# TR: Dirt Series Women's Bike Camp - Park City



## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

They've done these camps for a while in BC and I think CA and WA, but this was the first year in Utah (Park City). 45 women attended and there were 55 more on the waiting list! So hopefully next year they'll do more than one here, but regardless, register early. I know a bunch of ladies who wanted to attend and didn't get to.

They divide you into groups based on questionnaires that you fill out ahead of time. Then we broke down into 5 groups for the morning session and worked on various skills. (Manuals, straight line riding and teeter totters, drops, braking...) and then rotate you through. Sat afternoon you break into 8 groups and do an XC ride. Saturday evening they have classes on bike setup and maintenance. Sunday you pick which skills to work on in the morning and then do a lift served ride in the afternoon. Some of the groups were more XC oriented and just went on XC rides again on Sunday afternoon. They also had an excellent selection of Rocky Mountain demo bikes, body armor, flat pedals, full face helmets, etc. available so the women who normally just ride XC were able to try new gear that helps you step it up comfortably.

I've been working on manualling lately, and I've been racing DH for about 5 years, but I've never really done much in the way of stunts, other than little baby teeter totters and such. The camp really had something for everyone, and there were women there who were pretty new to riding and others who have been riding for 20+ years.

We started off by breaking into groups to work on skills. My group worked on Manuals first. Up until maybe a year or two ago, I always figured manualling was something trials guys did, and the guys I know always said it's really hard, just try to wheelie instead. (FYI, it's when you pop the front end of the bike up and are riding on the rear wheel - not the same as a wheelie because in a wheelie you pedal, in a manual you coast and just shift your body weight to get the loft). Anyway, it's probably the most useful skill you can learn for trail riding and I've been working on it for a few months. A wheelie requires getting in the right gear, timing the pedal stroke, etc. A manual just takes a shift of your weight and you can pop over a rock, log, whatever, and you can also use it to roll off a drop and land with your wheels even - much more useful. So we started doing them on flat pavement, and then moved on to dropping off boxes in a manual. The trick there is that you have to time it right, but it's great to work on landing smoothly.

Next we worked on tight cornering. Think super tight switchbacks. They set up a series of cones and rope on the ground to simulate a tight trail and we worked on how to get around a corner tight enough you can't just roll it at normal speed (without cutting off the corner with your rear wheel anyway). I've known that ratcheting your pedals and inching around in a near track-stand lets you tighten your turning radius, but it never occurred to me before to keep the inside pedal forward. That made a huge difference in not having to dab.

My group then switched over to straight line riding. Sounds easy, right? They started us on a couple of boards that you rode onto and tried to stay on. Then they added a section in the middle so you'd ride up, then down the other side, and then raised it some more. It's mostly just a matter of taking sufficient speed and looking ahead. We learned how to dismount off a skinny in an emergency. Then we tried the teeter-totters, which was fun, and then a ramp on a corner. Nothing super challenging or dangerous, but enough to work on the basics and get you comfortable with how to do it (committment and thinking happy thoughts being key...)

Then we worked on rolling drops, which was fun. I've been comfortable doing that for years, but the coach added in a few key elements. She called it "Pause, Peek, Push". Which is a good idea. When you're riding a new trail, see a dropoff but can't tell what it is or if it's rollable, you roll up and pause, look over the edge, and assuming it looks rideable, push the bike out in front of you to roll down. She then stacked the boxes up to make it higher and added a stick at the bottom so it was like a steep roll down in the middle of a switchback (which we practiced later at Deer Valley on the trail). So again, fairly basic stuff, but with those couple extra elements to make it safer and just make you feel more confident when you see that on the trail.

For the afternoon, we split up into groups and went on an XC ride. This wasn't my favorite part, though we were on a fun trail and our coach did a great job of stopping to go over climbing techniques, and bike-body separation while cornering. Good info, but the XC ride just takes up a lot of time that I'd rather have spent working on more drills and such.

That evening they had an IMBA presentation, and classes on bike maintenance and setup. Unfortunately I had to leave a little early, but it sounds like that was all good stuff too. Before we left, we picked two skills classes to attend in the morning. So Sunday we showed up, split into our chosen classes and got working. I took the bunny-hopping class, which was the "real" bunnyhopping, not just springing up with both wheels off the ground. see: http://www.bmxbasics.org/new/bmx0703.html Basically, it's a manual, very quickly transitioned into a rear wheel lift, resulting in lofting your front wheel up, then pulling the rear tire up so you can clear obstacles. This isn't easy to learn. While I have no problem with the manual and no problem with the rear wheel lift - connecting the two together feels like doing the worm on the ground but... on your bike in mid-air. Heh. I finally got a little one and Utsnowgirl got a good one, but it'll take practice for us to get them consistently. It's one of those things my husband learned as a kid and his instruction was always... "Just do it." Thanks. Very helpful...:skep: So it's nice to learn from girls who had to figure it out too!

