High Fives Athletes take on downhill mountain biking at Northstar!
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High Fives Foundation hosted the first ever adaptive mountain bike ride at Northstar Resort on September 14, 2018. The ride included 12 local High Fives Athletes, volunteers from The City of Reno Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra, Eco Bike Adventure Tours and two experienced guides from Northstar Resort.
On a sunny Friday morning, each High Fives Athlete made their way to the base of Northstar Resort. Many of the Athletes had never biked post-injury, and certainly not the infamous trails that they were about to tackle. One of those riders was Jarred Evans, a C6 quadriplegic who hadn’t ridden a downhill mountain bike since sustaining his spinal cord injury in 2004.
I’m not going to lie; I was a little hesitant to get back out on a bike. I didn’t know if I would still have the same passion for the trails that I had before, but it was just fun…so fun! I can’t wait to get back out there!Jarred Evans, #HighFivesAthlete. Jarred applied and received a grant for funds to be used toward a Sport-On JeeTrike in the High Fives Foundation’s September grant cycle.
Jarred was accompanied by 11 other High Fives Athletes on the Northstar ride. One of those riders was Jason Abraham, Lake Tahoe local, and fellow Reno High Fives rugby team member. Jason not only shredded some of Northstar s most notorious trails, he did it next to his son Ebbett.
I hadn’t ridden Northstar since my injury, and I was really looking forward to it. It was amazing getting out there with such an amazing crew, but to watch the smile on my son’s face was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in awhile.Jason Abraham, #HighFivesAthlete
Northstar Resort was more than accommodating throughout the day, providing lift tickets for riders, sponsors and volunteers, rentals, and an excellent lunch at the Downhill Grille.
The camp created smiles and introduced a new demographic to the joys of mountain biking. The day could have not gone any smoother, and the High Fives Foundation looks forward to working with Northstar Resort to expand next years ride to more eager Athletes.
