From B-Lines to Black Trails: Leveling Up at Keystone with VNTRbirds
- VNTRbirds
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Why VNTRbirds
When I’m thinking about working on my bike skills and confidence, I typically prefer a femme centered space. Why? Because I’ve had a lot of bike experiences where male friends and partners say things like, “Just get your butt back and hang on.” Or, I’ll ride with a group and they just tear off and leave me on a steep techy trail and I can’t ride anything because I’m so worried I’ll fall and nobody is there to support or help me. Feel familiar?!
I started riding bike parks a couple of years ago and I wanted to gain more confidence on steep and technical terrain. I could live out my life riding flow trails all day, but sometimes, you have to work on the hard stuff so you can get down the tricky sections. When I saw the VNTRbirds Steep + Tech clinic at Keystone, geared specifically toward intermediate and advanced riders, I knew I needed to sign up.
I’d seen a couple flyers and emails from VNTRbirds but I wasn’t sure about the vibe. Though, when I arrived I felt so welcomed and included, yet it was a chill, low-key and professional. I don’t love the ‘cheer-squad’ vibe of some femme clinics, but VNTRbirds hits the spot with encouragement and support without needing to cover absolutely everything with glitter. And I need to shout out the legendary goodie bags! Instead of an ill-fitting t-shirt made in a sweatshop, VNTRbirds has curated a group of sponsors to fill up these bags with thoughtful pieces you will actually use. And I am already using everything (yes, everything) in the swag bag. Most of it came in handy during the clinic: Smartwool socks, Sunbum lip balm and sunscreen, Mountain Flow chain lube, a high quality water bottle, and the list goes on from big brands to local companies.
Support
I received a partial scholarship for the clinic. I was in a tough spot in my personal life and money was a challenge. I wanted to do something for myself, and the scholarship helped me be able to make it happen and get myself to the clinic! It meant so much to me that a femme-centered organization would help me find some joy, and they had never even met me!
Group and Standout Moments
Riding with a group of women all in full-face helmets, on big travel bikes was amazing. We got some serious trail credit. Other riders stood back and let us go first down the trail. That has never happened to me at the bike park, where people are usually jostling to try drop in before me (maybe because I look like and am a middle-aged mom)?! Not to mention that moms can shred too, just check out my coach, Uri Carlson!
I had a couple of proud standout moments: when I rode a dry and loose, steep berm followed by a rock drop. My confidence from there lead me into the peek and push to drop over an extremely steep wooden drop, and finally all the scary black trails our coaches guided us down not just in one piece, but with smiles on our faces!
Terrain
I usually avoid techy sections (b-line devotee over here) and loose, steep terrain. When I found myself riding down what I can only describe as a loose gravel river, I was able to embrace the skid! I could even find the flow on tight rocky terrain that used to lead me to dismount and walk my bike out. A huge bonus of the clinic and working with the VNTRbirds coaches is that I was never pressured to ride any feature. It was always my choice, from start to finish, and nobody goaded me into trying anything that I wasn’t feeling secure about.
Looking forward
Since the clinic I’ve ridden with friends and some of those tricky sections I usually get caught up on seemed so small and insignificant. Instead of hoping I hit the right line and brave my way through It, I knew how to approach them and pick my line choice throughout the section.I made a decision based on how I felt and then rode on down them with no problem. Now I know I can ride those features, and I’ll find my flow a little more next time. I recommended VNTRbirds to a friend new to mountain biking. I am confident she’d have a great experience.
I feel so much more confident about going to the bike park and now I have a bunch of friends who want to ride the lift-serviced terrain! I’m stoked that we all have the skills and experience to go out there and keep it low, loose, and looking forward thanks to VNTRbirds!
Louise Bordelon, PhD (she/her) is an assistant professor of landscape architecture at University of Colorado - Denver. She publishes on topics around mountain biking, specifically barriers to women's participation in mountain biking and other sports associated with risk and fear. She also works in the realm of cultural landscapes, specifically, national parks, the invention of nature, and 'natural' places. Louise actively practices disturbia through rewilding the suburban landscape and displays a keen interest in urban ecology, biodiversity, and pollinator pathways.