We broke for lunch and all got some really cool give-aways, and then all headed out to do some lift served riding. This section was great. My group went out to Deer Valley with Lisa Sher (who is wonderful!!) and we rode Homeward Bound (stopping on the stunts to try things out), and then Aspen Slalom to work on those technical tight switchbacks. It was nice to put things together. I just wish we had time to do some more lift served riding, Well, and I'm bummed I didn't get to ride with Catzilla (except for her trials lessons in the parking lot after we were done. I'm now totally inspired to learn to track stand and hop around on one wheel like she can - she's totally amazing!)

So anyway - I totally recommend this for, well, pretty much everyone. Even if a lot of the skills are review for you, there was always some tip or trick that I'd never given any thought to before. The adjustments to my body positioning during high speed cornering, for example, I think will really help with racing. And all the beginner ladies I talked to had a great time as well, and progressed a lot.

And while you can read about how to do all this stuff, there's nothing like getting feedback from women who really know what they're doing. The coaches have diverse backgrounds and every one of them has tons of experiences to share and help any rider improve. Not to mention, they're all really good at explaining and teaching what they're doing (likely 1000x better than your husband or guy friends just telling you to "do it".) Watching them demo stuff, getting input on what you're doing, etc. are all super helpful. It's really a great deal considering the coaching (not to mention the free stuff!) Anyway - that ended up being quite a novel, but go! It's fun!!


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Hey Connie, I'm glad you posted all that! That really gave a good idea of what the camp is like in more detail than I've seen anyone else post before. I am signed up for the Whistler Dirt Series Aug 4-5 but I had a bad crash about a week ago and hurt my arm and now it looks like it's not gonna be better in time. :madman: But I'll take it for sure either in September or next summer. It sounds awesome and I really look forward to trying out some of that stuff in a more controlled environment. Ha ha, that's hilarious when people say "Just, you know, bust out a J-hop, it's easy!"  Uh huh, sure, that's why I've tried it like 50 times and never been able to do it! Anyway, thanks for the great report!


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## utsnowgirl (Jun 26, 2005)

Great post, Connie. I just got in from playing around on my bike in the dark - got another bunny hop. I think J was a little impressed. 

I was at the camp as well, and also had a great time. I liked the skills sessions in the mornings better than the actual rides. It was cool to see so many women with diverse backgrounds and different riding abilities all learning new things. 

I think I understated my abilities on the pre-camp survey, and ended up in groups that moved a bit slower than I was hoping for. Regardless, it was good to see skills broken down during the skills sessions and put back together for the rides.

I was a bit disappointed in the reaction I got when asked to move to a higher group. I felt that the coach was a bit too worried about keeping the ratios even. I used to arrange these types of clinics for skiing/snowboarding and understand the importance of ratios, but also understand that people are paying a lot of money to be taught at their level.

At any rate - overall, I would recommend this camp to anyone!! Good times for sure.


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

*great report!*

thanks for the report. i was one of the 55 people on the wait list. I read a review of the dirt camp in one of the bicycling magazines and really wanted to do this...it would've been worth the drive to do it.

I've been working on my manuals too - amazing how great they are on the trail - esp. when something is marginally rollable.

sounds like time and money well spent.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

A girl from Seattle said:


> Hey Connie, I'm glad you posted all that! That really gave a good idea of what the camp is like in more detail than I've seen anyone else post before. I am signed up for the Whistler Dirt Series Aug 4-5 but I had a bad crash about a week ago and hurt my arm and now it looks like it's not gonna be better in time. :madman: But I'll take it for sure either in September or next summer. It sounds awesome and I really look forward to trying out some of that stuff in a more controlled environment. Ha ha, that's hilarious when people say "Just, you know, bust out a J-hop, it's easy!"  Uh huh, sure, that's why I've tried it like 50 times and never been able to do it! Anyway, thanks for the great report!


Bummer on the arm! Though my husband and I have been trying to schedule a Whistler trip this fall and I'm eyeing the September co-ed camp. Maybe I'll see you there!


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## mtb_mud_honey (May 31, 2005)

Hey Connie & utsnowgirl,

Thanks for the great reports and for sharing your experience - glad to hear you both had a great time!

The afternoon riding options do vary based on the camp location (e.g. in Whistler, participants have the option of choosing valley rides or to ride in the park either day). And for North Vancouver this coming weekend we'll have some rides that are more cross country oriented and others that focussed more on descending skills.

