December's Featured Rider: Katie Hayes

Katie Hayes hit the Freeride Foundation radar with a promo video she released earlier this summer. I met her at the Slope Sistair event in Grand Junction, CO in August. The first thing I saw her do was tabletop a firepit gap jump at The Ranch, with the smooth style and confidence we don't see often enough from women freeriders. She went on to prove that she has the skill and the eye to put together a tough, but flowing slopestyle run that included drops, jumps, and wall-rides. Katie not only puts together sweet runs on her bike, but she literally builds the trails she trains on. The girl is young and smart, and we can't wait to see her progress over the next few years.--FF

Name: Katie Hayes
Home: Whitefish, Montana
Age: 22
Favorite type of riding: Fast with lots of airtime. Though I do enjoy going out and kicking my own ass riding tech, rooty stuff!
Why you ride: It is a great way to challenge myself, escape, or just have fun.
Sponsors: Twenty6 Products, Hammer Nutrition
Website: Vimeo videos

I grew up riding and racing cross country. Even then I was more stoked on flying down hills, dropping three feet off of the neighbor’s deck, and trying to launch myself off plywood ramps in the backyard. I’m positive my dad was too nervous to buy me a downhill bike. My fondest memory (and probably the one that solidified dad's decision) resulted in me clothes-lining myself on the side mirror of his truck, getting a fat lip, and losing a tooth. As I entered high school, my interests changed, and my parents decided I needed to prioritize my activities. Soccer became a year-round obligation, I had qualified for the Junior Olympics in Jackson Hole, WY for ski racing, and I decided not to get another mountain bike.

Then I started dating a boy that loves to ride. Three years ago, I got tired of shuttling him for rides and decided I needed a downhill bike. It was a huge skill and confidence booster having someone much more experienced to follow around and learn from. I started helping him build and maintain our local freeride trails. I quickly realized that building the features I would ride makes riding them much more comfortable.

Building is awesome, because it allows me to be creative and express myself artistically on the trail. It sometimes amazes me what we can do with dirt and logs. A couple months ago we had the chance to show the Ride Guide crew the two trails we have put the most work into this summer. It is a huge compliment to hear someone, that travels all over Canada and the US say, “Those were two of the most fun trails I have ridden!” You can watch the episode (#162) in January.

I love that riding provides me with a reason to travel! We started the summer off with a trip to Utah, riding in Moab and near Green River. Whistler became my second home for a week every month and I feel like riding there for so many days in a row improved my skills immensely. After closing weekend there, the trails felt more like my home trails than the ones actually at home. At the end of August I competed in Slope Sistair III. It was great meeting and getting to ride with such a fun and experienced group of girls.

Why do I ride? For many reasons, but mainly because it is fun! I love going out for a day, whether it be to ride or to build, and coming back to the car feeling happy and fulfilled. I enjoy feeling challenged and then succeeding. I have learned that with success also comes failure and of course cuts, bruises, and broken bones. To succeed in this sport you definitely have to decide if you're going to be the one that gets knocked down, gets back up and tries again, or just gives up. I want to help the women’s side of the sport grow and see more girls take an interest in our sport.

October's Featured Rider: Tammy Donahugh

Tammy Donahugh began racing during downhill's infancy, and continues to progress her own riding, while inspiring women riders of all abilities. Tammy's life is ruled by bikes. Even her house is surrounded by dirt jumps, which explains why she is such a ripping slopestyle rider. She won the Crankworx Colorado dual slalom this season, and she also stole the show at Slope Sistair in August. And when she's not riding her own bike, Tammy's helping to grow and maintain trail networks in your town--she works as IMBA's Operations Manager at the Boulder, CO headquarters. --FF

Name: Tammy Donahugh
Home:My hometown is Santa Cruz, CA and my current town is Berthoud, CO
Age: 32
Favorite type of riding: Anything that has flow mixed with some air time
Why you ride: To get my fix, challenge myself, or goof off. Depends on the day!
Sponsors: SuperCo Bikes, Spank Industries, Atomlab
Website: For now, watch this!

I started riding bikes when I was 16 years old. My boyfriend at the time and his buddies started getting into mountain biking and racing so I wanted to tag along. Soon I found myself not only really enjoying it, but getting faster than some of the boys.

I soon discovered that the downhill sections of the trail were my favorite parts. I started doing some racing, but back then things were quite different. The downhill trails were essentially fireroads and you raced them on a hardtail.

Another boyfriend along the way owned a trials magazine which exposed me to the world of trials riding and balance maneuvers. This in turn helped with my technical skills. Around this time I also moved up to the pro downhill class. It was crazy practicing and racing with factory team riders like Missy Giove, Marla Streb and Tara Llanes. I continually broke my body by never taking any optional “go-arounds” and by throwing myself off every DH course obstacle. It didn’t take long before I drained my bank account and maxed out my credit cards in order to travel the national circuit and pay my doctor bills.

