Our Family Mountain Bikes In The McCall Idaho Area For The First Time

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Mountain Biking With Kids visits McCall, Idaho

Our family went Mountain biking with kids in McCall Idaho. Here’s our trip report.

After the first week of June, Traci (my lovely wife) asked me what I wanted to do for Father’s Day weekend. Bike parks in Park City were opening that weekend, but I wanted to go out of town and ride somewhere new. Letting the idea sit for a couple days, I remember seeing a video showing off the Jug Mountain Ranch a couple of years ago. Mountain bikers would get shuttled to what looked like a network of bike park quality trails. Following some quick research for campgrounds in the area and a few more riding options, I emailed Traci at work with the subject ‘What about McCall, Idaho?’ and included some links. She replied… “Looks pretty good. Let’s do it”.

Advanced Planning

The most desirable campsites were reserved because we never seem to plan more than a few days ahead, so we had to settle for a site in the Cold Springs Campground near the Lost Valley Reservoir. Our next step was getting reservations for the Jug Mountain Ranch (JMR) mountain bike shuttle. JMR’s most popular offering is an award-winning public golf course. Now, if I was calling for a Father’s Day tee time instead of a mountain bike shuttle reservation 10 days before Father’s Day, I’d be a bit concerned. A quick chat with Matt at the JMR pro shop resulted in a reservation for my family at 9am on Father’s Day, 2017. We were in business.

Mountain Biking With Kids visits McCall, Idaho

Here’s our youngest taking a lap on a skinny feature at the grown over Tamarack Resort skills park. This was just one of our stops on a quick weekender to McCall, Idaho.

McCall Idaho is a small resort town at the southern tip of Payette Lake located a little over a 2 hour drive straight up from Boise via state road 55. We live in Salt Lake City and a quick Google Map search told us the road trip would take us around 8 hours each way. Our family’s last trip to Idaho was a mud season sojourn in the fall to Sun Valley. This was when the kids were too small to get after it on the mountain bikes. I was very excited to see how our two boys would fare (aged 10 and 13) now that their skills and experience were up-to-speed with riding blue and black trails.

Only 2.5 days?!

Unfortunately, our trip was limited to Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. If you remove the drive time, that’s only about 20 hours of daylight. I did my best to make the most of Saturday by having us start at the Bear Basin trails. We learned that there was a nice looking network of trails between our campground and McCall. After that, we would head over to a nearby trail called Goose Creek. Or, head over to Brundage Resort as it was their opening weekend.

Getting there

The drive up was pleasant and mostly uneventful. We listened to a book on cd called Peter And The Sword Of Mercy by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. That’s right – no DVDs for us. To my wife’s credit, our two boys are well-trained travelers. They behave so well in the car that it never ceases to amaze me. They say ‘music soothes the savage beast’. Well, we have learned that stories soothe the savage boys. Traci and I enjoy the books on cd almost as much as the kids.

What’s that sound?

As we were making our way near Delco, Idaho – we noticed a loud intermittent buzzing and humming coming from the storage box on top of our van. We pulled over on I-84 and saw that the top of the storage box had separated a little from bottom and was probably causing a vibration. We have learned to include duct tape as part of our first aid kit (for bikes and people) due to personal experiences. After a little digging around in the van for a minute, the tape was found, but there was only a little bit left on the roll. Traci climbed on the hood of the van and affixed the last of the tape to keep the storage cage closed until we could get some more in Delco when we fueled up.

Getting farther up north and closer to the campground, the landscape changed from farms and open plains to mountains, alpine trees, meadows and water quite suddenly. This transition always sneaks up on me. One minute, we’re cruising through a gazillion acres of potatoes… then, whammo! “Look at that lake!. Look at that reservoir! Looks at those horses running!”. Jim Morrison was right, the west IS the best.

We’re out of chicken

It was getting near dinner time on Friday night and we were about an hour from our campground. We agreed to start looking for a place to eat dinner. We stopped at Bucky’s Cafe in Cambridge. The kids were hesitant because we normally stop for sandwiches at Subway when we travel. I told them that this would be a great new experience because places like these have corn dogs and chicken fried steak. “Haha. What’s a chicken fried steak?” said my youngest. We entered the restaurant and it was classic. A bar style counter, old milkshake machine, and tables covered with thick plastic tablecloths. Our server took our drink order and dropped off menus. I excitedly ordered chicken fried steak.

