East Bound and Down: NEMBA Fest Photo Epic
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The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is not particularly close to anybody. Vermonters just call it "The Kingdom", and it's tucked neatly away in the northeast of America's 2nd least populous state; wedged into a corner with Canada to the north, the Connecticut River to the east and the Green Mountains to the west. Sitting squarely within these boundaries you'll find the small hamlet of East Burke, a community that may easily be mistaken for just another typically quaint and picturesque Vermont town; at least to the casual passerby. But the odds are far more likely that if you're anywhere near this town, your bike is likely with you and you understand that East Burke is anything but typical. East Burke is home to the heralded Kingdom Trails and the Kingdom Trails Association, and is a town with almost as many miles of singletrack as it has residents.
The New England Mountain Bike Association held it's 18th annual NEMBA Fest in East Burke for the 4th consecutive year, with the expo area and hub of the weekend's activities taking place off of Darling Hill Road at the Wildflower Inn. This year, over 2000 riders showed up to celebrate mountain biking in in Vermont, and on the Kingdom Trails in particular, where a unique relationship exists between private landowners (95% of the trails are located on private land) and trail users. Vendors arrived Thursday to set up and ride some trails, before their respective branding responsibilities kicked in and chained them to the expo area. The crowds arrived Friday and Saturday, and were able to enjoy some glorious northern New England summertime weather, with a light rain Thursday night into Friday morning tacking up the trails before giving way to sunshine and blue skies. Demos, guided rides, delicious grub, a massive expo, an obstacle course, live music, and some truly stunning trails were just a few of the many allures of the event, and Pinkbike was on hand and happy to capture as much of it as possible.
Everything looks and feels better in the Northeast Kingdom. Up until Sunday's deluge, it was a truly stunning weekend for riding.
The expo area was massive and filled to the brim with vendors.
The Big 'S' was there to greet visitors at the very front of the expo corridor. It's only a matter of time before this event is seen by the industry as a major opportunity to showcase new and developmental products.
The expo area was full of small peaks, and surrounded by much bigger ones.
The KTA crew worked their tails off to make this event as fun and successful as it was. Hats off to the lot of them.
East Burke is like Disneyland for mountain bikers and bovine alike.
It was amazing to see so many kids on bikes throughout the weekend. The expo area offered up some riding opportunities for the little ones in addition to the trails.
 | My favourite part was seeing all the families this year. Lots of Dads with kids too for Fathers Day weekend. I also love seeing my two girls being there all weekend in such a healthy environment. - Tim Tierney, Director of the Kingdom Trails Association |
The Community Bikes and Boards boys were in town from Philly for the festivities, with plenty of wheelie-filled shenanigans on and off of the trails throughout the weekend.
The Kingdom Trails offer something up for riders of all abilities; oftentimes on the same trail.
Ali Zimmer has retired from racing, but is more than happy to keep the stoke alive by leading group rides and through coaching clinics.
Kids of all ages came out to share their stoke for riding bikes.
The food was plentiful and delicious throughout the weekend, with local food trucks and vendors bringing their tastiest offerings to the expo.
Ribs. I had ribs for lunch.
According to the rule book, no dogs were allowed to camp out. But seriously, who's going to say no to Lou Dog??
KTA Trail Boss, CJ Scott has done some amazing work with these trails alongside his devoted trail crew. While he's a beast on two wheels, his preferred mode of transport during the event was quite a bit more efficient.
The Kingdom Trails are hallowed grounds for mountain bikers.
| I wanted to keep everyone moving in the same direction for the demo loop. It's a pretty ideal demo loop, with a little bit of wide double track, fast descending singletrack, and a nicely graded singletrack climbing trail. The rider gets a good feel for everything and I wanted it to be as uncrowded and congestion free for anyone demo-ing a bike. Otherwise I let the masses ride everything else at their discretion. I haven't heard any horror stories yet of riders getting in each other's way - CJ Scott, Trails Manager for the Kingdom Trails Association |
Trials legend Jeff Lenosky put on quite a show for a massive crowd, eager to see Jeff make the near impossible look easy.
They were also eager to get their mitts on some of that free schwag he was tossing from atop his Giant Factory trailer.
The Community Bikes and Boards crew held a wheelie contest, the winner of which would walk away with a brand new Transition Klunker.
Contestants competed for the new Transition aboard an old Transition, and many seemed surprised by how difficult the task really was.
The trails here are notable for their flowiness. Ella Skalwold enjoys the serpentine stretches of soil throughout the lovely, dark and deep forests of the Northeast Kingdom.
| KT offers a wide range of singletrack that is fun for all levels of riders. Paired with the bike park at Burke and the pump track/skills park in town, East Burke is a great place to be or a mountain biker! The community surrounding KT is one of the best and most inviting places I've found yet! - Ella Skalwold, guide for IdeRide MTB Tours |
Riding on the east coast means embracing the Green Tunnel.
Alex McAndrew recently relocated to East Burke from Stowe, and appears extremely pleased with his decision.
Pro downhill phenom Isaac Allaire doesn't need a lip to send 'er.
There's a noticeable lack of rocks and roots throughout the trails, a direct result of them being built on a sandy esker formed during the last glacial period. The speed that results from the copious amounts of uninterrupted flow is astonishing.
When in doubt, manual it out.
| I've been coming to ride the Kingdom Trails since I first started mountain biking as a young kid. I have seen it grow to support an entire economy based on mountain biking! The proximity of awesome lift access, singletrack, and the great people that live here make it an ideal place for the die hard mountain biker! - Alex McAndrew, professional rider and guide for IdeRide MTB Tours |
Vermont-based Beast Coasters were on hand with a mountain bike obstacle course available throughout the weekend. It drew more spectators than participants, as many people were feeling a bit unsure of the box jumps and various obstacles seen throughout.
Those who did decide to engage in some shenanigans on the "Beastly Coaster" course had so much fun, they seemed to forget that there were trails available to ride as well.
The Copouts were on hand to close things out on Saturday night.
Based out of Vermont, the Irish-punk band has a dedicated following and absolutely smashed their 2-hour long set.
Despite a long day of riding bikes and brilliant sun, the crowd was energized by the Copouts amazing set.
BFF: Bikes, Fires and Friends.
Warm summer days gave way to cool nights, and there was no shortage of bonfires throughout the expo and camping areas.
For more information on the New England Mountain Bike Association, click here.
For more information on IdeRide MTB Tours, click here.
In early 2015, a 133-acre property-known as the West Branch land came on the market. There was a risk that it could be sold to a private individual and that recreational access to the land would be lost. The property contains several popular trails including Sidewinder, Old Webs, Hogback, West Branch, West Bench, Meadow Wood, and Border. You can help the KTA preserve this land and these trails by clicking here.
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*I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the interwebz
I had a blast with my 10 years old who insisted on riding Moose Alley... and demoing a $6k Santa Cruz 5010!