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Yvonne’s DSG Backcountry Clinic Experience

Posted by Yvonne Weston on Aug 15th 2016

If you follow our blog, you have seen the story about Yvonne’s Epic Ride from December 2015. As a DSG Ambassador, she always has epic stories. Here is another one from her words of the DSG Backcountry Clinic she attended this past season and her experiences. Enjoy!

When I heard that DSG would be offering a backcountry riding clinic in Revelstoke, BC, I jumped at the opportunity to learn new riding techniques and meet some like-minded ladies. I had no idea what to expect and had mixed feelings on the days leading up to the clinic. I was super excited, but couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. This would not only be my first clinic; it would also be my first all ladies ride with a group of women I had never met before.

I was so happy to finally meet fellow DSG Ambassador Kari Amlin, as well as DSG Pro Riders Stephanie Schwartz and Amy Flowers, in person. These ladies are truly extraordinary! Instant friendships were formed with many of the women that were attending the clinic and we were all anxious to get out on the snow. Mother nature was on our side, the snow conditions and weather were absolutely perfect.

After Steph and Amy assessed all of our skills, we worked on all kinds of different riding techniques. It was incredible watching everyone learn new skills and become more confident. You could see these women transform in front of your eyes from scared and uncertain to confident in only two short days. Everyone worked incredibly hard.

My personal favorite move to practice was the downhill turn using the wrong foot forward technique. It is such a useful skill to master. We have all been in those tricky situations where you are heading down a hill and you have nowhere to go but back up. It took a lot of tries, fails and bails to finally get it, but it was such a rewarding feeling when I was finally able to pull it off without falling off or getting stuck.

Until the clinic, I never realized how much of a follower I was when I was out riding. Whenever I ride with my group at home, I never lead and rarely pick my own lines. I would often sit on my sled, watching everyone play in the trees or I would play in the open meadow while everyone enjoyed the more challenging terrain. I didn’t have the confidence to go off into the trees on my own.

During the clinic, Steph picked up on this quickly and helped me step out of my comfort zone. We stopped in a small clearing and she pointed at the forested hill ahead and told me “Pick your line and go for it.” I remember looking at her with raised eyebrows thinking You want me to do what? I looked up at the trees and tried to imagine where I could possibly go, there were trees everywhere! I picked a line and went for it. I maneuvered up the hill, carved around a tree, then another, bounced in and out of a tree well and then turned out to dodge more trees on the way back down. I was amazed that I had just pulled that off. I had the biggest grin on my face. It was such a rush, I wanted to do it again! I picked another line and hit the throttle, but things didn’t go as planned this time and I ended up hitting a tree on my way down, which Kari and I ended up having to cut down to free my sled. But after a few more runs I was so much more confident. After we left the clearing I suddenly started seeing lines in the trees everywhere we went. Steph’s encouragement made me realize that I have the skills to ride wherever I want, I just have to go for it.

All of the women were so enthusiastic and encouraging, and we all helped each other get unstuck whenever needed. We shared a lot of stories and laughs and I know I have made some new life-long friends. I can’t wait to meet up again and ride with these ladies! I am so proud of everyone for their achievements, everyone rocked it!