by A.Tong
My wife and I spent the first week of July biking at the Silver Star Resort and at the Whistler Bike Park. One of the highlights of the trip was taking part in the Trek Dirt Series mountain bike camp again (my second time and my wife's third time). There are so many amazing things about the Dirt Series camps and hopefully I can capture some of them here in this post.
Top Level Coaching
For those who are more advanced with their bike skills and are worried that the coaches won’t be able to teach you anything, put your fears aside. The coaches with the Dirt Series are legit. How legit you ask? Well, I had the absolute pleasure to be coached by Sarah Leishman (www.sarahleishman.com) and Casey Brown. You may or may not have heard their names but they rip and their 3rd and 4th place finishes respectively at this years Crankworx Jeep Air DH reflect that. But they are only 2 of the many qualified coaches I had a chance to ride with. At any given camp, the coaching staff is comprised of Olympians, professional racers, and others who you may have seen in magazines. I also want to give a shout out to coach and Dirt Series founder Candace Shadley. I don’t think you’ll find a better coach than her. She is so good at spotting out little things that improve your riding. If you get the benefit of riding in front of her, don’t be surprised if she yells at you the entire way down the trail! And I mean yelling in a good way. She is constantly watching, correcting, and praising your riding. Don’t be fooled people, these coaches will push you hard to improve!
So these coaches for the Trek Dirt Series have a long list of impressive credentials but can they coach? The easy answer to that is YES! Their teaching methods are very progressive and you gradually work your way up to the more technically difficult skills. The increase in confidence I see in my beginner friend who took the camp is simple amazing! The camps include all skill levels from beginners to advanced so sign up.
Another thing you can expect from the Dirt Series camps are ego-free coaches. When you “train” down the trail, they don’t trick out ever jump with no handers or back flips. Can they do it? Yup! You just need to ask if that is what you want to learn but they aren’t there to prove how awesome they are to the campers. The coaches are there for you the entire time. They are constantly watching you and pointing out things you can tweak to improve.
Value
Personally, I’d pay the $350 all day long for the camps. They are worth every penny but if you want to break down what you get, here you go:
$100 - 2 lift tickets (limited waiting in the lift line; early access to the lift)
My wife and I spent the first week of July biking at the Silver Star Resort and at the Whistler Bike Park. One of the highlights of the trip was taking part in the Trek Dirt Series mountain bike camp again (my second time and my wife's third time). There are so many amazing things about the Dirt Series camps and hopefully I can capture some of them here in this post.
Top Level Coaching
For those who are more advanced with their bike skills and are worried that the coaches won’t be able to teach you anything, put your fears aside. The coaches with the Dirt Series are legit. How legit you ask? Well, I had the absolute pleasure to be coached by Sarah Leishman (www.sarahleishman.com) and Casey Brown. You may or may not have heard their names but they rip and their 3rd and 4th place finishes respectively at this years Crankworx Jeep Air DH reflect that. But they are only 2 of the many qualified coaches I had a chance to ride with. At any given camp, the coaching staff is comprised of Olympians, professional racers, and others who you may have seen in magazines. I also want to give a shout out to coach and Dirt Series founder Candace Shadley. I don’t think you’ll find a better coach than her. She is so good at spotting out little things that improve your riding. If you get the benefit of riding in front of her, don’t be surprised if she yells at you the entire way down the trail! And I mean yelling in a good way. She is constantly watching, correcting, and praising your riding. Don’t be fooled people, these coaches will push you hard to improve!
So these coaches for the Trek Dirt Series have a long list of impressive credentials but can they coach? The easy answer to that is YES! Their teaching methods are very progressive and you gradually work your way up to the more technically difficult skills. The increase in confidence I see in my beginner friend who took the camp is simple amazing! The camps include all skill levels from beginners to advanced so sign up.
Another thing you can expect from the Dirt Series camps are ego-free coaches. When you “train” down the trail, they don’t trick out ever jump with no handers or back flips. Can they do it? Yup! You just need to ask if that is what you want to learn but they aren’t there to prove how awesome they are to the campers. The coaches are there for you the entire time. They are constantly watching you and pointing out things you can tweak to improve.
Value
Personally, I’d pay the $350 all day long for the camps. They are worth every penny but if you want to break down what you get, here you go:
$100 - 2 lift tickets (limited waiting in the lift line; early access to the lift)
$200 – 2 days top of the line Trek bike rentals and Race Face protective gear
$$$$ - 2 days of coaching
Free swag – Maxxis items, Kicking Horse Coffee, along with chances to win some great door prizes
Free Luna bars to munch on for a bit of extra energy
Included lunch for 2 days
Included dinner 1 night with beer(s)
Free technical session (shock setup, general maintenance, etc)
Discount at the host shop (15% off at Skiis and Biikes - SnowCovers)
So you can go ride on your own if you want to but you’re losing money if you don’t sign up for a camp, if you ask me!
But is it for beginners???
YES! YES! YES! When you sign up for the camp you fill out a questioner on your skill level and you will be grouped accordingly. The coaches absolutely won’t make you do anything that they don’t think you can do. The beginner groups have an area set aside to work on bike handling skills even before going down a run. The skills area includes features like small wooded ladder bridges and drops. Even for the intermediate to advanced riders, you can choose to roll down the steep rock face or if you are uncomfortable, skip it for another time. The coaches don’t ever force you to do any stunts you aren’t comfortable with.
Okay, I guess I’ve stood long enough on my soap box. But for those on the teetering on the edge of signing up or not, I hope I have made that decision a bit easier! I’m so impressed by this camp and how much I personally improve every time I go I’m already registered for the co-ed Trek Dirt Series camp this coming September and bringing a friend!
So you can go ride on your own if you want to but you’re losing money if you don’t sign up for a camp, if you ask me!
But is it for beginners???
YES! YES! YES! When you sign up for the camp you fill out a questioner on your skill level and you will be grouped accordingly. The coaches absolutely won’t make you do anything that they don’t think you can do. The beginner groups have an area set aside to work on bike handling skills even before going down a run. The skills area includes features like small wooded ladder bridges and drops. Even for the intermediate to advanced riders, you can choose to roll down the steep rock face or if you are uncomfortable, skip it for another time. The coaches don’t ever force you to do any stunts you aren’t comfortable with.
Okay, I guess I’ve stood long enough on my soap box. But for those on the teetering on the edge of signing up or not, I hope I have made that decision a bit easier! I’m so impressed by this camp and how much I personally improve every time I go I’m already registered for the co-ed Trek Dirt Series camp this coming September and bringing a friend!
