‘Reframing Mountain Biking’

Shifting gears and minds at the IMBA Europe 10th year anniversary Summit

Join us for 3 full days in Val di Sole, June 1st-4th, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of IMBA Europe. The IMBA Europe Summit brings together leading experts and innovators within the mountain biking sector. From world class trail builders and destinations, to inspiring champions of the trails and industry leaders, this is an event not to miss out on. The focal point, and main theme of the Summit is ‘Reframing Mountain Biking- New perspectives, challenges and solutions to securing the future of mountain biking in all its aspects. Following on from the successful model of previous years, the topics covered at this year’s Summit will be divided into relevant subthemes. The Thursday program will focus on the Building Blocks of Mountain Bike Friendly & Inclusive Places, and on Friday we will dive into the topic of sustainability – Sustainable trail design, construction & management and Sustainable Mountain Biking Tourism

The summit morning sessions start with high-level keynote presentations including Former DH World Champion, Manon Carpenter; the president and vice president of IMBA US, Kent McNeil and James Clark; pioneer and leader in the trail building sector, Glen Jacobs. The opening presentations will be followed by an in depth panel discussion on such topics as forming better relationships with key stakeholders; providing better education to users about trail etiquette and sustainable practices; increasing community outreach and engagement to participate in trail maintenance and conservation; creating opportunities to bring more people from different walks of life together to enjoy the outdoors as one community.

Once the morning session is concluded, Summit attendees will enjoy a buffet lunch of local products from the region of Trentino, and have the opportunity to meet and mingle with new and old friends in the expo area. During the afternoon session, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from several different break out sessions. Each session will run for 75 minutes in the format of lectures, storytelling, round table discussions and master classes. Break out sessions are led by experts in the areas of tourism, trail building, industry, research, advocacy and much more. This is the perfect opportunity for attendees to learn more about a specific topic of interest and engage in the discussions that follow. You can find more information about the breakout session topics and speakers in this document.

Outdoor fun! 

It wouldn’t be an IMBA Summit without including some fun outdoor activities and epic experiences on the local trails! In the afternoon, attendees have the option to participate in one of the many different outdoor sessions on offer. Some of the planned activities include; site visits; trail inspections & assessments; learning how to integrate environmental education in your guiding activity; Trash Mob Academy activity hosted by Trash Free Trails and more! The full outdoor program will be available in your inbox soon!

A few extra highlights of the event will include:

• Experience dinner in an alpine mountain hut with astro trekking
• The Take Care of Your Trails presentation and celebration of award winners
• Enjoy a delicious breakfast with locally produced food before enjoying a mountain bike ride along one of the many trails into Folgarida. 
• Food trucks, live music and demonstrations at the opening night ‘Bike fest’ event on Friday evening.
• Celebrate our 10th anniversary with the IMBA Epic on the “Tour Grande Guerra” route; followed by a BBQ and beers at the local rafting centre.
• Stay a few extra days and take part in the many activities of the ‘Bike Fest’ opening weekend

Val di Sole Bikeland Festival

Let the celebration begin! Friday evening will be a night of food trucks, music and festival vibes at the opening weekend Bike Fest hosted by Val di Sole Bikeland.

Learn more about the full summit program below