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This one’s for the mountain bikers

Colter Lingelbach-Pierce, Greta Close and Liam McGee (not pictured) wake up to blue skies and bright sun after cowboy camping at Flow State MTB Fest. ◙ Kyle Toohey

I’m woken by the warm, July sun slicing across my face. Whistling birdsong and a veil of dew that has settled over my sleeping bag keep me from falling back asleep. An assortment of colorful tents populate the grassy field at the base of the old Ascutney ski hill and the rest of the Flow State vendor village sprawls to my right, sloping down to the stage where a crowd of mountain bikers danced to live music the night before.

Fellow Backcountry editor Greta Close and I (back then both interns) are up early to join the head of the Ascutney Trails Association for a pre-work ride. There are over 60 miles of trail here, plenty to explore. We wind up old techy singletrack, across off-camber roots and up to a freshly machine-built flow trail. It’s every bit as delectable as I anticipated.

We return mostly in time for our intern duties of keeping a bike festival running and even sneak in another evening ride between serving local beer, listening to live music and organizing skills clinics.

Flow State, hosted by Backcountry’s sister publication Mountain Flyer and the Ascutney Trails Association, has continued to grow since that weekend in 2022. Each year returns with new twists and faces, but the staples—miles of Vermont singletrack, bike demos, guided rides, live music, food and local beer—remain the same. Flow State will take place July 24–26 this year, and it’s well worth a visit. Grab a pass here and enjoy three days of peace, love and dirt. See ya on the trails!

—Liam

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