Fly Racing Summer Camp in Idaho
Words by Andrew Campo
A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp, but for me that was never the case. Forty some odd years had passed and although grown, this kid at heart finally got the opportunity to experience summer camp thanks to our friends at FLY Racing. Upon returning from work one day, I opened a package that was sitting on my front porch. Inside I found a duffle bag packed full of camp essentials; sunscreen, bug spray, compass, pocket knife, trail mix, swim trunks and an invite to Summer Camp in Idaho.
Needless to say, out of nowhere I suddenly had something to look forward to, a summertime experience certain to be worthy of many memories. FLY Racing had decided to take a non traditional approach to the 2018 gear launch and had invited the who’s who of motocross media to Idaho to not only preview the new gear gear line, but to experience the brand and the state in which their roots are firmly planted.
Established in 1998 FLY Racing has grown to be an industry brand leader and has done so while being positioned outside of Southern California, a truly lofty task seeing that the majority of the industry and athletes call California home. It was time for FLY to throw out the welcome mat and bring us inside their world, an effort that truly humanized the brand.
Upon arrival we were treated to a group lunch at The Ram Brewery that allowed us time to settle in after our flights and get introduced to the FLY family and other media teams that had made the journey. Bringing us all together in this environment allowed us the opportunity to get to know each other on a different level. Lunch was great and I soon found myself sharing laughs with Donn Maeda of Transworld Motocross, Andy MacDonald of Vital MX, Chris Keefer, and FLY Racing’s Andrew Short to name a few. This opportunity was long overdue, much appreciated, and it did not take long for new friendships to begin to unfold. That is what summer camp is all about.
Later that evening we were treated to an impressive dinner overlooking Boise atop the Zion Bank building that was followed by the introduction of the 2018 gear line. The cameras came to life, the whiskey poured like the chocolate fountain in the corner, and we had the opportunity to get in depth information from the design team as we explored our way through the collection.
Shortly after it was time to settle in at The Grove Hotel for some needed rest. Our itinerary had us up early in effort to get some time in house at FLY Racing / WPS before putting in some laps on their moto track and then heading north to Tamarack Resort. A stable of prepped bikes and a mountain of personalized gear bags were waiting upon our arrival and it’s safe to say that working at WPS has its benefits. The track sits right outside the door of the offices and employees get to frequent the track during the work week and weekends alike. During our tour it was clear that the team at FLY was truly made up of riders who actually live and breath the sport. The end result being the brands success in my opinion.
DAY 1 - FLY HQ Ride Day
Gallery by Ben Giese
Laps were pounded and we then set our sights on the mountains of Northern Idaho and I can’t begin to express just how truly beautiful the landscape is. Our adventures took us to Loon Lake for some single track riding where on January 29, 1943, a B-23 named the "Dragon Bomber" crash landed on the frozen lake with eight men aboard. All of them had survived, but three men had hiked for fourteen days and approximately 42 miles through waist deep snow before being rescued. The crash site was halfway through our trail ride and we had to wade through chest high bitter cold water and then hike a mile or so through tree marshland to the find the wreckage.
DAY 2 - TRAIL RIDE
Gallery by Simon Cudby
We were experiencing summer camp at its finest and doing so with Andrew Short who was leading the ride. Life was good, very good, and for those who have not experienced Idaho trail riding I strongly suggest you add it to your bucket list.
Campfire shenanigans rounded out the day and we were then faced with the sad realization of camp coming to an end as we prepared to head home and back into the real world the next mroning. But there was a sense of peace brought on by the fact that FLY can’t expect this to be a one and done deal. This experience was something that left of us all wanting more, it gave us something to look forward to for years to come.
Until next time.