I decided racing DH wasn’t for me right then. Meeting my husband was possibly the transition point out of the race scene. I found a great guy who enjoyed all of the same types of riding and at a similar level. From there on we spent our money and free time traveling to different types of bike riding destinations around the US together. I find it interesting that if you are an avid rider who enjoys anything gravity fed, yet don’t race on a regular basis, then you are considered a “freerider." It’s been cool to see how our sport has progressed and changed over the many years though, and I’m stoked to be living it!

Go pick-up the most recent Dirt Rag issue (#145)! They have a four-page spread covering our backyard playground. The condensed version would be this: Jimmy (my husband) and I both grew up in California and spent almost 30 years there. We moved to CO, bought a house that had enough room for some dirt jumps, and started digging! Currently we have two jump lines, a halfpipe, street spine, and a wall ride. It’s funny to think back to when the yard was empty and to wonder how we will be able to ever go back to “normal” living again one day.

Although I’m a mountain biker at heart, I really admire the 20” riders – especially the girls! Although these little bikes may be easier to throw around, you have to be much more precise and able to take a serious hit on a BMX bike. There are some rad females out there with amazing skills that blow my mind. Just a few names off the top of my head would be Nina Buitrago, Cory Coffey, and Joey Gough.

Early this season I took a mountain bike instructor’s course and began doing some teaching. It’s been a great experience so far and I plan to do much more instruction in 2010. My short term goal is to continue progressing my personal riding while learning new and better ways to explain and break down the skills I’ve acquired, so I can pass them on to other female riders. I want to help girls breach the intimidation barrier that keeps them from trying things like dirt jumping and downhilling. It’s just too much fun to be missed out on!

Slope Sistair Video

Well, here I am slacking again. I didn't get the WC Final DH results up yet, and I'm in Vegas for Interbike. In case you haven't already read it, Tracy Moseley won the race, but Sabrina Jonnier took the series title. I'll post full results when there's a bit of downtime. In the meantime, check out this Slope Sistair III video courtesy of Katie Hayes and 406 Productions!

Slope Sistair 2009 from 406 Productions on Vimeo.

Slope Sistair Rules The Ranch

If I was updating Freeride Foundation's Facebook status this weekend, the progression would have looked a bit like this:

Freeride Foundation is trying to avoid accidentally finding the peach pit (and possible piece of gum) that Gale failed to throw out of the passenger side window of her car last week.

Freeride Foundation is eating pizza at Pablo's in Grand Junction with the women of Slope Sistair.

Freeride Foundation is freaking out that I may have lost my phone in City Market...but I don't remember taking it into the store....why can't I hear it ring?

Freeride Foundation is at The Ranch! It's a freerider's paradise!

Freeride Foundation found my phone next to a dried out peach pit underneath an atlas, underneath the passenger seat. Ew and hooray!

Freeride Foundation is puckered up riding Pucker Up for the first time on my Trance. Hmmm, perhaps I need a 7in freeride bike after all.

Freeride Foundation is having dinner with the ladies of Slope Sistair and James from Grassroots. Lucky James!

Ok, you get the picture.

To fill in the gaps, The Ranch is quite literally a freerider's paradise located about 9 miles outside of Grand Junction, CO. It's a network of trails, jumps, man-made stunts, and a huge slopestyle course, all within a short push from a fairly civilized cabin (ie, running water, a 6-burner stove, huge fridge, and electricity).

Want to ride some of GJ's finest trails? A short jaunt down a dirt road will get you to The Ribbon, and a short shuttle ride puts you within access of Free Lunch, Pucker Up, Holy Cross, and more. Run by Grassroots Cyclery in Grand Junction, The Ranch was the site of the third installment of Slope Sistair.

Stephanie Nychka (left) founded Slope Sistair as a way to get as many ripping slopestyle girls together as possible for a weekend of riding, progressing, and inspiring. The weekend started with trail rides on The Ribbon and Pucker Up on Friday. On Saturday, pros like Tammy Donahugh and Gale Dahlager coached riders looking to improve their confidence on the dual slalom track and on jumps. There was plenty of time for everyone to session the slopestyle course, wall rides, and other jumps around The Ranch.

Sunday's slopestyle session started with a best trick contest off of a step-up that's separate from the slopestyle course. The slopestyle session was rider-judged, and it was no easy task, as Tammy and Darcy Turenne (below) put on a show that included tricks like no-handers and foot-buzzing x-ups.
After a lengthy jump session and a lunch break, everyone moved over to the slopestyle course. the course starts with a bridge to wood-ramp jump or two sets of doubles. Darcy got creative and tranferred fromt the bridge to the backside of the first double, while Tammy and Katie Hayes dropped the bridge to the wood ramp. After a few runs, those two were able to link up the bridge to the wall ride below. Tammy (below) took it even further by hitting doubles all the way down the course--and absolutely maching!

When it was all said and done, Tammy took home wins in both contests, and walked away with a new frame. She was so inspiring to watch, as she rode with the most confidence and style throughout the weekend. And Katie (right) is definitely one to watch. She couldn't get enough of the fire pit jump in front of the cabin, and she was the only other girl to hit the doubles on the slopestyle course. She has a calculated but aggressive style and a good eye for picking lines and judging her landings. We'll be seeing a lot of her in the future!

