Gearswap: From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Festival Village, anyone can rent a table for $10 or spend $5 for a spot on the grass, and offer up outdoor-sports gear for sale or trade. “I’m hoping we have bikes and tents and bags and more,” says Christen McNamara, MSF director. “It will be kind of like a giant gear garage sale.”
Kayak demonstrations: Endless Rivers will allow people to try out their kayaks at the Southern Waterways put-in on the river next to Festival Village.
River skills clinics: Clinics for paddlers from beginner to expert.
Mountain-bike maintenance: Youngblood Bicycles will do basic bike maintenance for you if you bring your cycle to them.
Tree-climbing clinic: An expert from Blue Ridge Tree Climbing will teach how to safely climb a tree.
Nonstop music: For the first time this year, there will be two stages to showcase music. There’s the Main Stage at Festival Village, and the Mountain Xpress Second Stage right next door.
Other highlights: On Friday, watch bikers speed around Carrier Park’s Velodrome during the Track Cycling Race. Here’s the catch: The bikes don’t have brakes. Also Friday, the Ground Industries Mountain Boarding Demo shows off the skills needed to master this new sport.
On Saturday, don’t miss the Mountain Unicycling Trials Demonstration, where experts will demonstrate crazy one-wheeled tricks. Saturday night, the Merrell Iron Kids Competition offers a multisport activity focused on fun and wearing out the little people.
On Sunday, the festival wraps up, but not before a Dodgeball Tournament, a Whitewater 101 Clinic and plenty more.
