Going to my first bike camp next week~!

[Sheena]

I signed up for the dirtseries bike camp in Park City June 14-15.

I can't wait! I desperately need to learn some skills! Specifically riding over obstacles, and riding up obstacles. I am getting pretty good at the riding down drops (as long as they are not real big - meh, I sound like such a wimp)

According to the schedule, they do some sort of skills training in the morning, and then a ride in the afternoon. I am a little worried about the afternoon ride 1) because I am a slow biker 2) because I am not in the most fabulous shape and get winded on all but the short climbs.

Definitely looking forward to it though!

Anyone have any good experiences with this camp or any others?

 

[altagirl]

You will be totally fine! Just make sure you tell them what you're looking for in the survey. Some of the groups are more XC oriented (girls with big lungs who aren't into technical stuff but love to climb) and some are more DH oriented (girls like us who climb for the fun stuff on the way back down and want to learn more technical skills but aren't into big or fast climbs).

I did the camp last year and I just found out I'll be helping out during the weekday camp this year. So that should be fun!

Don't worry about it - just go and be prepared to learn. They have TONS of good info that will help your riding so much. And it's great to get coaching from other women who can really explain what they're doing. PLUS - it's very confidence inspiring because you'll start small and work your way up to bigger obstacles/drops. And the biggest key IMO is that if you're not doing it just right on the smaller obstacles they will tell you NOT to try the bigger ones until you get it right. Whereas when you're with guys they tend to tell you "you can do it" on just about everything in the world... the women coaching the camp are honest and careful and will tell you no, keep working on the small one. To me - that builds trust. Once you see that, when they tell you to do the bigger one you know they're not just saying it - they can see you've gotten the skill down.

And it's a great bunch of women - you'll have a blast!!

 

[Consuela]

Wow, this looks so awesome! You go, girl! Looks like they break the afternoon rides into different groups, so just be your wonderful self.

Thanks for sharing this info. I didn't even know this existed. They were just here in Santa Cruz in early May. sigh... maybe I can remember it for next year.

Closest I have planned this season is:

• Mini Switchback clinic this Friday evening
• 4 hour skills clinic in Tahoe with some GFs followed by our own DH ride at Kirkwood

Will you repost afterwards and tell us about all the cool things you learn?

 

[altagirl]

Come on out for the Utah one!

 

[altagirl]

And here's my write-up from last year:

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=317175&highlight=dirt+series+camp

It's like you wrote it! ;)

 

[geargrrl]

I go to one up in BC that uses a lot of the same coaches/format/teaching. The first year it really changed my biking life... for the better. Go have fun!!!!

I recommend flat pedals if you don't have them, and arm/leg protection. That was you can fall over a lot and not get scraped up.
The Canadians require it! Flats, becuase for some of the stuff you may be working on clips are just a nuisance.

 

[abc]

According to the schedule, they do some sort of skills training in the morning, and then a ride in the afternoon. I am a little worried about the afternoon ride 1) because I am a slow biker 2) because I am not in the most fabulous shape and get winded on all but the short climbs.

Worry? No! Worrying and mountain biking doesn't mix well!

You really don't need to worry about the "slow" part. In fact, try NOT to go out too hard at the begining trying to "keep up". Just do your own pace. It's a camp, not a race.

It's not too late to get your road bike out this weekend to do a bunch of hill repeats or a couple of long climbs, SLOWLY. It'll give you the comfidence that you CAN climb, if albeit slowly. The muscles are there, it just need to be awaken.

It's a well known issue for us bikers who're also skiers we have a late start of our biking season because we're too busy skiing! So just go out there and have fun. You'll learn a lot. Enjoy it!

You just reminded me I should do one sometime soon. The last camp I went to was many years ago. It's time this old dog need to learn a few new tricks!

 

[geargrrl]

oh yeah, about that slow thing.

Don't even try to push. The first year I did camp, I had an odometer on my bike. We did 7miles just going in circles around the skills course, before lunch, never mind the ride....

 

[SnowHot]

Oh, Volklgirl wanted me to sigh up for something like this, I think, but its a weekend of my family's annual get together.

