Brunches. Spa days. Vegas getaways. Mountain bikes and milkshakes?
Yeah, girl!
When your girl gang isn't afraid to break a nail and would much rather dine on cake-topped milkshakes than celery sticks (more on that in a moment), then Utah is the place to be this summer for an experience to remember.
What Happens Here…will Likely End Up on Your Instagram Feed!
I texted a bunch of girlfriends inviting them to join me at Deer Valley for mountain bikes and milkshakes. The fact that it was also my birthday just sweetened the deal (or guilted them all into saying yes).
These gals all owned mountain bikes, just part of the standard equipment package that comes with living in Utah. However, full-suspension bikes and helmets are available to rent at the resorts and nearby shops. My posse of almost a dozen women ranged in age from 30s to 60s, with expertise completely unrelated to their years circling the sun. Some were "casual" or once-a-year riders who had never ridden Deer Valley's lift-served flow trails. Others were "mavens" who competed in and taught the sport. What they did share was a "Heck yeah!" attitude and, more likely, blind faith in my ability to throw a memorable birthday bash.
Not My First Rodeo But It's OK if It's Yours
Some cycling experience is required, but you do not need to be a velo expert or even much of an athlete to mountain bike at Deer Valley Resort or the other Utah lift-served summer resorts, including: Sundance Mountain Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Brighton, Park City Mountain, Woodward Park City, Snowbasin Resort and Brian Head Ski Resort. Little kids do this! Old dudes do this! Adaptive adventurers absolutely love it!
My mantra, "If you can ride a bike, you can mountain bike," still holds, and because Boomers, Gen Xers, and a few Millennials grew up grabbing handlebars instead of mobile phones, they quickly rediscover the fun. They recall the metallic streamers bending around corners and the winds whipping through their pigtails, carrying them like Hermes. No, girls, not the luxury brand, the speedy messenger of Greek mythology!
And although banana seats have been replaced with dropper posts, unlike so much in this rapidly changing world, mountain biking IS JUST LIKE RIDING A BIKE; once your feet leave the ground, that muscle memory and balance return you — at any age — to your six-year-old self cruising down the sidewalk.
Second, the biking trails at Deer Valley and others are rated similarly to ski runs: green (easiest), blue (intermediate) and black (expert). Even my crew of Dirtbag Barbies started the day on the gentle Ripple and rode it multiple times (Preride, Reride, Freeride) to learn, enjoy and master the parcourse. Indeed, the best ride is not necessarily the novel one but the known one. The one where you develop the confidence to ride faster and take a more aggressive line. It doesn't take years to accomplish this; it can happen before lunch!
Third, gravity works. With lift-served mountain biking, the ski lifts carry bikers and their carbon steeds to the top of the trails. That's why it's called "downhill biking." Riders don't have to spend energy—at high altitude—climbing and sucking air. The trails are engineered to "flow" down the mountain with banked turns and rolling berms designed to keep momentum all the way to the base.
Finally, like ski season, Deer Valley and other resorts offer mountain bike lessons and clinics to riders of all ages. There are even women's clinics this summer, where the discussions on the lifts are as entertaining and informative (want to find a hairstylist, tutor, or vacation deal?) as those on dirt trails!
Oh, Yes, The Milkshakes!
While mountain biking was fun all morning long, it wasn't long before everyone began asking about lunch or, specifically, the milkshakes.
I'm going to give credit (or blame) to my pal, Abby, for introducing me to the hand-crafted milkshakes at Royal Street Cafe. In the "before times," I would pedal around Deer Valley and, if lucky, convince my spouse to enjoy a little après bike action on the deck of Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley. I'm not going to lie, that menu is fantastic! But the milkshakes, my friends…
In my invitation text, I tried to describe one of the five hand-mixed ice cream shakes topped with an actual slice of chocolate, vanilla, coconut or carrot cake or a full-sized chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich AND whipped cream AND chocolate moose or unicorn head AND sprinkles or nuts slathered on with frosting on the outer edge of the tall glass…the list went on, until I just deleted it and sent a video instead.
That got their attention, and the RSVPs began to roll in.
Because we couldn't decide on one, we ordered all five varieties to share, a decision that in hindsight tested our bonds. Next time, everyone gets their own; calories be damned! We biked here, doggone it!
The Summit Sisterhood
Shakes, cakes, unicorns, giggles. A birthday, a girls' trip, just another Monday in Utah. You don't need a reason to say, "Heck, yeah!" Just rally your crew and go. Tempting these amazing women with "Mountain Biking & Milkshakes" at Deer Valley was just a sweet excuse to share a lot of fun, a little adventure and a very memorable birthday, but I'll probably text them next week about picnicking on paddleboards.
