KatieHolden

Your voice has been such an incredible contribution to the MTB community; thank you for all you have done Alicia! I can't wait to see where this next chapter takes you! :) Yayyyy for new beginnings.

Firstly, this is incredible news and a long time coming - this moment spans two decades and means so much to past, current, and future athletes. It brings the tears just thinking about it. There is a real path and a real target - this changes everything. I can't wait to see this space evolve over the next few years. Secondly, it bums me out big time that folks are using this massive moment for us to attack the trans community, our friends, women who should and will have equal opportunity to compete alongside every other athlete. This space, this community, women's freeride is a force for change, opportunity, and progression in all ways - it will always be a place for all to participate and rise to the highest levels of sport competitively. Lastly, the irony in standing for women's sports at this moment to "protect" women is laughable - where have you all been over the last 15 years as we have fought for this moment, for opportunity, for inclusion, and for equal pay? Our moment is here, our moment is now - celebrate it, celebrate us all.

Harriet (and Robin Goomes) was out there ripping, building, and supporting in the desert all week in true Haz style but she was 1st alternate for Red Bull Formation itself.

There were tears of joy from many out there as we watched them stomp run after run - it was incredible to witness!

There is more to come. :)

Bill of Trail Boss (https://trailbossusa.com/) made all the women custom tools with their names & Formation engraved in them. The tools are rad and the engraving was a really special touch.

BTS is my happy spot :)

Part of progressing the sport is creating space and opportunities for rising talent. Gatto is insanely talented on the bike and a pillar of our community, she will be out there in a supporting role!

A lot of people have question why I chose these six. I have been embedded in the scene for the past 10 years out here studying the process, the success and the failures because I wanted it for myself for a long time. I knew if I wanted to make it, I had to be a student of it and figure out. And at the end of the day I didn’t have what it took but I have a deep understanding of the process. I think it’s easy for people to confuse/blur slopestyle with Red Bull Rampage. They are two verrrry different things. To be totally honest, most of the slopestyle guys who have shown up to Rampage have looked totally out of their element and sketchy for a couple of years until they found their bearings. Brett Rheeder included - he was totally out of his element the first couple of years but became a student of it and eventually won it last year. On the women’s side right now, yes we have women who can throw tricks but there isn’t anyone that is consistently throwing them on big bikes AND embody all of the technical precision (bike handling, balance, breaking, mental focus, fitness etc). So if you are going to pick, you are going to pick girls that embody all the technical skills which will truly let them shine out there - and keep them safe. All of these girls are insane technically. The tricks will come, that what development is for. Now that the fire is burning, I think we will see a lot of girls step it up and make their mark because there is a place for them - that is what I wanted to do. Formation is in Year 0, we are just getting started. On another note, the chemistry and dynamics of the group were an important component of this. It was vital to have a group that meshed and supported each other. It is like picking a team - you need a variety of people that are each going to bring something different to the table. You are not going to pick all forwards, defenders or goalies - you need balance. I picked this team because I think it embodied the qualities we needed in a group to bust the door open. And just to add to this, I did not pick these girls because they were my friends, half of them I have never had a conversation with before I started this project, I just knew they were the right people. And one note to add about Gatto, I think that most people forget how incredible of a rider Gatto actually is because she has spent much of the last few years in front of the camera and most people now think of her as more of an influencer these days. But Gatto is damn impressive on a bike, she raced internationally since she was a kid, she is a multi-time Canadian National Champion in DH, has podiumed at World Cups, she has ridden some of the gnarliest things I have seen anyone ride - the persona and global influence is a result of her hard work, creativity and years of dedication on the bike. Her free spirit combined with her skills lend herself to freeride, there has just never been an avenue to pursue that for women. I just want to reiterate that this is Year 0, we are just getting started. If there are people you think are leading the charge and making their mark, I want to know about them!

The 'Luxury of Dirt' campaign is a lifestyle campaign wrapped around what riding means to each rider in the form of a poetic narrative. It wasn't meant to be a shreddit. Yes we all love riding edits, myself included, but that wasn't the purpose of this particular campaign (and this was literally my very first DH run back from a shoulder dislocation so you've gotta work with what you've got). Luckily there are some real goods in the pipeline. :)