#nembafest

With panoramic green mountain views and situated at the entrance to Kingdom Trails, one of the premiere trail systems on the continent, it’s obvious why this remote pocket of Vermont is a popular mountain bike destination. Throw in more than 100 vendors representing all facets of mountain biking, including demo bike fleets from brands both venerable and new on the scene, a legit stage with live music, onsite camping and activities for the whole family and it’s easy to see why more than 4000 attendees from all over the US and Canada flock way up to NEMBAfest on the last weekend in June.

Mountain bikers prepare for a full day on the trails with daily early morning yoga overlooking the vendors and the sun rising over green mountains.

What? You’ve never seen a sticker-collecting sheep on a leash? This is Vermont. 

The festival ran from Friday through Sunday and two-thirds of that time presented perfect weather conditions. Friday night Roots of Creation, a reggae-spun Grateful Dead tribute band, took the beer garden-adjacent stage in front of an impressive crowd.

Early Saturday morning even added a little sprinkle before anyone was awake, just to add a little extra magic to the trail conditions which persisted under bright sun for most of the day.

But all perfect weather ends at some point, and that point was Saturday evening. As BikeFlights.com East Coast Marketing Manager, Vince, and a handful of other industry folks were on their “after work” ride storms rolled in with wind and rain, and the rain didn’t roll back out until it was time to head home Sunday afternoon. The spirits of the attendees, however, seemed to hardly notice, as the smiles they wore all weekend shined through splatters of mud.

Dark clouds and a steady rain on Sunday didn’t keep enthusiastic mountain bikers from the expo or the trails.

If you’ve never experienced the Kingdom Trails put it on your mountain bike bucket list. If you’d like to experience the Kingdom Trails on the latest and greatest bikes and gear, see some live music, drink some great beer, camp and hang out with some great people, put NEMBAfest on your calendar.