SWIMBA Newsletter
December 2023
Notes from the Board:
2023 has been a great year. Sincere thanks from the SWIMBA Board to our members, donors, and sponsors.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Advocacy work is ongoing. We are your with local land managers and recreation coalitions.
Skills Clinics:
The 2024 Bike Maintenance Series is starting in January. These events are open to members only. Check out the Events Calendar to learn more.
Group Rides:
We had over 40 riders at the group ride at Wilson Creek. Thanks to all who came out, rode, and learned about trail etiquette with us. It was great to meet other trail users, including equestrians, and learn about their needs.
Trail Days:
Trail work has wrapped up for the winter but plans are in the works for spring trail days.
Did you know?
SWIMBA is a non-profit organization. Your member fees and donations directly support programs in Southwest Idaho!
November 2023
Notes from the Board:
The SWIMBA Annual Meeting was a great success. Thanks to all who showed up and provided a great feedback! We are better because of you.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Executive Director, John Palumbo, attended an Ada County Commissioners meeting to continue to advocate for connecting trails between Eagle Bike Park, Dry Creek, and Avimor. This is an ongoing effort.
Skills Clinics:
Be on the look out for future clinics which are open to members only.
Group Rides:
Join us for a group ride on December 9th at Wilson Creek. Check out all of the details here.
Trail Days:
Dedicated volunteers did maintenance on Wilson Creek Trail W100 to repair damage from summer storms. The hard working volunteers did just over 70 hours of work. Thank you to the volunteers!
Did you know?
The more members SWIMBA has the louder our voice is. If you are a SWIMBA member, thank you! If you are not, please check out the reasons to consider joining.
October 2023
Notes from the Board:
The board is working hard wrapping up some 2023 projects and planning for 2024.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Executive Director, John Palumbo, continues to work with the Wilson Creek Coalition and is in the planning stages for an event with the Coalition.
SWIMBA was invited to speak at the 2023 Rangeland Forum about our association and efforts on projects in the Wilson Creek area. The largest projects in the area include sign replacements, parking assessments, and installation of a bicycle friendly cattle guard.
We are continuing to put effort into the development of an accessible trail located in Avimor that will be designed for adaptive mountain bikes. We are working with both the land owner and potential donors to move the project forward.
Skills Clinics:
Be on the look out for future clinics which are open to members only.
Group Rides:
October 15th was the SWIMBA Spooktacular Mountain Cat. Approximately 80 riders took part in the fun. Riders were given a map and instructed to find as many checkpoints as they wanted. Points were awarded for finding checkpoints and playing games along the way. Huge thanks to all of the volunteers and participants. The event was a blast!
Trail Days:
Four trail work days were completed on Broken Horn Trail in Avimor. This trail had significant damage due to heavy, summer rainstorms. There were large ruts that needed repair and new drains needed to be installed. Hard working volunteers did just over 100 hours of work on a 1 mile section of the trail. The trail is great shape now. Local riders are reporting that it is much more fun to ride now that the work has been completed. Thank you to the volunteers!
Did you know?
The SWIMBA Annual Member Meeting is November 18th.
September 2023
Notes from the Board:
Those cooler riding days with fabulous dirt are upon us. We hope you are getting out and enjoying them.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Executive Director, John Palumbo, has been working hard with the Wilson Creek Coalition and ensuring that the interests of mountain bikers are being represented when decisions are being made.
We are continuing to put effort into the development of an accessible trail located in Avimor that will be designed for adaptive mountain bikes. We are working with both the land owner and potential donors to move the project forward.
Skills Clinics:
Be on the look out for future clinics which are open to members only.
Group Rides:
Save the Date! October 15th! We have a scavenger hunt style ride planned at Avimor. This is an event that you don’t want to miss. If you are not interested in riding but are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities, please contact us at volunteer@swimba.org. More details can be found here.
Community group rides have been ongoing. Monday evening rides are at Hidden Springs and Wednesday evening rides are at Avimor. These are no drop rides open to all abilities.
Trail Days:
Fall trail work days are starting to be planned. If you know a trail in need a maintenance, please contact us at info@swimba.org.
Did you know?
Because SWIMBA is a nonprofit, all funds raised are directly returned back to the community!
