'25 Yeti Gathering
Telluride, Colorado

This year’s 24th Annual Yeti Gathering landed us in picturesque Telluride, Colorado. A familiar locale, having hosted multiple past Gatherings, and just across the range from Yeti’s original home in Durango. 2025 also marks Yeti’s 40th Anniversary, so revisiting a location so near and dear to our Roots made this Gathering feel extra special. Tents and bikes donned the perimeter of the venue – a warmhearted nod to the event’s primitive beginnings. We set up camp at Lawson Ball Field, a wide-open green space with soft grass for camping, plenty of room for games, and quick access to the river for post-ride dips.

Thursday started off with riders trickling in early, setting up camp, and catching up with familiar faces. The early Thursday arrivals were a testament to the palpable stoke surrounding the weekend.  

Many of Yeti’s friends and partners made the long trip to support the event. FOX was on hand offering suspension setup help, DT Swiss brought a hands-on hub demo (and previewed Friday’s rebuild challenge), and Big Agnes had gear (and Rob) on display. Just across the street, Telluride Brewing Co. hosted a launch party for the limited-edition Roots Lager, a collab brew celebrating both the Gathering and Yeti’s 40th anniversary. Folks sipped the hoppy lager as they reconnected with old friends, introduced themselves to new ones, and cheers’d to an awesome weekend ahead. The day closed out with a welcome round of thunderstorms, setting us up with some hero dirt for the following morning. 

Friday kicked off with coffee from Telluride Coffee Roasters and a mellow morning of guests continuing to trickle in. Those who arrived early geared up in preparation for the day’s group ride. The epic route looped out from the venue and up and across Deep Creek Mesa, offering big views, fast traverses, and tunnels of aspen groves putting riders in the ‘green room’. Nothing beats Telluride singletrack, and this route struggled to disappoint. Podium Sports & Toyota had an aid station set up mid-ride that kept everyone fueled up on granola bars, drink mix and orange slices, all while riders got to have a snack and gawk at the towering peaks that lined the horizon. After dinner back at the venue, Chris Conroy gave a short welcome, looked back on past Gatherings, and raised a toast to Yeti’s 40th. An ambitious few geared up for DT Swiss’s hub rebuild challenge, with the winner taking home a custom carbon wheelset with limited-edition purple 40th anniversary Yeti wheels. Gleefully sore from the afternoon of riding, guests retired early in preparation for another epic day on the bike.

Saturday was the big one. After another stellar breakfast, we rolled out as a group, following the trail paralleling the San Miguel River, and rode into town before loading bikes on the Telluride Bike Park gondola. At the top, the Yeti Man made a surprise appearance for photos before we dropped into a mix of flowing singletrack, aspen groves, and panoramic views of the surrounding summits. Trails were all-time, and offered playful and approachable terrain for all kinds of riders. Rife with oceans of wildflowers, towering jagged peaks, and jibby rollers and side hits, the trails echoed as hoots and hollers rang throughout the valley. Podium Sports & Toyota pumped up the jams at the aid station and treated weary riders to sizzling bacon, fresh fruit slices, and cookies for those with a sweet tooth. The loop eventually circled right back to the venue, where people jumped in the river or hit the nearby cafés for snacks and recovery time after the epic +20mi., vert-laden ride. 

The afternoon brought out the Hoogaritas (precision-stirred with a fresh-picked tree branch) and lawn games while folks tossed frisbees, reenacted shapes they pulled on the ride, and settled in for dinner. Another delicious meal courtesy of Moab Private Chef flowed straight into a round of mini-bike races, bike toss, foot down, bike limbo, and a good amount of carnage and laughter. Later in the evening, E-EDR World Cup Champion, World Pump Track Champ and current ‘King of Crankworx’ Ryan Gilchrist hosted a casual Q&A while Sushi Danny cranked out fresh sushi rolls (we’re talking ‘trout caught in the river 20ft. behind him’ fresh) and Justin Reiter whipped up drinks in the speakeasy. 

Sunday morning came with one last breakfast, a lot of hugs, and the usual slow roll-out as people packed up and hit the road, or geared up for some eleventh-hour sends at Telluride Bike Park. 

After two decades of Gatherings, the formula hasn’t changed much: ride, relax, reconnect, repeat. Being back in the San Juans felt right, and offered a great reminder as to why this tradition runs strong after two and a half decades.  

We came for the rides. We stayed for the people (and Hootaritas). And we left with tired legs, full hearts, and a few mystery bruises we’ll blame on the mini-bikes. 

We’d like to give a huge shoutout to H+I Adventures for making this year’s Gathering a huge success. 

And a special thanks to our partners: 

• FOX
• DT Swiss 
• Big Agnes
• Podium Sports / Toyota 
• Moab Private Chef 
• Telluride Brewing Company 
• Telluride Coffee Roasters 
• Telluride Bike Park 
• Socorro Tequila 
• Sushi Danny