Van Tour : Sender Bash
Northfield, New Hampshire, is one of those small towns that most residents of the US have never heard of, that is unless you are a mountain biker. A short drive from the tiny town of Tilton, you can find one of the most epic mountain biking resorts to date called Highland Mountain Bike Park. Named after the ski resort it once was, Highland is a mountain bike exclusive bike park that caters to everyone from first-timers to world-class professionals. What makes this resort special is the fact that it no longer participates in winter skiing. Getting rid of skiing allows the resort to 100% focus on mountain biking. A result is perfect trails and jumps. Highland is known for its pristine berms and jump lines that is truly a mountain bikers dream.
Highland Moutain Bike Park brings people from all over the world to ride its famous trails. The trails are for sure amazing, but what keeps people coming back is the kind-hearted, fun-loving community that shines through this backwood resort.
One of my favorite times to come to Highland is for the mountain's closing weekend. Every year the resort throws a huge weekend-long party called Sender Bash to celebrate the end of the biking season. Sender Bash starts first with locals and visitors, braving the cold to shred as many trails as possible. After the sunsets into the rolling hills and the lifts stop, the party is moved inside to the lodge. Here the mountain puts on an auction that all procedures go to spinal injury research. The auction is just one example of how Highland stands behind its community. After seeing a few severe spinal injuries on riders over the years, Highland has made a point to help support these riders and any rider that has experienced these horrible injuries. After the auction, the real party starts. Every Sender Bash has a theme; this year's Sender theme was prom. Sequins, men in dresses, awkward prom photos, and dancing the night away to a classic cover band are just some of the gems you would have found at Sender Bash this year.
Send Bash is a time the brings together the whole mountain bike community to celebrate the love of bikes and to help benefit others. It leaves lasting memories and a stoke that will last all winter until the snow melts and lifts start up again in the Spring.
