Boise MTB Fest Recap

Amazing words of the Boise MTN Bike Fest by Braydon Bringhurst!
The Boise Mtn Bike Festival happened on September 18th, 2021. The Boise mountain bike community came together to celebrate, educate each other, and advocate for all things MTB here in the Boise, Idaho area.
The amount of local shops, individuals, and brands that gave of their resources was humbling. Boise is a special place. The people, the landscape, and the willingness to give back is what make it so special. We are committed to the riders and people in this area. We know people will want to come to this festival because of the good vibes but we are mainly focused on building the local mountain bike community.
The day took place at Bogus Basin Mountain Resort which is making massive efforts to make mountain biking more progressive and inclusive. The day was laid out with group rides, coaching classes, whip off jam, and a raffle of around 15k in product to raise funds for local trail orgs.
GROUP RIDES: We know that mountain biking is about so much more than just going for a ride. We want to foster an environment that brings like minded people and rider types together so the next 364 days of the year there are growing groups of riders in all different riding styles.
The group rides going out at the festival ranged from newest mtb riders all the way to riding with former world cup racers. We had women specific rides, a military veterans group ride, adaptive cycles group ride, and riding party laps with Sean McClendon who is a former world cup downhill racer.
COACHING: Let’s face it. Mountain biking is incredibly dangerous. With the rise in new riders there is more need than ever to get actively involved in sharing riding skills and knowledge. We are so grateful to Kim Cross, Levi Veert, and Kevin Lillywhite for donating their time in offering multiple classes throughout the day to go over fundamental mountain bike skills.
CLASSES: With our focus on education we reached out to some passionate ambassadors to share their knowledge on certain aspects of riding. Jessical Wyman, April Zastrow, and Braydon Bringhurst each taught a class. Jessica Wyman taught about “on trail” bike maintenance. April Zastrow taught a bunny hop class and then led out a bunny hop competition. Braydon Bringhurst taught a class on his approach to skill development.
WHIP OFF JAM: We want this festival to showcase all the elements of mountain biking and that includes the radicalness of flying through the air. Bogus Basin’s Austin Smith worked relentlessly to create a beautiful jump for “pre-qualified” riders to come out and put on a show. Unfortunately, 40 mph winds came in and the jump session had to be postponed. A few shredder’s came back the following week for a fun session to enjoy the jump in all it’s boosting glory.
FUNDRAISING/RAFFLE: With upwards of near $15,000 in product to giveaway it was an exciting time. The total amount is still being added up but the estimate of total funds raised is $25,000. We are very GRATEFUL to all those that contributed to this. The funds raised from the raffle will 100% go towards supporting the local mountain bike organizations, South Western Mountain Bike Association(SWIMBA), Dirt Dolls, Crank Queens, and the Boise Bicycle Project as well as the Grow Cycling Foundation.
The list of “Thank You’s” is too long to list out individually. The amount of effort from everyone from the incredible volunteers, Vital MTB, Boise Trails, Bogus Basin, to all the shops, brands, and individuals, and lastly the attendees that made the sacrifices to donate, be present, or somehow creatively supported this festival in these challenging times is much appreciated. THANK YOU!
The DNA of the Boise Mtn Bike Festival is about building, supporting, and sharing the joy that comes from riding on two wheels no matter what style or preference you enjoy. We are all way more similar than different. We’re thrilled for the future of this festival as next year we plan to turn this into a multi-day event as well as introduce mountain bike racing.
Cheers and Happy Riding,
The Boise Mtn Bike Festival Board
Film/Edit: Derek Weimer - @derek_weimer
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