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Post Register
Photo courtesy Mark Fisher of Fisher Creative.
By Casey Archibald
carchibald@postregister.com

R
ecreationalists from Ida-
ho and Wyoming alike
will gather for the fourth
annual Wydaho Ren-
dezvous Mountain Bike
Festival in the Teton Valley Aug. 30
through Sept. 1.
Te event started four years ago
when a committee associated with
Teton Trails and Pathways had a meet-
ing to brainstorm ways they could
implement the use of the trails in the
Teton Valley area. Tey came up with
the name based on the rendezvous held
by traders and trappers in the 1830s.
Since then, the event has grown from
a small gathering of mountain bike and
trail enthusiasts to an annual, three-day
rendezvous with dozens of sponsors
and hundreds of attendees.
Te whole committee that puts this
festival together is completely made up
of volunteers. Te event itself is run
by about 40 volunteers who help us
put this all together said Tim Adams,
the Executive Director of Teton Valley
Trails and Pathways (TVTAP).
For the frst time, the festivals cen-
tral location will be the Grand Targhee
Resort in Alta, Wyo.
According to David Treinis, Wyd-
aho Festival Development Manager,
Grand Targhee Resort is a partner
with TVTAP and a big part of the Fes-
tival organization, oferings, and pub-
licity.
Grand Targhee Resort has been a
participating member of the Wydaho
Rendezvous in past years, but the re-
sorts ideal biking location, lif-access
for downhill biking and the 37 multi-
use trails prompted coordinators to
have Grand Targhee host the entire
event.
Camp grounds, hotels, condos, town
homes and vacation homes are avail-
able for reservation through the Grand
Targhee Resort website.
We are very excited that Grand
Targhee is going to be the hub of the
activities. With all the trail work we
have been doing, it is the perfect venue
for this kind of event, said Ken Rider,
Director of Marketing and Sales for
Grand Targhee Resort.
Rider said he hopes the festival will
help people recognize the Teton Val-
ley area as a great destination not only
during the winter, but the summer as
well.
Te entire community benefts
[from the festival] because this area
is becoming a mountain bike destina-
tion. Te more destination visitors we
bring in, the more the community will
have the opportunity for a more robust
tourism market. It is bringing more po-
tential tourists to the region and gives
them the opportunity for recreation in
this beautiful setting, said Rider.
Adams said though the majority of
visitors are from the intermountain
west, a handful come to the event from
places like Florida or Massachusetts.
He said they even had a biker come
from Japan to attend the event.
We are looking to have more peo-
ple from the Snake River plain come to
the festival. Its a great event for people
from warmer regions to catch a break
from the heat and spend quality time
with their families, said Treinis.
Te registration price for the event
includes access to several diferent ele-
ments of the festival for all three days.
Attendees will receive raf e tickets,
party entrance, drinks and swag bags.
Tey will also be able to take part in
bike demonstrations.
Treinis explained that the ability
to participate in the mountain bike
demonstrations is one of the main
perks to registering for the festival.
Biking experts and beginners alike
will be able to test-ride bikes around
the Teton Valley trails for an hour or
longer per demo. Treinis said represen-
tatives from six of the top bike compa-
nies will be in attendance to present the
latest models of mountain bikes on the
market.
Tese bikes are top-of-the-line and
current with the newest technology,
said Treinis. Some have hydraulic disc
brakes and shock absorption systems
and other features that are scaled down
versions of those on motorized bikes.
Tere are very few places you can [test-
ride bikes] like this in the country. To
have six of the top companies all in the
same place is an exceptional opportu-
nity.
Te Wydaho Festival will feature
several diferent events, clinics and bike
rides throughout the weekend.
Te clinics are workshops that occur
daily and many will be taught by staf
members from a renowned mountain
bike instruction group called RipStoke.
Members of the RipStoke team will
also be performing live entertainment
featuring mountain biking tricks, tech-
niques and maneuvers through chal-
lenging obstacles.
Clinics range in skill level from be-
ginners and children to biking connois-
seurs who wish to learn more about
navigating through intricate courses
and extreme terrain.
Our goal is to include the family ele-
ment in the festival. Mountain biking is
something that families can do together
and there will be clinics and things kids
can enjoy as well, said Treinis.
Group rides will also be available ev-
ery morning and evening to registered
attendees and directed by Wydahos
professionally-trained volunteers. Most
rides are two to three hours long and
will take place in several areas around
the Teton Valley.
Te group rides are informal and
totally free afer registration. Tey are a
great way for people to develop friend-
ships, be social, and take a fun ride with
no competition, said Adams.
Group rides aside, there is still plen-
ty of room for a little healthy competi-
tion at the Wydaho Rendezvous. Races
are planned to take place during the
three day festival as well. Te Downhill
Race will take place on Saturday and
will include a variety of downhill jumps
and obstacles.
A virtual race, called the Cross Coun-
try Race, will take place throughout the
weekend, and winners will be determined
Sunday evening. Riders can download
a smart phone application called Strava,
which allows them to track their race
through an internal GPS in their phones.
Festival attendees are encouraged to ride
the set course at their own leisure and
multiple attempts are welcome.
Results of the race are then upload-
ed and tallied at the end of the festival.
Prizes will be given out to race winners.
Treinis explained that one of the pri-
mary goals of the festival is to share the
wealth of the trails that are in the Teton
Valley area.
We want people to know that the
trails are a valued and threatened re-
source. Trails are dynamic; they have to
be maintained. Tere is some steward-
ship that comes with living in an area
with such great bike trails. We want to
get people out on those trails, especially
families. Tat will help ensure that fu-
ture generations will maintain and de-
velop them as well, said Treinis.
Te Wydaho festival will also feature
parties in the evenings with live music,
food, drinks and entertainment. Ad-
ams said the goal is to provide an en-
vironment where people can not only
enjoy biking, but make friends and so-
cialize as well.
Its great to see people coming to-
gether, sharing stories and being excit-
ed about mountain biking. It makes me
smile and helps me realize we have done
our job. Tat is what I love, watching all
these people; seeing the new friendships,
the gatherings the smiles, said Adams.
Annual mountain biking event better than ever
Photo courtesy Eric Helgoth.
Photo courtesy Mark Fisher of Fisher Creative.