August 2023
Notes from the Board:
Summer was a blast but it’s time for us to start thinking about those beautiful and cool fall riding days!
Thanks to all who entered for a chance to win the Kona Hei Hei! Your support is deeply appreciated.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
We had an opportunity to share some of our advocacy efforts with the community at the Boise Goathead Fest. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit us!
Skills Clinics:
Levi Weert taught the final skills clinic in the current series. Riders were treated to an Advanced Skills clinic. Be on the look out for future clinics which are open to members only.
Group Rides:
Save the Date! October 15th! We have a scavenger hunt style ride planned at Avimor. More details coming soon! This is an event that you don’t want to miss. If you are not interested in riding but are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities, please contact us at volunteer@swimba.org.
Community group rides have been ongoing. Monday evening rides are at Hidden Springs and Wednesday evening rides are at Avimor. These are no drop rides open to all abilities.
Trail Days:
It may not have been the nicest weather but a dedicated group showed up to trim Mahalo and improve conditions for all trail users. Thanks to those who volunteered their time! The community certain appreciates your efforts.
Fall trail work days are starting to be planned. If you know a trail in need a maintenance, please contact us at info@swimba.org.
Did you know?
SWIMBA is nonprofit and volunteer led! If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please contact us at volunteer@swimba.org.
June-July 2023
Notes from the Board:
Whoa! Summer has been busy. SWIMBA Academy has been extremely successful. 12 kids in the Treasure Valley have received bikes and lessons are being provided for 14 kids!
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Executive Director, John Palumbo, continues to attend meetings with various organizations to ensure that the interests of the mountain biking community are well represented.
Skills Clinics:
A beginner and an intermediate skills clinic have taken place. Levi Weert has been an excellent coach and has been helping riders to boost their skills and be safer on the trails. An Advanced Skills Clinic is coming up. All skills clinics are open to members only!
Group Rides:
Community group rides have been ongoing. Monday evening rides are at Hidden Springs and Wednesday evening rides are at Avimor. These are no drop rides open to all abilities.
Trail Days:
Have you noticed that summer is very dusty ’round here? It’s not conducive to digging but some SWIMBA trail gnomes have been spotted out trimming some pesky bushes out of the way.
Look for trail work days to resume in the fall.
Did you know?
SWIMBA is your mountain biking advocacy organization. Executive Director, John Palumbo, attends many meetings to make sure your voice is heard! If you have a concern that you want to make sure we address please contact us at info@swimba.org.
May 2023
Notes from the Board:
Riding season has been heating up. It’s almost time for summer group rides.
The climbing is adding up in the May SWIMBA Challenge Series! Look for a couple of special, single day challenges for the Boise Mountain Bike Festival! And for June, we are challenging you to avoid the most popular trails.
SWIMBA is introducing SWIMBA Academy. This is a need based program to support local, youth riders. Deadline extended to June 30th.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Efforts are ongoing to get connection trails installed between Avimor, Dry Creek, and Eagle Bike Park. SWIMBA is advocating for safer routes between these areas.
Executive Director, John Palumbo, has been meeting with Idaho Fish and Game to discuss how to increase recreation opportunities in the area and ensure that the interests of mountain bikers are represented.
Skills Clinics:
SWIMBA attended the Great Outdoors Event at Hidden Springs and taught trail etiquette.
Skills clinics will be coming soon. Watch the events calendar for details!
Group Rides:
Group rides will be held throughout the summer. Monday evening rides will be at Hidden Springs and Wednesday evening rides will be at Avimor. Plan to join us for rides this summer. There are some rad trails in these locations!
Trail Days:
A new trail has officially opened at Eagle Bike Park. The new trail is called 7 Sins and is located next to Sage Fright. The trail is an expert jump line. SWIMBA was able to assist with this trail through the support of a generous donor and our members.
Another Eagle Bike Park trail work day took place. Timberline High School students volunteered their time to fix up the trails.
SWIMBA is working with BLM on a pilot program at Wilson Creek. A cattle guard has been installed in a location that previously only had a gate. This will allow riders to stay on their bikes when crossing through fences. If this test area is successful, more cattle guards will be installed.
