It’s the 5th annual Women’s Weekend in the Woods! Don’t miss the fun on Saturday August 28th at Catty Woods with Olympian Payton Ridenour who is doing a jumping clinic from 1:30pm to 2:30pm and then the fun continues on Sunday August 29th at Posh Woods. Hit up @CattyWoods or Tasha Lindemann if you have any specific questions, but here are some answers to some common questions from an interview we did a few years ago. If you can’t go, you can still be involved by adding some music to their Spotify playlist!
How did the Women’s Weekend in the Woods Jam get its start?
Winter of 2017 a few of us from PA went out to Ray’s for Women’s Weekend and met a bunch of women who had no idea that there were things at Posh and Catty other than huge doubles. They just assumed there was nothing for them to ride so they never made the trip. So, we started throwing around the idea of getting all these women out to the trails & they seemed psyched on it. So I sent a text home to all the dudes just being like “I want to have a ladies jam & I want to do it between Labor Day & Halloween” (our two biggest jams each year – when the trails are dialed), they all were stoked on the idea so I picked a date & that was it. I didn’t realize how much work it would be, I just knew I wanted other girls to come to the trails & ride. It ended up being such a huge success, thanks to the endless help/support/love of so many women from around the world so we figured, why not do it again? It also helped to get more women to Posh & Catty throughout the year which was the biggest take away for me personally. I had spent so long riding alone at Posh that when women roll in I get so hyped. – Taryn Hipp
Is there a certain level you need to have, to ride at either Catty or Posh?
You can literally come to either spot with zero experience on a BMX and still have fun. Catty has a small pump track for beginners as well as a roller line that is super fun to ride (& has a few options if you want to jump some smaller jumps). Posh has a roller line too (also with options for various skill levels) and I just finished a new line at Posh that is just small tables and berms, really easy, totally rollable & super fun for new riders. Both trails have stuff for everyone. We have small gap doubles & tables for women who are learning to jump and bigger stuff for those are already jumping/clearing big jumps. Also, a few women have asked me what bike to bring. It’s a BMX event so that would be best but a downhill/dirt jumper bike would also be fine. You could probably even ride a mountain bike. Just come ride! – Taryn Hipp
Where’s the spot to stay at this year?
There are a lot of locals offering space to folks coming to town for the jam. The best way to find a place to stay is on the event page on facebook. There are also a bunch of affordable hotels in the Lehigh Valley. Catty & Posh are about a 15 minute drive from one another so really, you can stay anywhere in Bethlehem or Catty, even Easton or Allentown & still be a short drive to either set of trails. – Taryn Hipp
Is parking at either spot easy to navigate?
Street parking is available at Catty. We just ask that you park on Pearl Street or 14th (do not park on 12th street) & do not block anyone’s driveway. It’s super important to us that we respect the neighbours. This is why, when coming to Posh we ask people to park at the Giant by Dairy Queen & ride to the trails. There is a map on the facebook event page to help you navigate the neighbourhood to Posh (basically, what streets are the most downhill for riding there). It’s less than a mile away. If you have kids or stuff you need to drop off before you park, that’s totally cool. We just ask that you do not park on the street at Posh. – Taryn Hipp