“We’re out of chicken.” said our server.
I replied “But I wanted chicken fried–”.
“We’re out of chicken”.

I am not one to argue with restaurant staff as they are the last ones to ensure that the food arrives with only the ingredients listed on the menu- if you get my drift.

“Ok. I’ll try the lasagna.”
“Sorry. We’re out of that, too. We are also out of pork.”
“What about the spaghetti with meatballs?”
“Oh, that’s good. We have that.”

I was bummed, but certainly not upset. We were just happy to eat along the way and not stop at a chain restaurant.

  • Fixing up the cargo box on the way to McCall, Idaho
  • Bucky's Cafe in Cambridge, Idaho
  • Mmmmmm... spagehetti

A lovely campsite

When we arrived at our camp site, we were pleasantly surprised at how high the sun was at 8:30pm. That’s what happens when you travel a few hundred miles north of Salt Lake in the summer. You get bonus time. At 10:00 it was still light enough to set up a tent without a flashlight or headlamp if necessary.

  • It stayed pretty bright late into the evening during our family mountain bike trip.
  • Waking up on Saturday morning near McCall, Idaho for a mountain biking trip with the family.

We all slept well that night. I always sleep well when camping. Our camp was a ways from the nearest town, so there was no cell phone service and that meant no texts or emails. Technological silence is golden.

Bear Basin Trails

Following breakfast the next day, it was off to the Bear Basin trails. We drove out to the zone, got on the bikes and made out way up a trail called Baby Bear. It rained the previous day and apart from a few scattered puddles, it was hero dirt. The grade of the trail was not difficult and the switchbacks were wide and compressed. After Baby Bear, we connected with Sleepy Hollow and continued climbing. This part of the ride was only 1.5 miles until we reached the first ridge. Our kids made the ascent with ease. The signage in the area was very good.

On top of the ridge, a sign told us a skills park was a short distance away. Why wouldn’t we check that out? The skills park was only a small pump track, but fun nonetheless. We returned to the ridge and rode a short 1.3 mile stretch called Blue Ridge Loop. Again, the kids pedaled this with no complaints. One section of this stretch included a skinny feature that elevated about 4 feet off the ground over a span of 20-something feet and then descended back to the trail over another 20 feet or so. The apex of the feature was anchored to a couple of trees and the kids had to maneuver their bars to make it through.

  • Jumping a feature on Baby Bear - a mountain biking trail near McCall, Idaho
  • Cruising along on a wood feature in the Bear Basin trail system near McCall, Idaho
  • Riding the pump track at the Bear Basin skills park near McCall, Idaho
Down the drain

After Blue Ridge Loop, we ended up at a trail called the Drain. The total length of the Drain is only about a mile, but it’s a ton of fun. The most prominent features of the trail are its well-manicured berms. They are built high enough that you can carry ample speed from one to the next. They are wide and packed in very well. The lower part of the trail features a few table jumps and rollers that can be jumped as doubles. If we had more time, we would have done another lap on this great track.

My wife remarked that Bear Basin was a great place for young, beginning mountain bikers to get their feet wet. The trails are smooth and not threatening. The grade of the ascents is also comfortable where riders as young as 5 or 6 could give it a go.

Where to next?

I originally wanted to move on to Brundage, but their website stated that due to remaining snow, only a beginner trail was open at the resort. Planning our next move was helped by some locals in the parking lot. I asked them about the Goose Creek trail nearby and one of the locals said that the top third of that still had snow. Rats. I asked about Tamarack Resort. One of them told me other than qualifying for a downhill race going on, the trails to the west of the bike park were open and in good shape. Off we went.

Tamarack Resort

Tamarack Resort is on the west side of Lake Cascade. It is about 35 miles south of McCall. There was a downhill mountain bike event taking place – a stop on the Northwest Cup schedule. We stopped in at an information booth and a resort employee told us to start at the Cottage Trail and start branching out from there. We took a trail map and got our pedalin’ on.

Skills park?

The trail map indicated that there was a skills park and a jump park along the Cottage Trail. When we arrived at the skills park, it was mostly grown over but my kids found a great figure-8 skinny that was probably a couple hundred feet long. They took turns trying to complete the whole thing and our 10 year-old did the whole thing first without any crashes or dabs. He was pretty proud of himself. This was the first thing on his mountain biking resume that he was able to do before his thirteen year-old brother.