I can't wait! I desperately need to learn some skills! Specifically riding over obstacles, and riding up obstacles. I am getting pretty good at the riding down drops (as long as they are not real big - meh, I sound like such a wimp)

I'd love to hear how it goes on these skills. Please follow up with some feed back!

 

[Sheena]

Oh, I will definitely write back here after the camp.

After reading Alta girls write up, I am even more excited.

 

[Jilly]

For the Ontario Diva's there is a camp at Blue Mountain through Flygurlz. But you need your own bike!

 

[volklgirl]

Oh Sheena, I'm soooo excited for you!! No matter how fast or fit you are, you'll have a wonderful time and learn LOTS! I took a mini clinic last year after my accident and it really rebuilt my confidence level as well as giving me new skills. Report back, and take LOTS of pics for us!

For the Ontario Diva's there is a camp at Blue Mountain through Flygurlz. But you need your own bike!

When? Do you have info????

 

[abc]

Another one for Ontario. Camp Fortune outside of Ottawa.

 

[Consuela]

And here's my write-up from last year:

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=317175&highlight=dirt+series+camp

It's like you wrote it! ;)

Nice! I love your review! When I go, I can just cut and paste your review and put my picture on it. hehehe

So, have you ever been to the co-ed one?

 

[altagirl]

Nice! I love your review! When I go, I can just cut and paste your review and put my picture on it. hehehe

So, have you ever been to the co-ed one?

Nope - just that one. But after babbling about it so much and planning Whistler trips.... I do have my husband and male friends convinced to try it if it matches up with our trip to Whistler this fall.

 

[volklgirl]

My morale booster

Here's my write-up on the clinic I went to last year (it was very informal and FREE! Does it get any better than that?). I copied it rather than linking to the thread because it was on the tail end of my accident story . If you're just dying to see that it's here, otherwise, here's the clinic:

Man it feels great to be back on the bike for real now.

This weekend I went to the coolest clinic. It was called "BARF at the Park" (Becoming A Radical Freerider at Lakeshore Park). It was geared toward cross country riders that wanted to learn to bunny hop, track stand, ride logs, ride skinnies, and jump. I got my first try at wearing armor too! It was the perfect thing for me to get my Mojo back.

Matt set up the first learning area on a wide, grassy, slightly sloped area of the park. We started with trying to learn the track stand (where you remain upright on the bike but without travelling forward), then moved on to learning to lift our front wheels over these teeny little chunks of logs he had set up. Then we worked on lifting the front wheel followed by the back wheel, then hopping over them in one shot. We continued to work on that individually while we waited our turn at the next obstacle....a 12" skinny platform that was 12" off the ground. Here's video of the lesson:
https://tenmilemedia.com/Video/BARF.wmv

Next, we headed out to the pump track. It's a small square area with well-packed humps and berms - by pushing down on the back sides of each hump along the edges of the square and riding high on the berms around each corner, you can actually make laps around it without ever pedalling. It's the most grueling upper body workout I've had in a VERY long time. 3 Laps each time I tried it was all I could manage :o .

Next, we headed for "The Crater" - here's the first picture:
https://www.mmba.org/gallery/lakeshore/Look_Back_Crater
This is looking back at the exit from a ways away. Near the back edge of the picture....You drop into the crater, ride under the fallen tree, then usually have enough speed to jump out . Here's a picture that almost shows you how steep the entrance is: https://www.mmba.org/gallery/lakeshore/Dan_Crater

Next we did a few small downhill rock gardens (piece of cake ;) ) then we headed for this pair of log piles:
https://www.mmba.org/gallery/Lakeshor...k_skill_area_1
The pile is the foreground is about knee-high (1 1/2-2 feet?), then you can either hit the by-pass bridge on the right, or hit the next log pile on the left. The picture is VERY deceptive! There's actually only about 2-3 bike lengths between the piles, and the second pile was about waist high on me (3-3 1/2 feet?). We all looked that 2nd log pile over and walked it before riding it. The 3 guys that were instructing stood on the tree or on stumps on either side as "spotters" in case someone didn't make it. I had to bail on my first attempt because I just didn't have enough speed to make it to the top. On my second try I made it with no problems.

All-in-all, it was an impressive event that gave me plenty of stuff to work on. Making the skinny and the log piles really helped me get my confidence back....it was just what I needed.