Look for dig days in June a bit higher on the mountain. As the snow melts up high, trails may need maintenance.
Did you know?
The Basin Gravity Park at Bogus Basin is opening June 23rd.
April 2023
Notes from the Board:
The snow is melting and riding season is heating up! Your SWIMBA Board has been busy leading trail work days and making plans for the summer.
The hours are adding up in the April SWIMBA Challenge Series! Next up we have a special May challenge. How many Enchiladas can you climb? Check it out and join us for the challenge.
SWIMBA is introducing SWIMBA Academy. This is a need based program to support local, youth riders. Applications will be accepted March 31st through May 31st.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Efforts are continuing for the new, adaptive trail at Avimor. The trail has been marked. And plans for building it are being made.
Executive Director, John Palumbo, attended the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Summit. A large focus of the summit was how to generate additional income for trail projects.
Skills Clinics:
During April we focused our efforts on trail maintenance, but more skills clinics will be coming soon. Watch the events calendar for details!
Group Rides:
Group rides will be held throughout the summer. Monday evening rides will be at Hidden Springs and Wednesday evening rides will be at Avimor. Details will be posted soon. Plan to join us for rides this summer. There are some rad trails in these locations!
Trail Days:
We had a successful month of digging. Thanks to everyone who joined us to Dig the Bike Park! Eagle Bike Park is riding really well thanks to all of the maintenance.
Thanks to everyone who joined us to clean up Pick Your Poison! We got a lot of work done in a short amount of time.
Signs were installed on Pick Your Poison. The trail is now fully marked. Keep an eye out for the signs so you can pick your favorite line!
Did you know?
The sealant in tubeless tires needs to be refreshed periodically. If you haven’t done this already for riding season, now is the time to add some more. Manufacturer recommendations vary but spring and fall are good times to keep in mind for doing this maintenance. If you are low on sealant, stop in your local bike shop.
March 2023
Notes from the Board:
Spring has sprung and the year is getting busy! The trails are drying out between the days of rain and snow.
The SWIMBA Challenge Series is ongoing and riders have been enjoying the Wilson Creek trails. The April challenge is all about riding outside. Ride your bike and enjoy the outside time!
SWIMBA is introducing SWIMBA Academy. This is a need based program to support local, youth riders. Applications will be accepted March 31st through May 31st.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Efforts are continuing for the new, adaptive trail at Avimor. The current plan is to start building the trail by summer.
SWIMBA has had representation at local trails meetings and continues to ensure access is maintained for mountain biking.
Executive Director, John Palumbo, met with the Idaho Horse Council to collaborate on the development of standard trailhead educational signage.
Skills Clinics:
We held our fifth and sixth Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Clinics. Kore North talked suspensions and got the women’s bikes dialed. And Trek shared how to do a complete bike check. Women were super excited for the final clinic and the turnout was huge. Everyone is ready to get their bikes out safely this spring. Both shops were generous with their time and answered every single question. Thank you Kore North and Trek!
Our first riding skills clinic of the year was on March 11th at Wilson Creek. Braydon Bringhurst taught the fundamentals of riding. Look for more skills clinics as we get further into riding season.
Group Rides:
The Owyhee Five-0 Mental Health Awareness Ride took place at Wilson Creek. We discussed this very important topic. Please be sure to check in with your friends especially when you haven’t heard from them in a while. If you are feeling like you need a friend in the mountain biking community, please reach out to us or join us for an event.
Be on the lookout for more group rides!
Trail Days:
Dig the Bike Park! Help us dig at Eagle Bike Park April 3rd through the 7th. RSVP on our Events Calendar to work on your favorite trail. Be on the look out for additional trail building and maintenance opportunities throughout the Spring.
Did you know?
When yielding to equestrians it is important to chat with them. This helps to avoid spooking the horse. You can chat about anything – the weather, your favorite sports team, how great mountain biking is. Stop and wait for the horses to pass unless you have talked to the riders and they have indicated otherwise.
February 2023
Notes from the Board:
It’s already looking like a great year for the mountain biking community. We have been holding events and many meetings behind the scenes. The support from the community is amazing and we haven’t even gotten to the main riding season!
