The Future is Bright: Grassroots mountain bike events, featuring riders like Andrea Balutis, show just how vibrant the women's freeride scene is.

As larger-scale industry investment for women’s events like Redbull Formation has dried up in recent years, grassroots events, like the recently hosted She Shreds Legacy , have begun popping up to fill the gap. For the femme freeride community, such events offer a chance to progress, network, bolster portfolios, and, most importantly, have fun in a supportive environment. The Future is Bright is a series dedicated to hearing more from the athletes at these grassroots events about their "Why:" why they participate and why things like She Shreds Legacy matter.

Andrea Balutis was born and raised in Calgary and says that even though she didn't get into mountain biking until she was in her mid-twenties, it has since become her "all-consuming hobby." You could view the women's bike team, SlaydiesMTB, that Andrea started with her friends, as proof of that: their crew helps organize social rides and uses their platform to get other women into racing, dirt jumping and "generally having a good time on bikes." Which is definitely what she helped the other participants at She Shreds accomplish, too.

Name, age, current place of residence?

Andrea (she/her), 34, Calgary, Alberta Canada

Why did you attend She Shreds?

There haven’t been many (any?) application/open all-women events in my area that were really focused on advanced riders and progression in an inclusive environment, and I have felt very “plateaued” in jumps and tricks in the last two years, with not a ton of resources around me (aka within a six-hour drive) to try to break through that. So I really wanted to not only meet other like-minded women, but also be able to push and progress my own skills.

What makes She Shreds stand out, to you, from other MTB / freeride events?

How welcoming it was, and also how it gave riders with a variety of advanced skill sets the opportunity to ride with and learn from each other, as well as with and from some established pros.

Did you have a proudest moment from the event?

Getting a proper suicide no-hander on the mulch jump!

Did you have a most challenging moment from the event?

Not feeling comfortable hitting the Back 40 drop. I knew it was within my skill set, but I was intimidated by the short length of the landing. It was hard for me to listen to my body and brain telling me it didn’t feel 100% right and “leave it on the table,” because I badly wanted to session it with the other ladies.

Did you have any goals coming into the event?

I wanted to hit the big (middle) step up on Jamorama (success!!!) and progress with sui’s and whips.

Do you have any goals moving forward (this season or in future seasons)?

Continuing to work on tricks - I really want to nail down a nice whip, and be able to do a sui on a non-mulch jump.

Anything else you wish I had asked / that you want to share?

Just that it was such an amazing event with immaculate vibes, and I really hope they keep it going, and other bike parks see the value in creating an event like this so we can have more of them available for women around North America!

Any family, friends, or sponsors you want to thank?

Inside Line in Calgary, NRG Enterprises, Leatt MTB for keeping my bike rolling and my body protected, and Gruppo Nutrition for keeping me fueled!