Gear Up!

Gear Up! Mountain Biking & Science

Gear Up! was created in 2021 with the mission of connecting more learners to mountain bike and science experiences. We believe in the bicycle as a tool for self-discovery, education, exploration and community building. Through mentorship, stewardship, and skill building, our vision is to create curious learners who make connections between biking, science and life.

Whether your learner has been riding for years or is brand new to the sport, we have a place for them! We all start somewhere and Gear Up! is committed to creating safe spaces for youth to explore new adventures by bike. We love guiding kids through the experiences that mountain biking offers and helping them to make connections that build confidence, curiosity, develop grit and teach them about their impact on our natural world. You can use the guide below to decide what is the best camp level for your rider.

First Timer: First timer camps are geared toward riders that do not have previous mountain bike experience but can ride a two-wheeled bike comfortably without training wheels or help starting and stopping. Riders should be comfortable riding on the River Trail.

Beginner: Beginner camps are geared toward riders that have some mountain bike experience and are still working on their skills and confidence. They have been on singletrack trails and are comfortable pedaling 1 - 3 miles at a time. Riders should be comfortable on trails like Kids Meal, Hop Skip and Jump, Rustlers and Kessel Run.

Intermediate: Intermediate camps are geared toward riders that have been mountain biking for at least a year and are confident navigating 5 - 10 miles of singletrack. These camps require you to have a strong set of bike handling skills and a desire to be challenged. Riders should be comfortable on trails like Tabeguache, Ravens Ridge and Curts Lane.

Gear Up! is designed to remove barriers such as equipment, transportation, and program fees by meeting each family where they are, providing a pathway of access to the outdoors and the incredible lessons we can learn both in and from our natural world. Through our science-infused curriculum, our participants will gain self-confidence on and off the bike, as well as learn about the impacts that we have on our environment through restoration and conservation projects.

Thanks to generous foundations, businesses, and individual supporters, we have scholarship funds to reduce registration costs for students, and equipment available for students to use while in our programs.