Boise Mountain Bike Festival Recap 1

The Boise MTB Festival on September 18th, 2021 brought the local mountain bike community together to celebrate, educate each other, and advocate for all things MTB in the Boise, Idaho area. 

Boise is a special place, and the support of local shops, individuals, and brands that gave of their resources was humbling. The landscape, the willingness of the Boise residents to give back to their community is what makes this region so special. People will want to come to the Boise Mountain Bike Festival because of the good vibes but the focus was on building the local mountain bike community. 

The festival 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, a whip off jam, and a raffle of nearly $15,000 in bikes and gear to raise funds for local trail organizations. 

GROUP RIDES: Mountain biking is about so much more than just going for a ride. The Boise Mountain Bike Fest wants to foster an environment that brings like-minded people and rider types together so the next 364 days of the year there will grow groups of riders with 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 cycling group ride, and riding party laps with Sean McClendon, a former World Cup downhill racer. 

COACHING: Let’s face it. Mountain biking can be 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 by offering multiple classes throughout the day to go over fundamental mountain bike skills. 

CLASSES: The Boise Mountain Bike Festival's focus on education was furthered with help from passionate ambassadors who shared their knowledge about their areas of riding expertise. Jessica Wyman, April Zastrow, and Braydon Bringhurst each taught a class. Jessica Wyman taught on-trail bike maintenance skills, April Zastrow taught a bunnyhop class and then led out a bunnyhop competition. Braydon Bringhurst taught a class on his approach to riding skill development. 

WHIP OFF JAM: We wanted this festival to showcase all the elements of mountain biking and that includes the excitement of flying through the air. Bogus Basin’s Austin Smith worked relentlessly to create a beautiful jump for pre-selected riders to put on a show. Unfortunately, 40mph winds came in and the jump demo had to be postponed. A few shredder’s came back the following week for a fun session to enjoy the jump in all its boosting glory. 

FUNDRAISING/RAFFLE: With upwards of $15,000 in bikes and products to giveaway, it was an exciting time. The total amount is still being tallied, but the estimate of total funds raised is $25,000. We are very grateful to all who contributed. 100-percent of the funds raised from the raffle will 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.

THANK YOU: There are too many to thank individually. The amount of effort from everyone from the incredible volunteers, Vital MTB, Boise Trails, Bogus Basin, all the shops, brands, and individuals, and lastly the attendees that made the sacrifices to donate, be present, or somehow creatively support this festival in these challenging times is much appreciated. THANK YOU! 

The DNA of the Boise Mountain 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 more similar than different, and we are thrilled for the future of this festival. For 2022, 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