  • Riding a skinny at Tamarack Resort in Idaho
  • Mountain biking with kids at Tamarack Resort, Idaho
  • Doing a jump on the pedal trails near Tamarack Resort, Idaho

Tamarack Resort’s dirt jump park was overgrown, too. We ran into a local that said after the recession of 2010, people had a hard time spending time and money maintaining and riding the area. Even though the jumps weren’t pristine, the kids still rode them. My 10 year-old took a spill in some stinging nettle and headed back to the resort base with mom to get cleaned up. My 13 year-old and I pedaled up from Cottage Trail to Merlin. That was a good time. Merlin had about a half dozen good sized table jumps, berms and flow. After our first run, we got the entire family up for another lap.

On the way back to the village base, the kids screwed around on a tow bar lift. They’re both still light enough that they can sit on a tow bar and make it swing back-and-forth without their feet hitting the ground.

Soaking it up

Hmmmm. What does one do in the McCall area after riding the trails? You choose one of the several hot springs in the area and chill out, of course. In addition to doing everything else important for the family, my wife is also manages the extracurricular activities. She chose the Gold Folk Hot Springs. This was wonderful. It cost $40 for our family of four and it was not very crowded. The hot springs is developed and there are six pools ranging in temperature from 85º to 110º. One of the pools has a white sand bottom. The dirt road was a little rutted, but nothing to prevent an ambitious group of vacationers looking for a soak.

Jug Mountain Ranch

Another good night’s sleep brings us to Sunday. We hurriedly made breakfast, broke camp, and headed off to Jug Mountain Ranch. The Ranch is nestled against McCall’s eastern mountains about 10 miles south of town. We checked in at the clubhouse, signed waivers and hopped on our first shuttle before 9:30. It’s a bumpy ride to the top, but the anticipation of finally getting to ride these trails smoothed the trip up the mountain. Our kids really enjoyed the shuttle, too. Aside from not having to pedal up, they enjoy looking out the sides, speaking with other riders, and just being part of the scene.

Hero dirt!

At the top of the shuttle ride there are three trailheads: Berm and Ernie, DoeJoe, and Double Shot. We started off on Berm and Ernie. Due to rain in the area prior to our arrival, the dirt and trails were nothing short of immaculate. Even the locals said this was the best conditions the trails have been. I asked them if it ever gets dusty and they said yes, absolutely – we were just enjoying the luck and fruits of Mother Nature’s labors. Berm and Ernie is an intermediate rated trail featuring well-sculpted berms, short technical rock features, a wood ramp that could be hopped or rolled, table jumps, and even a small step-up and step-down. Everyone in the family except Wyatt rode this trail several times.

DoeJoe is a green flow trail. If you ride this one, be sure to carry speed or the short ascents will slow you down. I only rode this once and had to pedal a couple of times because I wasn’t going fast enough.

Our oldest son Wyatt hit it off with a local who was willing to show him around. Wyatt was able to get on Double Shot (black) and Stitches (black). Both of these trails feature bigger jumps and/or gap jumps, technical rock rolls and drops. Wyatt could not wipe the smile off his face after each of his runs.

Jug Mountain for the Win!

Jug Mountain Ranch was a very good experience and I hope we have the opportunity to ride it again sooner rather than later. The vibe was awesome and the locals were fun to ride with and talk to. We totally lucked out with the trail conditions being so good. Weather and trail conditions can always be a roll of the dice – but when you win, you can win big. Traci also mentioned that a lot of the local rippers could have been competing at Tamarack Resort for the downhill race the day we were at JMR. Often there were empty seats on the shuttle.

The long drive home was a pretty good experience, too. I took the time to write about one of our new favorite places to ride mountain bikes and look at all the photos/videos we got along the way.

Photo Of The Week – McCall, Idaho

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Mountain biking with kids in McCall, Idaho.

Here are the kids pedaling along the Baby Bear trail in the Bear Basin zone near McCall, Idaho.

These trails were a ton of fun. If you have younger kids who are learning how to ride, we cannot recommended this area enough.

There are several green and blue trails which offer nice, steady ascents and rewarding declines through the woods.

Check out Our Family’s McCall Experience 

For more photos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook

Photo Of The Week – Jumping Into Summer 2017

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Jumping into summer 2017 - Mountain Biking With Kids

Summer in Utah is our family’s season. We work hard from November through May so we can make the most of the daylight hours from June through October.

