there were many more challenges beyond that.

After putting in so much effort, the final outcome turned out quite well. We designed two zones for different rider levels. The top section includes only blue and black trails, while the bottom section features a skill center where riders can easily push their bikes and session features. The main conflict during construction was how to build the top section. My team wanted to use a digger to build all the trails because it’s faster and requires less physical effort. I insisted on building the technical lines by hand. Machines tend to remove natural terrain details, making trails feel boring, and they also have limitations—such as turning radius and maximum climbable slope. I wanted to build something natural, fun, and consistent in rhythm.

Today, we have four trails: one blue technical trail, one red technical trail, one red flow trail, and a double black jump line. The jump line is the icon of the park—and it’s my first big jump line ever.

The jump line is called “Guitar Hero.” It was inspired by the Coastal Cruise trail built by the Coastal Crew. I remember following some of the world’s best riders—Forrest Riesco, Brendan Howey, members of the Coastal Crew, and Brandon Semenuk—down that trail. I wanted to show Chinese riders what an ultimate flow trail could feel like. I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near the true “ultimate flow trail” yet, but I can confidently say it’s currently one of a kind in China. The line has only five jumps, but they include a slow drop, a transfer, a turning step-down, a hip jump, and a straight gap jump.

Words can’t express how grateful I am to my team and to Jeffery. They gave me incredible support and freedom throughout this project. I’m also thankful for all the riders I met in Canada, the USA, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. I believe all of those small experiences helped me take my first real step into trail building.

Near the end of this journey, I watched a trail-building documentary. Someone said that the world throws too many messages at us through the internet, and he wanted to create a place where people could escape from that noise. I feel the same way. I want to create a place where people can inspire each other, fully focus on what they love, and feel genuinely excited.

Now you can come ride every single day, all seasons, at LIMFAA Bike Park.Simply search “中国北京市顺义区良山环一路与良山环南一路交叉口东南240米” on Apple Maps (Google Maps works too).

Let’s ride.

Words: Keith / Mesum

Photos: Keith

Keith

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