All Photos: Andrea Heath

This past week I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Dark Horse Invitational in Revelstoke BC, hosted by Casey Brown. The main focus of this event is to progress women’s freeride mountain biking to the next level and to provide the athletes with a platform to showcase their riding.

Some of the highlights throughout the week included attending a health and wellness session, group rides in the bike park, and of course riding the freshly sculpted jumps, built for the event. Being able to do all this, alongside the other girls that were invited, kept the vibes high 24/7 and allowed us to make some valuable connections.

The moment we arrived at the jump line on the first day to walk the course, I knew it was going to be an insane week of riding. At first glance, I immediately wanted to get on my bike and ride the features.

When the first practice session rolled around, I was eager to drop in and was one of the first riders to test out the course. Unlike other events, I felt a strong sense of calm and confidence that fuelled my stoke throughout the week. I had never once doubted my skills during this event, this positivity translated into my riding and that feeling of being free on the bike. The lips of the jumps were not ideal for doing big tricks but they were perfect for throwing some style and that’s what I like best anyways!

The final session of the week brought out an awesome crowd filled with people of all ages. Having the chance to ride in massive trains with other girls while the crowd cheered us on was a pretty amazing feeling and on the push back to the top, kids were lining the side, asking for us to sign their shirts. This was a full circle moment for me, remembering how it wasn’t all that long ago that I was one of those groms at the events frothing over the pro riders competing. Reflecting on these moments truly inspires me as a rider, this common passion and love for the sport that brings us together, provides me with so much happiness.

All in all, I had the best time attending Dark Horse and I am so grateful that I can have these experiences because of riding bikes. Here’s to more events, more air time, and more cool things with cool people!