Sorry I didn't get the chance to meet either of you (though you would have met Wylie).

Happy riding!
Penny D.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

mtb_mud_honey said:


> Hey Connie & utsnowgirl,
> 
> Thanks for the great reports and for sharing your experience - glad to hear you both had a great time!
> 
> ...


Thanks!

I guess ideally, I'd like to see lift served offered on both afternoons. It was fantastic that you guys got the lift tickets covered, but I think many of us would have paid extra for a second lift ticket. Especially if it's an option, not mandatory, I think that would work well here.

And I know it's a big group of women, but I'd also say don't be afraid to just tell people before lunch to look at the group breakdowns, and then after lunch just line the coaches up in the parking lot in number order and say GO. (Though, I guess I'm usually _that_ person on every ride bugging people to quit standing around talking and ride... I MAY be a little impatient when it comes to wanting to ride, so maybe that's just me.)

Anyway, you all did a wonderful job organizing everything, and especially providing bigger bikes and body armor for participants. I know that's one of the things I'm always trying to convince women especially, to try, and I'm loaning out stuff that doesn't necessarily fit, and it's not as good of an option. Trying to convince people to spend $50 on demo bikes/gear, plus a lift ticket, etc. is a hard sell. So I think it's super cool that you have that stuff available.

Hopefully I'll get to ride with you next time!


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## utsnowgirl (Jun 26, 2005)

connie said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I guess ideally, I'd like to see lift served offered on both afternoons. It was fantastic that you guys got the lift tickets covered, but I think many of us would have paid extra for a second lift ticket. Especially if it's an option, not mandatory, I think that would work well here.
> 
> And I know it's a big group of women, but I'd also say don't be afraid to just tell people before lunch to look at the group breakdowns, and then after lunch just line the coaches up in the parking lot in number order and say GO. (Though, I guess I'm usually _that_ person on every ride bugging people to quit standing around talking and ride... I MAY be a little impatient when it comes to wanting to ride, so maybe that's just me.)


Agreed!!!

I would love to have spent more time riding the terrain provided by lift served riding at Deer Valley & would be willing to buy my own lift ticket to do so.

By the 2nd day, it seems that coaches should have a pretty good idea of the riding ability of the students - even if they broke out at lunch and assigned women to ride groups based on their assessment, rather than where the women think they fit, the groups would probably be more consistent. Also - using behavioral questioning to fit women into groups when they are gathering to ride would also help. I had a couple women in my group that really had no business riding the terrain they were trying. A couple endos later, I'm not sure how happy they were.

At any rate - I really did have a great time & learned a lot. Because I have a background in coordinating women's clinics, I tend to be a bit more critical. In the end, you guys did a great job of organizing so many women. You can tell that Candance has done this quite a few times.


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## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

*I got passed by Connie.*

It's true.  I was riding sweep with their group on Sunday and Lisa had me lead down Homeward Bound to the first intersection while she rode behind some of the gals. I took a loose corner too fast and washed out. Well, Connie was on my tail and blew right by me on her Ventanta! How embarassing for me.....  

Nice meeting you Connie. Glad to hear you're hooking up with the wafta crew (steve, etc.) to increase FR advocacy in the area.....those are some of my good peeps.

The vibe of having 45 women progressing skills from manuals, to wheelie drops to bike/body separation is infectious. That was my 3rd camp sweeping this year and I come away even more stoked on riding each time.



Connie said:


> Not to mention, they're all really good at explaining and teaching what they're doing (likely 1000x better than your husband or guy friends just telling you to "do it".)


:yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod: This is the truest statement.
If you notice the saying under my avatar, that used to be my instruction for most everything for my wife (Wylie) back in the day. Not only did it not work, but it wasn't exactly good for our relationship! 

Cheers,
EB


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

ebxtreme said:


> It's true.  I was riding sweep with their group on Sunday and Lisa had me lead down Homeward Bound to the first intersection while she rode behind some of the gals. I took a loose corner too fast and washed out. Well, Connie was on my tail and blew right by me on her Ventanta! How embarassing for me.....
> 
> Nice meeting you Connie. Glad to hear you're hooking up with the wafta crew (steve, etc.) to increase FR advocacy in the area.....those are some of my good peeps.
> 
> ...


Hehe... Knowing the trail helped.  Thanks for helping out - that afternoon ride was fun. My knee wasn't interested in playing on stunts, but just watching you (and a bunch of the ladies) cruising over stuff like it was nothing was sweet. (Most of those stunts are all new this year and I hadn't seen them yet).