SWIMBA is starting a Challenge Series. Most challenges will be monthly but be prepared for possible single day events. Points will be earned for completing individual challenges and will add up throughout the series.
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our new Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
We have been continuing our efforts for the new, adaptive trail at Avimor. The next steps are trail design and for the team to walk that design to confirm the best location for the trail.
We held our first fundraising event of the year at The Handlebar. The turnout was amazing and the event was super successful. SRAM was one of the main sponsors for the event and provided two RockShox forks for raffle prizes. Congrats to the lucky winners! Thanks to The Handlebar Boise for the tasty beverages and the sweet venue. And thanks to Bicycle Church and The Bump Stop for providing raffle items. Thanks to everyone who came out. We hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did.
Bikes and Beans, Kore North, Deity, and the The Handlebar Boise got together to support SWIMBA by holding a Mountain Cat Scavenger Hunt at Wilson Creek. Participants got in some fun trail riding while taking on some special adventures at various checkpoints. Winners received a very special prize pack and almost everyone in attendance received a raffle prize. The funds raised from this event will go back into the trails at Wilson Creek.
Skills Clinics:
We held our third and fourth Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Clinics. Joyride Cycles shared their knowledge on everything related to derailleurs. And Rolling H Cycles taught about chains. Both shops were generous with their time and answered every single question. Thank you Joyride and Rolling H!
Two more Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Clinics are planned for March. And for the rest of the cycling community, we haven’t forgotten about you. We have plans for some trail side maintenance clinics.
The weather didn’t work and we had to cancel our first riding skills clinic of the year but we have rescheduled for March 11th. Braydon Bringhurst will be teaching some fundamentals prior to our group ride at Wilson Creek. RSVP to sign the SWIMBA waiver ahead of time.
Group Rides:
Our first group ride of the year will be March 11th at Wilson Creek. This was originally planned for February but wet weather forced us to cancel. This will be the Owyhee Five-0 Mental Health Awareness Ride. Join us to discuss this important topic. Don’t forget to wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt. All riders are welcome – this will be a no drop ride. (‘No drop’ means no rider left behind; we will stop at intersections and key points in the ride to regroup.) RSVP to sign the waiver ahead of time.
Trail Days:
Spring trail work days will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our Events Calendar for dates.
Did you know?
Trail etiquette says that mountain bikers yield to all oncoming hikers, runners, and equestrians. Downhill bikers yield to uphill bikers. When yielding it is best to stop. You should not ride off the trail. When approaching from behind, it is best to announce yourself and ask to pass.
January 2023
Notes from the Board:
Happy New Year! We are excited for 2023 and looking forward to a great year for the local mountain biking community!
Keep up to date with SWIMBA events using our new Events Calendar. Subscribe to the calendar to see all of our events on your personal calendar.
Advocacy Efforts:
Planning efforts for a brand new, adaptive trail at Avimor are ongoing. We are working our way through determining the location and distance for the trail. We are hoping to receive final approval soon so that we can break ground this year.
Discussions are underway to get a connecting trail between Avimor, Dry Creek, and Eagle Bike Park.
Skills Clinics:
Our first event of the year was the second Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Clinic. Approximately 25 women attended to learn about brakes. Ridgeline Bike & Ski did an excellent presentation on everything from the causes of brake noises and how to change brake pads to bleeding brakes and when you should consider taking your bike to your local bike shop for brake work. Excellent questions were asked and Ridgeline was able to answer every single one of them. Huge thanks to Ridgeline Bike & Ski!
We have four more Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Clinics planned for February and March.
We will be holding a Pre-Ride Skills Clinic with Braydon Bringhurst to cover some basic riding skills on February 5th one hour before our group ride.
Group Rides:
Our first group ride of the year will be February 5th at Wilson Creek. This will be the Owyhee Five-0 Mental Health Awareness Ride. Join us to discuss this important topic. Don’t forget to wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt. All riders are welcome – this will be a no drop ride. (‘No drop’ means no rider left behind; we will stop at intersections and key points in the ride to regroup.)
Trail Days:
Spring trail work days will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our Events Calendar for dates.
Did you know?
Winter riding can be challenging due to muddy trails, but Ridge to Rivers has an interactive map to help you find the right place to ride. Check it out and please make sure to avoid muddy trails!