I’M INTERESTED! Feel free to let us know your interest and we will be in touch as we regroup for a future date. This is not a guarantee of a spot, we will reach out to those who pre-registered on a first come basis, and generate a waitlist if needed!
The Short Intro: The Women of AR Academy is a weekend of training, community, and adventure for women looking to develop and practice their skills for adventure racing. This year’s Academy host location (TBD) may be Catamount Outdoor Family Center, a nonprofit recreation-focused organization in Williston, VT with trails accessible for running, trekking, and mountain biking in the summer. This Academy is open to women, female-identifying, and non-binary individuals.
A Slightly Longer Intro: Adventure racing events are 4+ hours of competitive endurance racing, primarily requiring trekking, biking, paddling, and navigation. This Academy aims to bring you experienced individuals that will teach the basics of these skills, with the added flair of gear, problem-solving, nutrition, and other considerations for a successful adventure race. This includes any or all of the following:
– Navigation clinic and practice
– Mountain bike clinic with a certified coach
– Paddling skills, with a focus on packrafting
– Bike maintenance and field repair
– Options for night navigation, trekking and riding
– Lunch conversations about physical training, nutrition, and other preparedness
This is a great event for new racers who have gotten their feet wet in AR, and looking to take another step into wild enjoyment that is adventure racing.
ad·ven·ture
noun
1. an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.
verb
2. engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory.
pre·par·ed·ness
noun
1. a state of readiness, especially for war [or W.A.R.: Women of AR!].
NOTE: We will open registration for payment soon, once we know our costs. We are attempting to make this as low a cost event as possible. We are hoping to keep it well under $500, closer to $300, and exploring housing and food options to be included (if necessary).
Dates TBD – arrivals, meet-and-greet, expectations and goals.
Agenda TBA
Event organizers Kit Vreeland (kit@gmara.org), Ashley Eaton, Shari Hymes
Where will this be happening? Catamount Outdoor Family Center will serve as out host location. They have 500 acres to play on, with trails for trekking and mountain biking, as well as plenty of bushwhacking and navigation challenges. The Catamount OFC is next door to the outdoor playgrounds in Richmond, VT, where we may find ourselves biking on gravel roads, connecting to other mountain bike trail systems, and/or biking to lunch in town (Stone Corral Brewery, Stone’s Throw Pizza, Hatchet, or Sweet Simone’s are all within 6 miles of Catamount OFC).
Other important details We are threading the weather and timing in Vermont, where trails will hopefully be dry and open. Our permissions to be biking on the trails is weather-dependent. *If the trails are in a precarious condition and biking will damage them, we may find ourselves primarily on gravel roads. We highly value our trail systems in Vermont, and it is imperative to be good stewards during times they are more susceptible to damage.
We’ll update this section soon.
Mountain Bikes If you can’t bring your own bike, there are options for bike rentals from the Catamount Family Center or other local shops. Or contact one of us, we likely have or can find an extra bike to loan you for the weekend.
Packrafts and Paddling If you have your own packraft, pfd, and paddle, that would be great. But if not, don’t worry, we’ll get you covered!
Other required gear to be updated soon, but here’s some basics.
- Backpack
- Container for at least two litres of fluid
- Space Blanket/Bag
- Whistle
Other recommended gear to be updated soon, but here’s some basics.
- Race foods
- Long sleeve shirt & pants (and whatever other layers you want to stay warm and dry depending on weather!)
- Hat (for sun & bugs)
- Sunscreen & bugspray
- Dry bag
- Extra Change of Activity Clothes
- Warm Hat or clothes in case we do nighttime skills
- Waterproof Jacket
Frequently Asked Questions
We will add to this page once we get some FAQs 🙂
I’m new to adventure racing, where can I get more information about this sport? We recommend checking out the United States Adventure Racing Association website for all things AR, and the “New to AR” page specifically for tips on getting into the sport.
