North Shore Betty for some inspiration.

imwjl · #1 05-27-2022, 08:59 AM

Betty Birrell is supper cool. I remember her in magazines and videos when my wife and I met over windsurfing, and never added up or realized she was the woman in the OG Digger trails north shore videos.

I love bad *** women like this. They were in my upbringing, my wife can still make the guys hurt. My so far 2022 highlight was trying to keep up with my daughter skiing blacks and double blacks.

It is really sweet to be in an era when women like my grandmother, wife, daughter and her friends are accepted and not freaks or just sex objects for doing adventurous stuff. Go ride, send it, drop in, and get some hang time even if it's my now low level old fart sort.

Dirk Hofman · #2 05-27-2022, 09:20 AM

That came up in my YouTube feed as well a few days ago, I'd never heard of her. Inspirational! She's awesome.

6stringpickin · #3 05-27-2022, 03:30 PM

Read this week or so back and was impressed with her drive and love for the sport. Also impressed with all the injuries she nonchalantly shrugs off!!
Tough as nails

Dirk Hofman · #4 05-31-2022, 10:25 AM

She's on Rémy Métallier's channel this week - he absolutely rips and is pretty impressed with her skills.

6stringpickin · #5 05-31-2022, 10:05 PM

Killer!wish I had her skills and guts at my age

imwjl · #6 06-01-2022, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

She's on Rémy Métallier's channel this week - he absolutely rips and is pretty impressed with her skills.

That was fantastic. Maybe better exposure of her age and attitude than the Patagonia film. I also loved it because of the terrain is my favorite style of riding. Great motivation to keep pushing and work at maintaining body and mind.

Dirk Hofman · #7 06-01-2022, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imwjl

That was fantastic. Maybe better exposure of her age and attitude than the Patagonia film. I also loved it because of the terrain is my favorite style of riding. Great motivation to keep pushing and work at maintaining body and mind.

Right? She was hitting some pretty good steeps there! Never looks as steep as it really is on video, but from having filmed stuff like that I can tell it's pretty seriously steep. Cool how Rémy was helping her with that little gap jump, etc.

imwjl · #8 06-01-2022, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

Right? She was hitting some pretty good steeps there! Never looks as steep as it really is on video, but from having filmed stuff like that I can tell it's pretty seriously steep. Cool how Rémy was helping her with that little gap jump, etc.

I agree. I was going to post some pals "sessioning" stuff like that and what's on my phone doesn't do it justice.

This also struck me because of her working at the confidence matter. Two seasons ago now I blew it on a small gap like that and it still sticks with me. I can no longer do stuff that was natural if I have my multi-focal glasses on and it's not a good day. For some reason following my daughter on skis into steep and trees isn't messing with me like some bike stuff in past two years.

The important thing is I'm not quitting.

frankmcr · #9 06-02-2022, 07:14 PM

North shore of what?

imwjl · #10 06-03-2022, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmcr

North shore of what?

Technically, it would be a spot off of the Pacific Ocean near Vancouver, BC and I think the mountains there are called North Shore Mountains.

The name, fame and labeling in this context came from one of the earlier groups of mountain bikers who were organized in what they did, pushed the limits, and there was product development to support that.

It's used in a lot of contexts but I can say for sure that Evanston, IL, Vancouver area, and another north shore Duluth, MN are not the same though Duluth would surprise a lot of people.

People will claim or debate the birthplaces of this stuff but the reality is it was all over. My brother in law used to live in the heart Pacific Northwest when this stuff got going and we'd visit for outdoor sports. At same time I spent up to a few months a year in the Tetons and Lake Superior or Michigan watersheds. The pockets of the players and product development were all over.

Something I felt was unique in the Pacific Northwest was duration of the seasons. You could travel to snow same time you didn't have to be in full on dry suit for watersports. The soil type didn't restrict riding when wet as is the case in many spots.

Dirk Hofman · #11 06-03-2022, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmcr

North shore of what?

Good question - Vancouver Island, but basically it means any riding done with tons of hand-built wooden features.

A style of MTB was birthed there where the riders built a TON of wooden features. At first to get over the muddy parts of the trails. No shortage of mud in the PNW, but then it ballooned into a whole thing where they kept adding to the trails with increasingly big and crazy features. Hugely elevated platforms, drops, skinnies, wooden walls, rollovers, etc. It evolved into a unique style native to that area. The meaning has since expanded where people would say a trail has "North Shore" features about any trail with a lot of wooden features.