[Video] Chelsea Kimball at Desert Days - Building the Women's Freeride Movement

Chelsea Kimball created Desert Days when Red Bull Formation was canceled.

Jan 13, 2024 0 587

Desert Days, have you heard of it? In October 2023, the first ever open women's freeride mountain bike meet was held in southern Utah. In conversations between top female athletes, we unanimously agreed that there was a need for a women's event in Utah's freeride capital. I love open events that welcome both professionals and amateurs. That's how Desert Days was born.

Throughout the summer, I invited all the women I met to join me in the desert for a week of rides and good times. Freeride events are very special for athletes, many of them offer accommodation and food to riders for a complete experience of the event. I wanted to extend this luxury to the ladies who were excited to join me. Specialized was the first brand to embrace the idea and fully commit to making it a reality. New Belgium Brewing helped make sure we had enough rented houses for everyone. My main goal for this meeting was to bring as many women as possible out into the desert to ride and have a good time, in the hope that they would want to come back.

—Chelsea Kimball

The time came for people to show up, and I set to work, without having a timetable or even a general plan. This turned out to be a great method, as the women were all enthusiastic and motivated to explore. We had days of jumping, days of digging, building new features and, of course, days of riding big lines. Professional riders like Gemma Corbera, Renata Wiese Peña, Cami Nogueiraa and Micayla Gatto joined us with some great submissions. From New Hampshire, Tania lillak and Kajay Rooke are just two of the many local legends who brought incredible energy and skills to the desert days. Expert riders Lua Oliveira and Blake Hansen made the trip from far away places to participate. The most special aspect of this meeting was the fact that professional and amateur riders rode, learned and spent time together. The enthusiasm, dedication and love for the sport was very evident and we had a fantastic week of freeride.

—Chelsea Kimball