To be honest I hope that nobody is reading this - it is the long weekend after all, and you should all be out playing!

I posted a link on the Betty facebook site to a recent article on Pinkbike entitled 'Why no Y?', another article lamenting the lack of ladies in MTB. You can read the full article on Pinkbike, and look at the pretty girl riding pictures.

I was motivated to write a response to this article because I believe it is time that we all admit that the MTB industry is changing, and changing for the better. MTB is no longer struggling in the backwater, it is gaining traction and becoming a sport that is gaining participation from men women and children from all walks of life.

I know I live in a bike-mad part of the world, but I started out in places where biking was a minority and girls even more so. I have traveled around and seen what works, and I want Pinkbike to share the success stories, not just the sob stories.

Forgive me, but I have published my response directly with Pinkbike in the hope that they put it on the front page and get some real dialogue going.

For those of you that have been at one of the introduction to mountain biking clinics and would like to know how to make our burgers...

VegeNut Burgers

1cup mixed nuts

1/2 cup of each chopped celery, chopped onion and chopped carrot

Put it all into the food processor and mix it up, not too much

I have never considered myself a very competitive person. In primary school I stayed clear of anything that involved sports and a prize preferring to stick to book learnin' which I was far more comfortable with. High school and university I played some basketball and soccer and started running by myself for fitness. In university I met my future husband who allowed me to tag along when he went bike riding and for the last 10 years I have been slowly catching on to this biking thing.

Last year to beat the winter blues I entered mself in a running group that was training for the Whistler half marathon. I got a lot out of the training and race prep - improved fitness, better eating habits, new running skills. It really got me thinking how having goals in our sports can help push us to new skill levels - and through that new levels of enjoyment.

This year, I decided to lady up and race in the local downhill MTB series. I live in Squamish, BC so the toonie races are run by the amazing Squamish Off Road Cycling Association. Every two weeks, they pick a different local trail to race, and have a BBQ social afterwards. Not a high stress race environment, but some of the tracks they race are deliciously gnarly. It has taken me a couple of years to muster the courage to give it a go.

So why chose this year to race? Number one - bucket list. I am turning the bg 3-0 this year, and I am trying to celebrate all year long by doing fun and challenging new things. Racing DH fits right in to that category! Number two - I had a great riding season last year and I finally feel I am confident enough on my bike to give it a go. Number three - I got my first ever DH bike. Everything is falling into place!

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Tough Mudder look out there is a new game in town for the true extreme among us. Red Bull Divide and Conquer is happening on June 16^th, a team event that involves a Mountain Runner, Mountain Biker and Whitewater Kayaker. Sounds easy enough; however you want to pick your discipline carefully. The mountain runner is up for a near double ascent of Grouse Mountain and 6000 ft of climbing, the mountain biker enjoys a grueling uphill before dropping in to a flowy downhill with all the features of the famous North Shore trails, pick your stead carefully, this section is not about the bike but the rider. Handing off to the Kayaker on your team they will drop into the Capilano River for a fun and varied 10 km river ride that will put them into the ocean for the final leg.

Finishing up at Ambleside Park in Vancouver this is not about where you place as much as getting it done! With a total of 8000 meters of vertical and no less than 70kms covered, finishing is the goal! Men and Women are invited to take part in this event that is expected to take five to seven hours to complete. The teams can be any dynamic you choose, at the end of the day the it is the first Kayaker across that line wins it for their team.

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Last year while talking programming with my assistant we came up with a concept that changed the way I think about yoga. A good friend is an amazing yoga instructor and is big on working in the outdoors. I have been looking for a way to combine hiking and biking with other activities and in a moment of inspiration Amber came up with the hike and yoga concept.

Combining the experience of finding new trails, being outdoor in nature and the exhilaration of a hike to a viewpoint overlooking the vista below with the relaxing and rejuvenating experience of yoga was magical. The first session was amazing; despite not really knowing what to expect and apprehensive about the ‘yoga studio’, timing and the après there was no escaping the calm one gets from doing yoga in a mountain top setting with a slight breeze rustling the leaves.

Yoga is a challenge for me. I am a busy person who likes to stay busy, although I love doing yoga and love the results I get from yoga I still avoid it. I find it hard to still the mind, realizing that the busyness is the way to avoid all those thoughts and as soon as I am still they all come rushing in. However, being outside I found it easy to relax, still the mind and listen to the sounds of nature all around. It was the best yoga session I have ever had and I was excited for the next session.

The hike back down was delightful, all downhill, I found my awareness to the beauty around me was heightened and delighted in the sights and sounds of the journey back to reality. The session was followed up with an après, which gave us the chance to ground ourselves, and relive our experience together.

Overall it was an awesome experience. The combination of the rigorous hike to the studio, relaxing yoga flow and meander back down left me ready to take on the world. Join BettyGoHard and Kerry Yoga this Spring for our Sunday afternoon hike and yoga series starting APRIL 29TH. Register online at www.bettygohard.com.

WIN A DIRTY DOG ROTOR

160mm Web - Light, Strong, Fast

The mountain is now closed for snow sports, which means its time for dirt sports!!  Lets get out biking!!

This fall I had a great conversation with Dave from Wakpa Wilderness Adventures about creating a weekend for the BettyGoHard ladies.  As just about anyone can book a rafting trip and go rafting Dave came up with a unique idea that takes a Ladies rafting trip to the next level.

The only way down is down - what will I learn about myself on the way?

Here I am at 2000m, sitting on my behind on Whistler Peak. It is a stunning bluebird day and in front of me is an untracked powder field. The catch? To get there I have to navigate a gnarly entrance which I have never done before. I have to edge down an icy, exposed chute and halfway down I will have to let go and slide over a rock slab - no edge engaged, nothing to hold on to.

Just quietly, being exposed on the side of a mountain like this freaks the hell out of me. I grew up in outback Queensland, Australia where the ground is FLAT. Stick me on the side of a snow covered cliff and I feel like I am going to fall into space. It is a hard fear to overcome and I have had a few horrible experiences in the past on steep sections.

But today there are people lining up behind me - I don't have time to think about freaking out, only to act. I focus on getting down that chute then riding the heck out of the powder before anyone else can. For those few precious minutes I am completely in the moment, whooping with delight the whole way down. At the bottom I turn and look back up to the peak I have just come from and feel an immense sense of achievement. Today, I overcame that fear!