At the International Mountain Biking Association’s annual meetings, there are usually seminars on how to get more women involved in mountain biking.

It’s not a session that Whitehorse riders have to attend.

With more than 50 per cent of Contagious Mountain Bike Club’s (CMBC) membership being female, president Sierra Van Der Meer will sometimes joke at board meetings that they need to get more men involved in the sport.

A large part of their female membership is due to Dirt Girls, a weekly ride exclusive to women.

“I think Dirt Girls is sort of designed around this idea of really making it encouraging and fun and relaxing,” said Van Der Meer.

Dirt Girls was out on the trail the earliest it had ever been this season thanks to an early snow melt.

More than 50 women showed up to that ride and they had to split the crowd into smaller groups, which were all led by volunteers.

They’d come a long way from the days when there were only a handful of riders.

Dirt Girls used to exist as its own club, about 10 years ago, said Van Der Meer. Then as the clubs grew, Dirt Girls and CMBC merged into one, but Dirt Girls lives on.

For women new to the sport, it’s a way of learning to mountain bike in a supportive environment.

“I think that when you’re learning, it can be hard if you feel like you’re being really pushed, that you’re going beyond your comfort level,” said Van Der Meer, “or you’re just catching up to someone and they’re leaving again.”

Van Der Meer started as a rider in the group many moons ago and then moved on to lead some rides for a few years.

She has since taken on a lesser role as more women move through the riding chain.

“It’s a really nice sort of evolution where people get comfortable on the trails and take on a leadership role,” she said.

Van Der Meer recalls one ride where they hit a terrain park. Eight women were standing around a teeter-totter making sure the rider didn’t fall off. When they returned to the parking lot one of the riders excitedly told her son that she’d ridden all the elements in the stunt park.

“She was proud enough of that to share it with her kid,” said Van Der Meer. “I just think those are important moments.”

This year Dirt Girls built a trail. Magnusson Pink, which debuted at the 24 Hours of Light Bike Festival this summer.

Last night a group of 20 riders rode the trails above Fish Lake north of the city for the final Dirt Girls ride of the season.

They rode Blown Away, one of the newly built trails this year. Smiles abound, they charged the singletrack through the alpine.

“I just (enjoy) the fact that you (can) be there and provide this opportunity for people to have a really good experience learning how to mountain bike,” said Van Der Meer. “We want other people to become bike fanatics, not only for altruistic reason ... but also to grow a community so that the community can support each other.”