This is our younger rider jumping the whale tail at the Trailside Bike Park near Park City. Trailside Bike Park is a fantastic facility that was built by Basin Recreation. The grounds consist of a bike park with several trails, jump lines and skills features; a skatepark; and a disc golf course.

See more details about Trailside Park

See more fun photos of kids ripping down the trails on Instagram or Facebook

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Kidsworx Rotorua With Marcello Ojerio

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Marcello Ojerio assists a rider at the 2017 Kidsworx Rotorua pump track

Crankworx is truly a celebration of everything magical about mountain biking. The world class events take place in New Zealand, France, Austria, and Canada. Each year, Mountain Bike Rotorua helps put together the Crankworx event in New Zealand. One of the fun offshoots of the Crankworx spectacle is the family-focused Kidsworx where young riders get to learn, compete, and meet the stars.

Marcello Ojerio assists a rider at the 2017 Kidsworx Rotorua pump track

Marcello Ojerio and his staff played host to hundreds of kids at Kidsworx as part of Crankworx Rotorua.

Three years ago, the creators of Kidsworx approached Mountain Bike Rotorua’s own full-time tour guide Marcello Ojerio to gauge his availability and interest in starting the Kidsworx program in Rotrua. Three years later, Marcello still heads up some of the kids’ events/facilities each year. The events include: Kidsworx Pump Track Skills Coaching, Kidsworx Pimp My Ride, Tiki Tour Scavenger Hunt, and the ever evolving pint-sized Tamariki flow track. Marcello’s colleague, Tim Farmer, focuses on making sure the Kidsworx racing events (Hipster DH, Skyline Warrior DH, Pump Track Challenge) are organized, staffed and managed throughout the Crankworx week.

Planning for Kidsworx Rotorua starts right after Christmas. Staff and volunteers focus on improving the trail system, the overall site, and the Tamariki track. Marcello works tirelessly to have everything in tip-top shape for the event’s commencement each year.

Kids pump track at Kidsworx Rotorua 2017

This is the pump track designed specifically for young children at Kidsworx Rotorua.

Kidsworx Rotorua has grown in popularity for the events that Marcello supervises. Last year’s participation numbers reached 360 kids. Interestingly, 50 to 60 percent of those children were 5 and under. This was a significant increase in numbers from the previous year when participation was only 258 kids.

Volunteers are Critical

For the week of Kidsworx, Marcello and his wife Heidie work full time with the children. Thankfully, they aren’t alone. Last year they had about 300 individuals sign up to volunteer for the Crankworx event in various capacities. Over the course of the three years that Marcello has assisted with the Kidsworx events, he has had a core group of volunteers come back each year to help out.

Everyone works as a team to make Kidsworx an unforgettable experience. Grandparents, parents, and many biking enthusiasts volunteer to ensure that Kidsworx is an annual hit that keeps families wanting to come back year after year. Volunteering isn’t just a quick endeavor because it’s a significant investment of time. Most work all day with the kids to create a memorable, upbeat, positive experience for everyone involved. Volunteers spend an average of six to seven hours per day at Crankworx. Marcello works to set up the entire area so it not only caters to the kids participating in the event but the entire family and the volunteers that make it all happen.

Coaching the Groms

The large number of participants results in a wide variety of needs. Smaller children really just want the opportunity to ride their bikes.  Older children came to hone and learn new biking skills. Last year, to meet the needs of the older children Marcello brought in the accomplished athlete and educator Mark Leishman to work with the more experienced children. He was able to pass on pointers and tips to the parents on how to improve their kids on the pump track. Recently, involving the parents in the various aspects of Kidsworx has become a focus for Marcello in order to enrich the experience for the children and everyone involved.

Young riders earning their turns at Kidsworx Rotorua

Gravity doesn’t care how old you are. Young riders have to earn the descent just like you and me.

Fun Family Activities

Kidsworx isn’t about just riding. It’s about creating an atmosphere full of activities the whole family can enjoy across an entire holiday week. Event organizers have added a good old-fashioned scavenger hunt complete with a winner at the end of the day. However, not just the winner gets the prize, every kid gets a little something and fun is had by all involved.

Kidsworx Rotorua Sponsors

The success of Kidsworx also relies on the generosity of sponsors. Sponsors donate items such as tee shirts, hats, and stickers. The Pimp My Ride event utilizes donated stickers and other accoutrements so kids can dress up their bikes. Marcello has noticed that several kids’ bikes have been coated with more than one year’s worth of decals. Positive proof that families are making the annual event one of their mandatory stops for summer fun.

