REI Presents: Engaging The Curve

Graham and Shannon have been dating for 5 years and currently live together in Bend, OR. They’ve each had professional athletic careers in two very different sports: Ultimate Frisbee and Alpine Climbing. This is the story of how they share their respective sports with each other, and how the idea of learning to mountain bike was inspired by their community and environment.

Together they will step back into the mindset of beginners as they learn to mountain bike. With crashes and frustrations alongside the joy of progression, they whoop and swear their way through this comedic and painful learning curve.

With some (but probably not enough) experience under their belts, they head for the remote hills of Eastern OR to test out their new skills. Inspired by friends’ stories of mountain bike packing in wild parts of the world, they explore the wilderness in their backyard while seeking out engaging terrain to shred.

As they wrap up their journey, they reflect on the experiences of learning to bike and how it helped them build a stronger relationship with each other and their environment.