”We’re very excited to have The North Face’s Explore Fund grant to support Evergreen’s comittment to youth mountain biking across Washington,” said Executive Director Glenn Glover “Mountain biking has proven itself to be a powerful way of getting youth outdoors, creating active, lifelong riders, and fostering continued stewardship of the natural environment.”

Hundreds of young riders join Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliances’s Youth Education Program each year, learning mountain biking skills, progressing their riding ability, and supporting Evergreen’s mission to create sustainable mountain biking opportunities. This year, the Youth Program expanded to Swan Creek Park in Tacoma, increasing Evergreen’s reach and making mountain biking accessible to even greater numbers of young people. In addition to promoting fun outside on bikes, the Youth Program also emphasizes trail etiquette and stewardship in order to teach the importance of giving back to the mountain biking and outdoor recreation communities.

The North Face selected a total of 47 organizations focused on outdoor recreation projects (engaging more than 30,000 people across the country). Using outdoor exploration as the catalyst for positive, personal, or societal change, these organizations provide experiences that nurture an appreciation of the outdoors or encourage participants to try new outdoor activities that inspire exploration and adventure. 

“It is exciting to see the incredible organizations who are just as passionate about giving more kids the opportunity to experience the outdoors as we are,” said Ann Krcik, senior director of Outdoor Exploration at The North Face. “Together we are making an investment in the next generation of outdoor explorers who will grow to love and protect the wild places we all love to play.”

This North Face grant allows Evergreen to further expand its Youth Education Program and helps launch the Trail Access Program – focused on improving mountain bike accessibility by providing mountain bikes for instructional riding experiences to underserved youth populations. Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance has also been able to advance this initiative with the support of important partner organizations such as  R.E.I., which provided greatly discounted Novara bikes for the Trail Access Program, and Seattle Inner City Outings, which works with these youth populations to provide outdoor recreation opportunities. 

As part of its mission to start a global movement of Outdoor Exploration, The North Face introduced the Explore Fund (www.explorefund.org) in 2010 and the program has since provided more than $1.5 million in U.S. grants to more than 300 non-profit organizations committed to inspiring the next generation of outdoor explorers and conservationists. 

To learn more about our Youth Education Program, including the Trail Access Program, visit www.evergreenmtb.org, or contact our Education and Volunteer Manager, Mike Sidwell