When asked about the gear used at the event, Marcello was quick to point out Giant Bicycles of New Zealand was key to the success of Kidsworx. He said “They worked to ensure that all the kids have bikes to fit their size by providing all the demos. Parents are often shocked that even their two or three year old toddler has a bike readily available.”

Keeping it Positive

The popularity of Crankworx and Kidsworx continues to grow by leaps and bounds. However, Marcello still expresses his heartfelt dream and goal to keep the event’s focus on kids and their families having fun. “I don’t want it to get so big that we have to have so much oversight and supervision, we lose the spontaneity that you are seeing in some of these pictures, seeing in these videos. So I feel that is the biggest challenge for me. It is not getting more stickers or getting more bikes. It is making sure that we don’t change that positive vibe that immediately greets every single family, every single kid that enters our space.”

Marcello’s lifelong love of bikes and working in bike shops has bestowed the nickname ‘Bike Guy’ on him and he wears it proudly. He loves inspiring the enthusiasm and passion of biking in children and their families. There is little doubt that every coming year Kidsworx will continue to leave happy families smiling.


Marcello OjerioWe cannot thank Marcello Ojerio enough for taking the time to contribute to this article. His genuine, unabated devotion to mountain biking, hospitality and overall heartiness make him one of the true ambassadors of Crankworx. Follow him on Facebook here.


Ezra NewickEzra Newick was kind enough to give us permission to use some of his photographs from Crankworx Rotoura. Thank you Ezra! You can contact Ezra through Facebook here. And, you can follow Ezra on Instagram @mrezra here.


Leidy MonsalvesLeidy Monsalves is another contributing photographer for this article. Follow Leidy on Instagram @lelemonsalves to see more stunning photos of colorful New Zealand.

Trikes To Trails Is A Great Way To Get Your Young Rider Mountain Biking

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Trikes to Trails program in Salt Lake City, Utah

Trikes to Trails was born two years ago when Bart Gillespie, a Salt Lake City professional mountain biker, wanted a program where his young girls could learn to enjoy mountain biking with their peers.

Registration for this program is open now. The first session starts on June 7th, 2017. REGISTER HERE

The program focuses on introducing young kids ages 6 – 12 to mountain biking. It provides professional coaching in mountain bike skills, cycling safety, trail etiquette and trail maintenance. Our primary focus is to help kids develop an early love for cycling.

  • Mountain bike handling skills are introduced, demonstrated, and implemented in a suitable, safe environment.
  • The Trikes To Trails program gets kids on the pump track, too.
  • So many lessons to be learned in this mountain biking course
  • This is what everyone is working for. Good times on good mountain biking trails for riders of all ages.
  • Mountain biking with kids on single track!

Gear Rush Skills provides a team of trained coaches to teach our riders basic skills such as ready position, shifting, braking, and cornering. We achieve this through parking lot instruction, skill park practice, trail rides, and fun games. Each session will have an opportunity to do trail maintenance project to give back to the community.

This program doesn’t just get kids on bikes. It also demonstrates the importance of trail construction and maintenance.

We offer three once a week sessions in June – July prices ranging from $125 – $230.  This is includes a custom cycling jersey, swag bag, snacks and guaranteed fun! We meet on Wednesday mornings from 9-11:30am in a different location each week including Corner Canyon Trails & Cycle Park, Trailside Park, Park City, Mormon Pioneer Trail and the UOP trails. Participants must have a geared mountain bike with 20” wheels or larger and a helmet.

We don’t want finances to limit a child’s desire to get into mountain biking so we offer a scholarship program, “Rog Rides On”, in memory of Roger Gillespie. As a peach Farmer and avid mountain biker, Roger touched the lives of many people. We are excited to honor Rog by getting more kids on bikes!

Bell Super 2r Helmet Review

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Bell Super 2r Helmet Review - Mountain Biking With Kids

UPDATE: Read our review featuring the Bell Super 3r, too.

Our kids have both hit their faces while falling off a mountain bike. A few years ago, we were making them wear their full-face helmets on any ride that was even slightly technically difficult. They hated wearing their hot full face helmets on cross country trails. But I was traumatized by visions of knocked out teeth and fractured jaws inspired by their previous falls.

The Bell Super2R was a great solution for all of us. This helmet covers more of the head than a regular cross-country helmet – extending farther on the back, sides, and forehead. Bell helmets are comfortable and are easily adjustable to fit securely. The 23 large vents keep it much cooler than a traditional full-face helmet.

