Director Jud's Blog

DirtFest - May 17, 18, 19th 2012

SMA will have a booth out at DirtFest this weekend.  What is DirtFest you ask?

DirtFest is put on in a unique partnership with Dirt Rag Magazine and our good friends at Rothrock Outfitters here in Huntingdon, PA.  According to the Dirt Rag web site: "Dirt Rag understands (and helps create) mountain bike culture. Dirt Fest is three days of deep immersion into that culture. With miles of trails available right from camp, live music, beer school and numerous demo fleets, we keep both seasoned and noob riders content. This year we are excited to announce Rebecca Rusch will be on hand, running women’s clinics and leading rides. Those looking for a truly unique mountain bike festival experience then DirtFest is for you!"

Dirt Fest is held atRaystown Lake in Heston,Pa., with more than 30 miles of IMBA-built trails, Raystown is a fast and flowy reprieve from the rocks and roots typical ofPennsylvaniatrails. In 2011 the attendee count hit 1,200; this year we are expecting close to 2,000.

Dirtfest is also described as "A weekend long Pennsylvania-themed mountain bike festival focused on endorsing and educating sustainable mountain bike trail systems. The event schedule includes International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) trail clinics, industry demo and expo area, group rides, mountain bike club meetings, live music, PA beer tasting, and other events unique to the mountain bike community. Hosted by the Raystown Mountain Bike Association (RMBA)."

Evan from Rothrock Outfitters states: "Our motivation for this event is to promote the mountain bicycling community. As mountain bikers we each have unique and various definitions which create cliques, groups, classes, and styles. While we appreciate the intricacies that spawn from the esoteric nature of our sport, there are certain binding ties that we feel cause to celebrate. For the weekend we aim to promote an environment of inclusion not based around ability or insanity, but rather hearty spirit for adventure, festivity, and camaraderie." 

Stone Mountain Adventures is proud to part of this great event in central PA.  There are numerous veteran SMA Staff that will be at DirtFest this week and will help with our booth.  They include Jud Millar, Thatcher Houldin, Patrick McManamon. Jason Crisswell, Megan McGlone and Peter McDowell.