Earning your turns in the Kettles means slogging through hours of exposed climbing; but the payoff—blasting through rocky, sub-alpine terrain at tire-melting, grin-cramping speeds—continues to draw biking adventurers from across the region.

Since breaking onto the scene in the early 2000s, Kettle Fest remains a staple of Evergreen’s backcountry maintenance program—and an annual tradition for many of the attendees.

Last month that tradition continued when 36 volunteers and 7 Evergreen staffers gathered at the Sherman Overlook Campground to celebrate this often-overlooked locale with 5 days of trail maintenance and riding.

From quick laps down the fast and flowy Sherman Tie to an all-day epic out to Barnaby Buttes—2018 Kettle Fest riders had plenty of options to stretch their legs on.  

On Saturday, bikes got to rest at camp while riders spent the day working on a connector joining the trail directly from camp. By midday, the half-mile long trail’s tune up showed massive progress; trail workers opened up huge drains, brush cleared, patched up corners and even rebuilt and rock armored a few key section on the trail. 

The hard day of shovels and sweat rolled into a fun night with campfires, tasty meals, and generous amounts of beer– (Thanks to Montucky Cold Snacks for the generous 9-case donation to the event!)

With another successful Kettle Fest is in the books, it’s time to look forward to 2019. We hope you’ll join us for some of the best riding in the state!

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PHOTOS AND ARTICLE BY IAN TERRY / EVERGREEN MOUNTAIN BIKE ALLIANCE