Hopefully I can talk Craig into doing the co-ed camp this fall and I'll see you guys up in Whistler!


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## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

connie said:


> Hopefully I can talk Craig into doing the co-ed camp this fall and I'll see you guys up in Whistler!


Cool. Chances are good I'll be there!

EB


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## lambchop43 (Feb 4, 2007)

utsnowgirl said:


> Agreed!!!
> 
> I would love to have spent more time riding the terrain provided by lift served riding at Deer Valley & would be willing to buy my own lift ticket to do so.


I second (third?) that. I would have loved to hit the lifts at Deer Valley both days and would have gladly paid extra for it. My group also rode Homeward Bound and I rode stunts there that I would not have otherwise tried (thanks, Candace!). The XC day, on the other hand, was boring compared to my normal front range rides. Didn't really progress or learn much on that ride.

But, overall, a great camp and highly recommended! I feel like I walked away with some really good tips and tweaks that I will definitely practice. In fact, I think I'm getting out my box to practice wheelie drops in the yard!


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## mtb_mud_honey (May 31, 2005)

lambchop43 said:


> I second (third?) that. I would have loved to hit the lifts at Deer Valley both days and would have gladly paid extra for it. My group also rode Homeward Bound and I rode stunts there that I would not have otherwise tried (thanks, Candace!). The XC day, on the other hand, was boring compared to my normal front range rides. Didn't really progress or learn much on that ride.
> 
> But, overall, a great camp and highly recommended! I feel like I walked away with some really good tips and tweaks that I will definitely practice. In fact, I think I'm getting out my box to practice wheelie drops in the yard!


Thanks all for the feedback, its great to hear, as well that everyone found the camp fun and helpful. :thumbsup: I've been chatting with Candace and for next year, its already planned to have lift access options for both days. 

We're just putting the finishing touches on organizing for the North Van. camp this weekend and are super stoked for another great time.

If any one is looking at working on jumping and speed skills, the Whistler camp definitely has lots to offer in that regard. And if you do go, I look forward to the chance to meet some of you!

Cheers,
Penny D


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

Sounds like a great camp. I'd love to do this one day!


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

do they have mtb camps at park city for teen males?


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

Impy said:


> Sounds like a great camp. I'd love to do this one day!


Too bad you don't know anyone in SLC with a guest bedroom that would love to see you and drive you up to DV.

JMH


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

do taxies carry bikes?


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

JMH said:


> Too bad you don't know anyone in SLC with a guest bedroom that would love to see you and drive you up to DV.
> 
> JMH


Be careful what you offer, you might get taken up on it. AND I might bring an extra house guest too, who might just drink all your beer!

Srsly, I could use a skills camp.


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

*Idle Threat*



Impy said:


> Be careful what you offer, you might get taken up on it. AND I might bring an extra house guest too, who might just drink all your beer!


Bring

It

On

Punks

rft:

:ihih:


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## aosty (Jan 7, 2004)




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## janedoh (Mar 26, 2008)

JMH said:


> Bring
> 
> It
> 
> ...


i'll be right over!


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

hahaha thats as good one. i could handle it


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## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

JMH said:


> Too bad you don't know anyone in SLC with a guest bedroom that would love to see you and drive you up to DV.
> 
> JMH


Dirt Series is doing 2 camps in Park City in mid-June this year. CBX is managing both of them. Sounds like they got some good feedback from last year's event, so there should be some changes that will improve upon their first time in Park City.....

Now, ya'll just need is the snow to melt (same here, actually).

EB


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

ebxtreme said:


> Dirt Series is doing 2 camps in Park City in mid-June this year. CBX is managing both of them. Sounds like they got some good feedback from last year's event, so there should be some changes that will improve upon their first time in Park City.....
> 
> Now, ya'll just need is the snow to melt (same here, actually).
> 
> EB


Hmmm. If it's still too snowy maybe we can have a skills camp here (small, limited to the first 15 campers) Topics covered: Beer Identification and Appreciation, Hot Tub Etiquette and Diving Competition, Pump Track Skills Development.


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## utsnowgirl (Jun 26, 2005)

Speaking of the Dirt Series in PC - anyone else going this year?

I'm undecided since there's so much snow; however, last year, the skills portion of the day was my favorite anyway.


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## lkgeo (Oct 31, 2006)

I'm going! Used to live in SLC; looking forward to it. Maybe there'll be one of those instant changes to hot weather soon - or at least some dry lower-elev. trails.


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## msrutzie (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm going to! I'm taking the course the Tues & Wed before the IMBA Summit (6/17 & 6/18).


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