Press Release: Whistler Sessions, a Brand New Womxn’s Dirt Jump Series!!

Caroline Buchanan’s winning Tuck No Hander at the Ladies Only Jump Jam, Crankworx, Whistler. Photo credit Trevor Lyden

Caroline Buchanan’s winning Tuck No Hander at the Ladies Only Jump Jam, Crankworx, Whistler. Photo credit Trevor Lyden

Women's Freeride Movement has developed a progression of events that will allow riders to create and achieve their goals in a comfortable environment. We feature three different formats to introduce you to dirt jumping and/or improve your current foundations: coaching clinics, indoor park jam, and final competition. Each event works in succession, but can be completed as an individual component.

Heather Barody-Adams dropping in at Air Rec in Maple Ridge, BC. Photo credit: Ben Adams

Heather Barody-Adams dropping in at Air Rec in Maple Ridge, BC. Photo credit: Ben Adams

With an emphasis on fun, we want to encourage competition without the stress. We hope to create camaraderie among fellow riders, competitors, and athletes, which invariably breed growth. Our coaching clinics will achieve this by providing three hours of instruction, and then a half hour competition in each skills group.  It will be beginners against beginners, and advanced against advanced. Reducing performance pressures and enabling riders to compete at their level, safety first!!

Kyleigh Stewart warming up during Crankworx last summer. Photo credit Ryan Robinson

Kyleigh Stewart warming up during Crankworx last summer. Photo credit Ryan Robinson

Competition is definitely fun and great for skill growth and the evolution of the sport. Dirt jumping competitions can provide feelings of excitement, joy, and a pressure to perform. We want to help lessen any fears and anxieties by giving you the tools to ride competently in all environments, including the pressures of competition. Each session will have goals setting and follow the proper steps to achieve them.

Coaches like Lynne Armstrong, Lauren Heitzman, Lisa Mason, and Angi Weston will be on hand to help make these goals a reality. Guest riders and coaches include; Joey Gough, Britney White, Kat Sweet, and Donald Redmond. More to be announced.

SRAM has always been supportive of womxn’s clinics and it was no surprise when they step up to the plate with event sponsorship. Photo credit: Random passerby

SRAM has always been supportive of womxn’s clinics and it was no surprise when they step up to the plate with event sponsorship. Photo credit: Random passerby

We will be conducting classes on a variety of different terrain. Features like pump tracks, skills areas, dirt jump lines, and skateparks, will enable you to be a better rider and jumper. Exploring better body positioning, dealing with different transitions, and timing, are all key components to developing our abilities on a bike. We will play with these variables often.


Our coaching events are not just for competitors, it’s for riders who want to get better, and jumping is a great maneuver to work on. Coaching clinics will have a regular class structure, but will include an optional competition at the end of each session. These can be anything from a pump track competition to a trick contest, depending on your class and skill ability. Jam sessions allow progression, most development happens when you’re fooling around with your friends and bike mates.

Design help Nicola Church. Photo credits: Ryan Robinson & Trevor Burke

Design help Nicola Church. Photo credits: Ryan Robinson & Trevor Burke

We will be ending the series with the grand finale dirt jump competition, that will draw competitors from all over the world and with pro-prize purse that is paving the way for what is expected for women’s freestyle events. Training and travelling for bike events is expensive and the prize money should reflect that.

Our prize breakdown is $1000 for first place, $750 for second, and $500 for third, with $250 best trick!!

You can register for any of WFM Bike’s upcoming events here

Kat Sweet helping the next generation make number plates. Photo credit: Lisa Mason

Kat Sweet helping the next generation make number plates. Photo credit: Lisa Mason

We are working with the creators of Sugar Showdown, and Crankworx Riverside Jump Jam , Air Maiden, to help create more freestyle events in across the globe. . Click on their link to find out more, and where to register. First stop is in Washington and ending with two events in British Columbia. WFM Bike will be at all of them!! Hope to see you there.

Ellie Chew riding the Gorge Road jumps in Queenstown. Photo by Ronia Nash

Ellie Chew riding the Gorge Road jumps in Queenstown. Photo by Ronia Nash

The photo above of Ellie Chew, who rode in Nitro Circus last week; representing women, New Zealanders, and the dirt jumping community. This is inspirational and awesome, something we hope to see everyday. Thought we’d leave you with this to get you fired up! Hope to see you out there jumping!!

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We’d like to thank all the people who collaborated, shared their two cents, and showed their support!! Bike events are not possible without the support of the cycling community and beyond!! My mom helps me a lot and she’s not even a biker! Love to you all, now time to play bikes!! :) ~Lisa

If you’d like to put your two cents in about women’s bike events, you can do it here.

Lisa Mason