Best Trick
1. Tammy Donahugh
2. Darcy Turenne
3. Katie Hayes












Best Trick podium. How we do it at The Ranch.

Slopestyle
1. Tammy Donahugh
2. Katie Hayes
3. Darcy Turenne














Tammy slayed slopestyle.











Gale Dahlager has been to all 3 Slope Sistairs (along with Darcy and SS founder Stephanie).











Neven Steinmetz extends her World Cup 4X skills and busts a move on the wall ride.









Nadia Steinbrecher ramps it up.

Slope Sistair Is Next Weekend!

In less than a week, Grand Junction, CO will play host to the women's freeride festival known as Slope Sistair. This is a 3-day weekend of trail rides, clinics, slalom duals, and a slopestyle contest.

There's super-cheap camping on site, and some of the world's most talented female freeriders will be in attendance (read Darcy Turenne, Stephanie Nycka--who's also Slope Sistair's founder and organizer, Nadia Steinbrecher, Gale Dahlager, Tammy Donahugh and more!).
For more information about the event, visit Slope Sistair's website.

Slope Sistair 2009

It's on! Visit Slopesistair.wordpress.com for more details!

June's Featured Rider: Stephanie Nychka

Stephanie Nychka is one of those riders who’s simply inspiring. She’ll hit jumps and stunts with the same confidence and aggression as the pro guys, and she bounces back from setbacks and injuries a stronger rider than ever. She created and produced the two SlopeSistair women’s slopestyle events in 2005 and 2006, and is in the midst of preparations for the 3rd SlopeSistair, which will be held at The Ranch in Grand Junction, CO on August 28-30, 2009.--FF

Name: Christina Stephanie Danya Nychka
Hometown: Beaverlodge, Alberta
Current Residence: Seattle, WA
Age: 29
Favorite type of riding: Slopestyle, A-Line-ish trails
Why you ride: The progression in this sport is unlike any other I've ever experienced, and being good can happen as easily as you allow it. And it feels good to be good at the sports you love! My development as a rider has been proportional to my love for riding. It makes me smile big.
Sponsors: Transition, Dakine, Five Ten, Skull Candy, Smith Optics, OGIO
Website: StephanieNychka.wordpress.com

I went to university to play volleyball, but ended up living with roommates who rode bikes, which is how I was introduced to riding. I met my fiancé, Joel, while riding during that time. After we were engaged, he began chiropractic school and I moved to Europe to play volleyball professionally. While I was there, he passed away suddenly and I was completely uprooted. The only thing I knew to do was finish what we began together, so I transferred to the chiropractic college he had attended in Minneapolis. There was nowhere to ride though--bikes or boards--and I needed that release. I moved to Whistler and took 8 months off of school to ride bikes and to organize SlopeSistair.

It was during that break that I knew I wanted to be a chiropractor for the right reasons—for myself, and because I love being able to give back to sports and athletes. Since I graduated, I’ve become involved events around Seattle, and have been traveling a lot to work with athletes—and firefighters, policemen, and other professionals. I love my job!

I raced bikes for a couple of years starting in 2000. I rode for PinkBike.com, and even though I didn't like the intensity and pressure very much, I did fairly well, finishing 2nd overall in the 2002 Canada Cup series. I wasn't a smooth rider, but I wasn't scared of much. Prioritizing my skills has definitely changed a bit since!

I gravitated towards slopestyle because it was a combination of so many other disciplines: speed control, fluidity, style, yet it was unique for its absence of a clock. I love the challenge and adrenaline and risk that goes into hitting big jumps and drops. I prefer Boneyard-style jumps and drops—the one-hit, choose-your-own-adventure trails. Your personality and riding style are mirrored in your flow and feature preferences, no two riders ever look the same.

I think the most important riding skill is so basic—and something I didn’t learn how to do until two years ago. One of my favorite people to ride with taught me how to work the trail, how to pump the terrain and use the bike’s suspension. It looked sexy when he did it, and it made me feel sexy once I learned how to do it! I still have a ways to go and its something I probably should have learned first, but better now than never, right?

I’m a more confident rider now, and I know it’s a skill that will transfer to every aspect of riding whether it be dirt jumping, xc, slopestyle or downhill. Whistler`s Crank It Up trail is a fantastic place to practice. Bottom line: Go back to the basics--BMX & pumptracks are the best places to learn how to handle a bike.

SlopeSistair III Is in the Works!

Stephanie Nychka is working on making SlopeSistair III a reality! The SlopeSistair events are women's-only slopestyle contests that parallel the men's events. The event ran in 2005 and 2006 and will return for 2009. Add it to the now-established Whistler WomenzWorx, and we could see some incredible women's slopestyle talent emerging. The 2009 event will hopefully be held at the Kamloops Bike Ranch in September.

Here's a link to video of the 2006 event.