  • Bell Super 2r Helmet Review - rear clasp being done by 10-year old
  • 10-year old fastening the side clasp of a Bell Super 2r chin bar- mountain biking with kids
  • Accessory mount for Bell Super 2r helmet review - mountain biking with kids

Chinbar Details

We love that the removable chin-bar can easily be secured hydration packs (and can fit inside a small backpack) for the climbing portion of the trail. The bar can snap onto the helmet while you’re still wearing it, but we usually are not in that big of a rush.

There are three lever buckles that secure the chin-bar to the helmet. These latches are easy for the kids to do by themselves. Note that it is possible to close the latches without having them secured to the helmet, so it’s a good idea to give the chin-bar a tug before you start to ride. Once the chin bar is snapped on, the helmet feels very solid.

Where To Buy The Bell Super 3r

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Bell Super 3r MIPS available for kids and adults at Backcountry.

Bell Super 3r MIPs for sale - red

Bell Super 3r MIPS available for kids and adults at Jenson USA.

These are affiliate links. When you visit them and make a purchase, we earn a small commission. More here.

There’s a mount on the top of the helmet which is formatted for a GoPro camera. Additionally, we also discovered that some light manufactures also offer adapters to fit this bolt-on connection.

We have had these helmets for over a year. We have not had any problems with durability. Personally, I feel more confident on descents when I have the “face saver” chin bar snapped into place. Luckily we have not had the opportunity to test the ability of the chin-bar to protect the face in a crash yet. Knock on wood. However, the Bell Super2R helmets are certified with CE EN1078 and CPSC standards, so I still feel that this helmet would be much more protective than a half shell in the event of a crash.

Getting The Wheels Off the Ground

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Photo of the week - mountain biking with kids

Do your kids jump their bikes? This is a skill that takes a lot of time and practice. It’s best to start small – very small. And, never eclipse your comfort level. This picture was taken at the old Redbull Rampage site near Virgin, Utah.

Meet A Daughter-Father Mountain Biking Duo from Pisgah Forest

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Hannah mountain biking in the woods

Mountain Biking Duo from Pisgah Forest – Hannah Dickson used to pogo stick all the time. And according her father, Wes – owner of Sycamore Cycles in North Carolina, pogo sticking was a foray into his daughter’s love of mountain biking.

He recalls one day she was in the driveway for two hours on her pogo stick. He went go out and ask her if she was interested in going on a mountain bike ride with him. The balance and conditioning she had gained from being on her pogo stick really served her well for mountain biking. Wes says, “It made it fun for her to mountain bike with me because she was not struggling as much when it came to steep inclines and tougher trails.”

Now a teenager, Hannah and her dad have been riding together for several years now and have even done some races. Hannah explains, “I race to push myself and become better”.

Starting Small 

When Hannah started out on a bike, Striders were not very popular. She started with training wheels and rode local trails and parks. The training wheels came off when she was offered ice cream if she could ride from one end of the local park to the other without them.

Another factor that made riding fun for Hannah was that she always got to pick where they would ride. Wes tells us, “It allowed her to take ownership of the ride and really enjoy it. She often chose the same trails and if there were parts she could not ride, she would walk her bike.”

Building Trails Together 

The Bracken Mountain Preserve is a city park with a great mountain biking trail. When Hannah was just getting into mountain biking they were working on the trail. This provided with Hannah opportunities to help out with parts of the project. On volunteer days and Hannah and Wes were able to go and help move brush and do turf work to get the trail ready.

They always say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This appears to be true in the case of the Dickson family. Wes’s dad was also a bike enthusiast and Wes had started riding with him and also helping maintain trails when he was a teenager. Wes feels lucky to be able to share a similar journey daughter. The Dicksons are proud of giving back to the trails and being able to do it as a family.

Hannah leads the way on a mountain bike ride with her father and others in North Carolina

Traveling Together And Sharing Great Times On The Mountain Bikes 

Wes and Hannah have taken daddy-daughter mountain biking trips together as well. Last year, they did a British Columbia trip that was 10 days in length and they were able to ride in different areas. They rode at Powell River and Squamish. The Powell River trip included trails called Death Rattle and Little Dipper. After two and a half days of mountain biking at Powell River they went to Squamish for a few days. When she was asked about her favorite trail in Squamish, Hannah quickly replied “Rupert! I though it was technically challenging but super fun.”

