The Moab Ho Down Mountain Bike Festival Returns to Utah October 24-27, 2024

The Moab Ho Down , a mountain bike festival beloved for its community focus, packed schedule of events and, not least, epic costume party, hasn't been hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down four years ago. We chatted with co-founder and current event organizer Tracy Bentley about the history of the Moab Ho Down and why she's excited to see it return at long last this October.

Can you tell us a bit about the Ho Down's history?

The Moab Ho Down mountain bike festival started in 2006; the Tour of Canyonlands had ended in 2002, the Moab Fat Tire Festival had ended in 2003, and the Halloween Bike Fest was a one-time event in 2005, so there wasn't a mountain bike festival happening in Moab after that. At the time, I owned the Chile Pepper Bike Shop and thought the shop should host a fun weekend filled with group rides, a big air dirt jump comp, and a huge costume party with music. The party was originally held at the old Elks Lodge. Moab loves costumes, so it was always a wild night with some amazing costumes.

Then, in 2010, after the event's first few years, some of us in the bike community, including myself, Wendy Palmer, Tyson Swasey and TJ Cowern (sorry if I forgot to mention anyone else) wanted to revamp the bike park on 500 West in town, but we needed funds, so Wendy and I decided that the Moab Ho Down should be a fundraiser for the Moab bike park . By this time, we had also added a bike race on the old Super D course on Porcupine Rim Trail.

By 2012, the bike park had its first big makeover with expert help from James Flatten and Jeff Erickson. The Ho Down continued over the years, and we added more events to it, like a pumptrack comp and movie nights that included an amateur movie night where viewers could vote on their favorite film, as well as full-production mountain bike films. The race got moved to the Amasa Back and Captain Ahab trails, and we gained more sponsorship dollars to help make the event more successful so more funds could go to the bike park.

The last year for the festival was in 2019; the following year was 2020, and we all know what happened that year ... the COVID-19 pandemic. After, I had a lot of Moab locals ask me, "When is the Ho Down coming back?!" but after the chaos of COVID and its repercussions on so many levels, my energy for it was gone. Then, I sold the Chile Pepper in 2023, and made travel plans for that fall, so no Ho Down last year, either.

In December of 2023, members of our local IMBA Chapter, the Moab Bike Association , and others in our bike community sat down to discuss bringing the Ho Down back for real; locals had loved the event, and we also had regular out of town attendees. I knew everyone would be stoked to hear that Ho Down was making a comeback.

So the Ho Down is happening again this October 24-27, 2024! The Moab Bike Association is hosting, and we are involving all local shops, bike tour companies and shuttle companies—it is a Moab bike community effort!

What are you most excited about for this year's event?

To see old familiar faces, as well as seeing everyone having fun on bikes. The Ho Down has also teamed up with local riders Alex Mulder and Evan Smiley, the founders of the Spooky Cross Race.

What do you see, if anything, as the biggest challenge for the Ho Down?

On the whole, there really isn't a big challenge to the event: it is an event that feels grassroots and focuses on bringing people together for a truly fun weekend.

Why do community events like the Ho Down matter in your eyes?

They build community and friendships while also supporting the sport of mountain biking and dirt jumping.

Any fun stories you want to share?

Just some from the early days ... One of the events at the costume party was a hot pepper eating contest, and the winner would get a bunch of really cool bike-related products—legit stuff to make it worth the pain of eating hot peppers. The looks on the contestants faces while trying to eat the peppers was priceless!

We also had some great bands over the years: a punk band called the Shindaggers from Flagstaff who were all bike riders and good friends, local metal/rock band Iocane whose members were also riders and great musicians, Niceness from Telluride one year, and in 2019 we recruited the Hood River band Vitamin D, a hip-hop cover band. With this outreach, we got so many people who traveled to Moab to experience the festival and enjoy the live music, as well.

Do you have any goals for the event? In 2024 or beyond?

I would love to see the Amasa Back/Captain Ahab Enduro race on Saturday of the event sell out this year. I would also like to see more women enter the race ; supporting women in mountain biking has always been important to me.

Anything else you wish I'd asked / you'd like to share?

Moab is an amazing place, full of some amazingly talented and special people. It has been home for me for 25 years, and I think that October in Moab is a great time to be here and ride bikes, it's magical.

Anyone you want to thank?

Thank you for wanting to include the Moab Ho Down mountain bike festival in Bike Mag! Also, another big thanks to all of the sponsorship we've received over the years through the bike shop from our vendors. They played a big part in making the Ho Down and its fundraising efforts a success—Shimano, Transition, Giant, Devinci, Smith, Marin, Evil, Fox Racing, Sram, FiveTen, Troy Lee, Fox Head, G-Form, IXS, Race Face, North Face, Bell/Giro and local support from Coyote Shuttle, Rim Tours, Porcupine Shuttle, Love Muffin Cafe and Moab Brewery.

Registration for the Moab Ho Down opens today, Monday September 3rd, 2024. For more information and a full run-down of the schedule of events, head to the event's website or email info@moabhodown.com .