__________________

 

[tradygirl]

This thread makes me sad. :(

I wanted so badly to do the dirt series camp with y'all this year, but alas, the budget did not cooperate. I'll just have to learn by osmosis from all you girls over the rest of the season. :D I still remember just the few little pointers that AG gave me last season after she did the camp that really helped my trail riding. I'm saving up and going next year for sure!

AG - In the meantime, if you're ever going up to I-street and want to work on cornering, I'm itching to get up there on my IH. I'm not really thrilled about working on jumping yet, by I'd love to start really drilling the technique stuff while I'm still healing up!

 

[tradygirl]

Another note along the lines of slow, comfortable progression...

I was reading an interview with Canadian downhillers Claire Buchar and Katrina Strand a while back and I LOVED Kat's tips, especially #9. I think it's important to stay within your comfort level until you're confident and ready to push yourself. Now I have a good reason to tell the boys NO! :D

Kat's Top Tips for Freeriders

1. Don't forget your front brakes. "Front brakes have a lot more power than rear brakes. Different conditions require slightly different braking techniques but, for the most part, start by using both brakes evenly."

2. Learn to modulate braking with one finger. "If your brakes are set up properly there's a range of dynamic control between open and locked. One-finger braking allows you to keep most of your fingers on the bar and therefore have more control. It's usually a matter of having your levers in the right position for your hands."

3. Lower your seat on descents. "When you're descending, you don't need your seat, so it's better to get it out of the way. This makes it easier to move the bike around underneath you for counterbalancing."

4. Develop a neutral downhill body position. "Ideally, you're looking up, your pedals are parallel to the ground, you have a slight bend in your arms and legs, your shoulders are over your bar, and there's flexion in your hips. When descending, you need to shift your hips back, but not your entire body. If you move your torso back and lock out your arms, you lose control over the front end."

5. Use flat pedals. "When you're using flat pedals, you can't cheat. So you learn to do things the right way. They also make it easier to bail out of a situation if necessary."

6. Wear armor. "Protect yourself, and you'll be more likely to get up from the inevitable crash and keep riding. Full-face helmets, shin and knee pads, and elbow pads are critical."

7. Learn how to manual. "You can use this technique [pushing the front wheel up and out in front of you] when handling dips, going off drops and clearing obstacles. It's something you should practice all the time."

8. Look and lean. "When it comes to cornering, no two corners are the same. The basic idea is to 'look and lean.' Look through the turn not only with your eyes, but also your torso, and lean the bike into the corner while counterbalancing with your body."

9. Take baby steps. "The most important piece of advice I can give is to ride within your level. If you take baby steps, the chances of hurting yourself are much lower. Once in a while you'll take a huge step and your confidence level will go way up."

 

[Consuela]

Anyone got the manual down (wheelie w/out pedaling)? Any tips? And how does the back brake play into that?

Thanks,
Connie

 

[altagirl]

Oh, good stuff. My favorites from this past weekend are:

1. Don't forget your front brakes. "Front brakes have a lot more power than rear brakes. Different conditions require slightly different braking techniques but, for the most part, start by using both brakes evenly."

Bountiful is excellent for this. If you use much rear brake at all, your bike slides all over the place. It takes some courage at first, because it's so dang steep and loose - the key is more front brake and less rear brake. After years of everyone telling you that too much front brake makes you endo... it's hard to convince yourself to do that at first. Until you realize you can stay in control through those crazy steep corners when your tires aren't locked up. The front brake endo comes from grabbing too much front brake too suddenly, not just from using it at all.


4. Develop a neutral downhill body position. "Ideally, you're looking up, your pedals are parallel to the ground, you have a slight bend in your arms and legs, your shoulders are over your bar, and there's flexion in your hips. When descending, you need to shift your hips back, but not your entire body. If you move your torso back and lock out your arms, you lose control over the front end."

That's part two. Also because Bountiful is so steep, you tend to get your weight back. But when you don't have your head and shoulders forward and up over the front wheel, you don't have enough weight on the front wheel to keep from washing out of corners. So unless you're in the middle of going over a rock or something that you need to manual/wheelie over to keep from dropping your front tire in a hole... keep that weight forward enough to really weight the front tire. If it's smooth - keep some weight forward, not matter how steep it is.