Hannah enjoyed the trip and was always ready for exploration and up for adventure – and up early at that. She would be up before 6am and ready to start the day. Hannah still chooses the trails a lot of the time and will ride the same trail over and over if it’s one she enjoys.

About Sycamore Cycles

Sycamore Cycles has two locations in North Carolina; one is in Pisgah Forest and the other in Hendersonville. The first one opened in 2000 and it is predominantly a mountain bike store.

The store carries a lot of riding gear and bikes for kids. Parents seem to be putting more money into good quality bikes for their children and the store makes it possible with a special program they run.

The store will buy back used bikes that were purchased there at half the retail value. That money goes toward the purchase of a new bike. So if you buy a 12 inch bike for $200 and your child outgrows it, you can upgrade to a 16 inch bike and receive $100 toward the purchase of the new bike.

Sycamore Cycles also supports Trip for Kids. This non-profit organization provides mountain bike outings and environmental education for youth in the Transylvania, Henderson, and Buncombe counties.

The returned bikes may also be sold at a consignment store with the money going back into the Trip for Kids program. This is a great way for the shop to give back to the community.  Dicksons hope that children who may not otherwise be able to afford a bike are afforded the opportunity to ride.

Photo Of The Week – Kids At Sea Otter With Danny MacAskill

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One of the best things about mountain biking with kids is meeting the professional athletes. More often than not, kids’ real life heroes make themselves accessible to say hi and take a photo or two.

Here is Danny MacAskill hanging out at the 2017 Sea Otter Classic with a few young rippers.

Photo is courtesy of Jeremy VanSchoonhoven. Follow Jeremy on Instagram @jeremyvanschoonhoven.

Sea Otter Classic with Kids

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Sea Otter Classic 2017 - Mallen Family

Looking for a fun experience for your mountain biking kids? The Mallen family recently traveled to the Sea Otter Classic with kids. The young Mallen boys participated in the events and festivities and loved every minute of it.

Sea Otter Overview

California has always been known as a hotspot for outdoor sports – biking foremost among them – and the Sea Otter Classic is no exception. Sea Otter had humble beginnings in the early 90’s with 350 racers. Since then it has rapidly grown in popularity and prestige, and this year boasted nearly 10,000 athletes and over 71,000 fans.

Sea Otter Classic 2017 - Mallen Family

One of the Mallen twins rushes down the dual slalom track at the 2017 Sea Otter Classic. Photo courtesy of Jeremy VanSchoonhaven.

A whole slew of different events and competitions make up the long weekend. Events include include everything from mountain bike racing to slalom and short track racing. Hosted in Monterey County, Sea Otter is a hub for cyclists across a diversity of ages and skill-levels, with everyone from former national and Olympic finalists to some of the more inspiring up-and-coming youngsters in the sport. Most of the events take place on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) and near Laguna Seca. This area offers some profound vistas that are iconic of California in particular.

  • The Mallen twins are ready for action at the Sea Otter Classic
  • A young rider on a youth sized e-bike at the Sea Otter Classic
  • Cam Zink taking time for a groupie photo at the Sea Otter Classic

From left-to-right: (1) The Mallen twins are geared up and ready to roll. (2) One of the twins takes a youth-sized eBike through its paces. (3) Cam Zink, a fan favorite for all ages was at the event at the YT Industries booth.


Meet the Mallens

This was certainly the case for the Mallens. As far as outdoorsy families go, Liz, Tony, Luke, and Alex are a quintessential example of the active lifestyle, and whether it’s Tony acting as inspiration or Liz holding everything together the way only mothers can, their first excursion to the Sea Otter Classic was an adventure in itself.

The twin boys, age nine, have taken naturally to biking, and along with a cohort of friends are part of the Utah Gravity Series. Nevertheless, in their home state the competitive mountain biking is still in its infancy, so when a friend offhandedly suggested the family consider the Sea Otter Classic, it was all the incentive Tony needed. As Liz recalls, she got a text one day from her husband who said he’d signed the boys up for the downhill race. “I thought ‘Wow, okay, we’re going’,” she laughs.

Getting acclimated at the Sea Otter Classic

For these skilled young Utah riders, getting “acclimated” to the sea level air of central California was easy-peasy.

