Gravity Girls Thredbo

By Caroline Brauer

Downhill MTB riding. The sound of those three words used to send me into a sweat, and not the type you get from exercise. Instead, from sheer terror. That’s until last Sunday, when I took myself off to Thredbo’s Gravity Girls downhill riding clinic. And now I’m hooked.

With a splattering of bike skills up my sleeve, enough to have ridden the Thredbo Valley Track (TVT), I started my day at Gravity Girls worried that my skills just wouldn’t cut it. So I put my hand up for the Beginners’ category, along with about 8 other Gravity Girls. Starting out on the old tennis courts, Sam our (very patient) instructor explained the basics of downhill riding, focusing on body position.

We practiced the ‘perfect’ body position on the flats of the old tennis court before moving on to the Beginner Skills Course where we honed our newly-learnt skills through the berms and switchbacks. I think Sam was impressed that we were all able to carry the ‘perfect’ body position into the berms and switchbacks, and we’d all gained enough confidence to try the more difficult sections of the Beginner Skills Course.

Feeling confident after Sam’s very thorough introduction to the basics of downhill riding, a couple of us from the Beginners’ group decided to join up with the Intermediate Gravity Girls, who’d already headed up Kosciuszko Express chairlift to take on the Kosciuszko Flow Trail.

After meeting up with the Intermediate crew part way down, and meeting the instructor Louise, we took time to session the more challenging sections with Louise showing us the best line, and giving us tips about body position. Louise showed us how to pump the rollers on the traversing sections, as well as how to take on the switchbacks more gracefully.

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On the next lap of the Flow Trail, we linked up the more demanding sections we’d practiced earlier, and guess what? We all conquered the tricky bits, without a hitch! Thanks to Louise’s tips and the comradery of the Gravity Girls, the terror I once felt when thinking about downhill riding disappeared and all of us were having a whole lot of fun.

After lunch and another run down the Flow Trail, we were all exhausted, yet ecstatic that we’d come so far. The chatter amongst the group was that we’d all be back for more. The lucky locals in the group were already planning their next ride, and the out-of-towners were planning their next trip to Thredbo.

Seeing the progression of all of the Gravity Girls throughout the day was truly inspiring. I personally loved the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, as well as learning new skills while having a laugh with similar-minded, amazing femmes!

@thredbomtb #gravitygirls

Our next clinic will be happening on the 15th of Jan | Register here