Why?  Isn’t it dangerous?  Isn’t it a hassle?  Can’t you not go as fast?  Isn’t it illegal?

            Yes.

            But it can be the only option.  Short winter days bring early sunsets.  Long workdays curse the precious hours of light.  Asinine rules governing our “public” lands unfairly exclude the largest user group.  There are many reasons why night riding can become the only option to get in a good shred. 

Starting a night ride in the twlight is a great way to enjoy a good sunset.

           Often times, a ride at night will foster more camaraderie than it would only a few hours earlier, in the light.  There’s more concern for safety, and thus, more checking.  If a light goes out, a rider must rely on his (or, sometimes, her, but most girls hate riding in the darkness) buddies to lead him home.  There’s less natural distraction.  Jaw-dropping views are hidden… unless a full moon hits a cloudless night, and the view becomes even more spectacular in black and white than in daytime color. 

Shredding down a steep drop.

            Fast descents seem faster and gnarlier than the wildest and loosest runs in the daytime; even if times are longer after nightfall, down hills always feel faster in the dark.

Photos possible thanks to headlights being so bright.

            Animals come and go, but the creatures on night rides are always scarier and heavier than those seen on mellow daytime jaunts.  Skunk, raccoon, fox, bobcat, deer, lion, nightingale, owl, mouse, all are more unexpected with the fall of the sun.  The forest is a busy place, and the dark hours are go-time for the critters. 

           Crashing at night can be an experience one would only like to forget.  Being violently thrown down a mountain, completely blind, hitting whatever might happen to exist within the body’s trajectory, just plain sucks.  This is why I’d like to buy a helmet light.  Crashing blind is sketchy.  It’s hard to get a good idea of where to roll and what to grab onto. 

           There are two good ways to end a night ride: a warm shower and immediately retreating to sleep the rest of the night away, or, and my personal favorite, a crackling fire with some beers.

            Now, dirt biking at night…  That’s a whole other story.   

Photo from downhillnews.com