When BMA Board Member Brooke Goudy and Kristen Smith of The Elevated Alpine independently came up with the same idea, they knew they had to join forces to make it happen. The idea: a women-only weekend full of trail building, riding, community, collaboration, and camping. Together they found community partners and sponsors to help bring together 50+ women over the weekend of June 11-12, 2022 to West Mag in Nederland, CO for the inaugural She Digs.
We believe representation matters and aimed to create an inclusive space for female identifying mountain bike riders – no matter their body type, ability, race, or gender. And this retreat was no exception. In addition we honor and acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Ute, and Sioux Nations. We acknowledge also the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory. We pay our respect to the Tribal Nations still connected to this land. She Digs will also be giving a percentage of sponsorship funds back to the Indigenous community.
The Project: BMA added a trail connection from the center parking lot to the Hobbit/Reroot intersection back in October 2020. In the spring of 2021 it became clear that part of the new alignment was not sustainable. The trail was muddy through much of the summer, but because of BMA staffing changes we weren’t able to address the issue until 2022.
She Digs crews, led by City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks women trailbuilders, closed and restored 600′ of trail and built 520′ of new trail. For many of the women this was their first time on a volunteer dig event and this was a great project to see both new trail construction and restoration.
Thank you Sponsors Fox Factory, Pearl Izumi, Specialized, Sports Garage, REI, Chamois Butt’r, and Avery Brewing Company! Community Partners The Elevated Alpine, VITA MTB Series, Golden Girls, and Black Girls Do Bike.
And of course this event wouldn’t have been possible without all the women who showed up to volunteer their time. Thank you!
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