Bumps in the road

Under the tutelage and sponsorship of coaches Tyson Henry from Outlaw Mountain Bike and Mark Kugel from Kugel’s Gravity School, the family set their sights on California. However, shortly before the competition Tony (an avid downhill enthusiast himself) ended up crashing his dirt jumper and suffering a third degree AC separation in his shoulder and a concussion to top things off. Suddenly on her own Liz found herself in the driver’s seat – literally. She became responsible for everything from finding their camping site to registering them in the different events.

One little debacle included getting stuck in a mud bog. Liz was amazed at how helpful everyone was in getting her back on the road, a heavy effort that took them well into the night. “The people here were just so awesome and amazing and friendly and helpful,” she exclaims, recalling the events. Nevertheless it was a huge success overall, and definitely one that sticks in her mind.

Danny MacAskill and the Mallen twins.

The party isn’t bonafide until this guy shows up. Danny MacAskill takes the time to ‘do it for the children’.

Sea Otter Competition for Kids

For the boys themselves the weekend held a lot of challenges and competition. Even in the youth division, practice begins bright and early at 8 in the morning, and with the growing success of the Sea Otter Classic one thing that unexpected visitors might not count on is the lines. This was definitely the case for Alex and Luke, and a lesson they learned very quickly – being there 45 minutes early was essential to make sure you weren’t waiting in the morning sun to get in. Their routine involved waking up at 6:30 and being fully geared up by 6:45. And even then, there was already a line up.

Right off the bat the Utah boys had stiff competition – especially from a hardcore group of ‘Shredder kids’ from Whistler, British Columbia.  Whistler has spawned many world champion contenders, including Jackson Goldstone. But despite the high standards, the Mallens were able to hold their own in both the Dual Slalom and Downhill events against the Canadians. For Saturday’s Dual Slalom, Alex earned a silver medal in the B Group. His brother, Luke almost made the medal round for the A Group. In the Downhill Race, the kids finished 9th and 16th out of a field of 39 riders. This is a testament to the growing talent in Utah. In fact, as Liz can’t help but expound, more than a few brands (from bike companies to gear outfitters) showed some serious interest in the kids.

  • Ready to rock the junior DH race at the Sea Otter Classic
  • Medal winners at the Sea Otter Classic
  • The DH practice line up at the Sea Otter Classic

From left-to-right: (1) The big day in queue for the downhill races. (2) One of the Mallen boys earned a silver in the Dual Slalom B Group. (3) The line-up during a practice session.


You won’t get bored!

At the end of the day though, it’s the diversity that really stood out in Liz’s mind. If you’re at all bike-inclined, it’s impossible to be bored, with daily street races that begin at 11 sharp, an Easter egg hunt (or Sea Otter Egg Hunt, as it were), and a variety of spectator matches. In her own words it’s a “whole experience for anyone who is involved with bikes … road, cycle, mountain cross country, BMX, I mean any type of bike you can imagine is here. If you are in love with bikes in general you need to come to Sea Otter.”

Tips for planning your trip

Of course, for those newcomers who are seriously considering the Sea Otter Classic it’s always a good idea to plan ahead – ideally, at least a month. With so much activity going on, being well prepared in terms of organizing your own schedule around what you want to see and – in the Mallen’s case – what you want to participate in is crucial.

The one solid piece of advice that seems to bridge all visitors to Monterey is the absolute necessity of camping. Although there are a number of hotel and accommodation choices available, camping is where it’s at. You can camp right on-site (either in a camper van or tents) to really bring the experience full circle and add a level of immersion you wouldn’t otherwise get. “The one thing I do recommend for families of kids who are racing is to camp,” Liz says wistfully – and on top of the convenience of being able to make it to events on time, camping is also a great opportunity to get to know other families and racers and to become a part of the Sea Otter Classic community. More than that, a participant in the biker culture itself. “It is like Disneyland! Literally! It’s overwhelming!” she adds excitedly.

 

For more ideas about mountain biking adventures with kids, check out our Destinations and Trails page and follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook


Story Contributors

The Mallen family believes in mountain biking with kidsThe Mallens hail from the outskirts of Salt Lake City. And, they’re eagerly anticipating 2017’s Colorado Freeride Festival. Follow them on Instagram @thosemallentwins. They are bubble-wrapped from head-to-shin with protective gear from Demon United.

 

Jeremy VanSchoonhoven likes taking pictures and riding mountain bikesJeremy VanSchoonhoven is a former competitive trials rider who has traveled the globe. He now focuses on taking photos instead of making paper thin, above the ground moves. Give him an Instagram follow @jeremyvanschoonhoven.