Want to shred epic singletrack while surrounded by the highest mountains in the world? You can!
Want to help get more women on mountain bikes in a developing country? You can!
You can do both with a new all-ladies mountain bike retreat in Nepal in November of 2017, presented by Potential Energy.
This fall we will mountain bike the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, reaching over 18,000 feet in elevation on some of the world’s most remote singletrack. Proceeds from this trip will go toward newly-established programs to help get more Nepali women on mountain bikes.
Mountain biking has been a growing sport in Nepal over the past decade, and it is now an emerging contributor to the tourism economy. Men have dominated the sport in Nepal, which isn’t too surprising in this patriarchal society. In recent years, a small band of women have begun to make waves in the Nepali mountain bike scene. The Ladies Mountain League and Himalayan Singletrack are helping to propel this movement of women in mountain biking by creating a bike share program. With this program in place, ladies can check out a mountain bike and experience the thrill and adventure of our sport for the first time. The goal of this program is to empower women and “to create a non-intimidating environment for women to ride in, [to learn skills], and to create safe groups for Nepalese women to lead as part of their own journey to become mountain bike leaders.”
This program has already had some success. Two young women, Roja KC and Usha Knaal, are becoming Nepal’s first MBLA-trained guides. These two ladies are now on their way to exciting careers in mountain bike guiding, and they will also be guiding on our two-week ladies mountain bike retreat in Nepal in November!
If you would like the opportunity to go on the trip of a lifetime, as well as support the growth of women’s mountain biking in Nepal, join us for the trip!
Julie Cornelius has dedicated years of work to helping grow the opportunities for women mountain bikers in Nepal. She is also a professional mountain bike guide for Rim Tours, and owns Potential Energy Training & Nutrition.
