Dark Horse Academy SilverStar 2026

Dark Horse Academy is a mountain bike progression camp for girls and women aged 14-25, designed to build confidence and skills on and off the bike with insights on what it means to be a professional freerider.

Think riding sessions, skills clinics, mentorship, and connection—led by some of the most inspiring women in freeride.

Our 5 day camp is hosted at SilverStar Mountain Resort, British Columbia, Canada and creates an environment where young riders set goals for their progression and reach their potential.

Coached by some of the world’s best freeride and downhill athletes, our riders received qualified coaching, as well as world class mentorship.

Dark Horse Academy aims to give young athletes the skills to grow on and off the bike. Creating an environment which nurtures wellbeing and good mental health.

Empowering with practical skills surrounding bike maintenance, trail building and medical emergency and concussion protocols. All of these off- bike skills are seen as equally important to Casey and the Dark Horse team.

Learn. Grow. Send.
This is where future Dark Horses rise.

What can the Dark Horse Academy Attendees expect from the camp?

5 days of professional coaching from qualified instructors and pro athlete mentorship. We focus on freeride, covering tricks, jumps, drops, technical terrain and also can focus on downhill speed and more DH skills, if the rider would like.

This Academy is for skilled riders and we will be reaching out individually to access everyone's levels.

The riders will receive world class insights into what it takes to be a professional athlete.

Each rider will receive images and video from a our photographer/videographer to use on their social media platforms and sponsorship proposals.

This is a camp to push your limits and learn new skills in a safe and supported environment.

There will be a maximum of 25 Academy riders. They will be split into small groups depending on ability and each will have a Certified PMBIA Level 1 or 2 Coach (1 per group) and Pro Athlete Mentors will be on-hand throughout the camp to learn from.

You will be provided daily lift passes to SilverStar Mountain Resort, lunch, snacks and an Academy goodie bag featuring gifts from Thule, Go Pro and Swatch!

2026 Dark Horse SilverStar Academy Schedule

Friday - 26th June - Arrival Day at SilverStar Mountain Resort

Saturday - 27th June - Day 1 -

9:30am meet the crew - Introductions and goal setting.

We will ride in the morning as a group and then split into our smaller groups with coaches and mentors.

During the day we will be assessing levels and skills 

Evening Activity - Chill Evening - optional Arts and Crafts at the Rider House

Sunday - 28th June - Day 2 -

All Day - Skills day at SilverStar Mountain Resort in coaching groups

4:30pm Strength Training Session at SilverStar Gym

Monday - 29th June - Day 3 -

9am Meet at SilverStar Auditorium

Yoga, nutrition and wellbeing session with Elinor Brown

Athlete Mindset workshop with Kaia Jenson

Afternoon - Offsite - Brett Rheeder / Signature afternoon Airbag Session at his training compound in Vernon

Evening - Pro Riders Jam on Airbag and Signature BBQ for everyone at Brett's House

Tuesday - 30th July January - Day 4 -

9am - Content capture and Sponsorship workshop with Harriet Burbidge-Smith at SilverStar Team Rooms

Afternoon - Media Challenge Afternoon - Riding and low key video contest with Haz and the team

8pm - Bike Maintenance session at Sun Country Cycles - 16500 Kalamalka Road, Coldstream, B.C. V1B 1Y9

Wednesday - 1st July - Day 5 -

9:30am - Meet to discuss nailing those final goals

3pm - Let’s end on a confidence-boosting Academy group ride!

5PM - 6PM - Community Ride with Silverstar and Dark Horse Team - this will be open for the public to come ride with us as a Dark Horse community to help inspire other young riders like yourselves.

7pm - Academy Closing night and Pro Riders Welcome party - Pizza Night at Red Antler featuring the Academy Riders Videos

Dark Horse Invitational

The Dark Horse Invitational is a Jump Jam for Pro-Riders and a qualifier for Natural Selection Bike Aotearoa. The event is held over two days, with the first being held at SilverStar Mountain Resort on 2nd July and is open free of charge for the public to watch. The second is at Casey’s Ranch in Revelstoke and athlete only event, but available to watch via the Dark Horse Instagram Account.

Dark Horse SilverStar Jump Jam Invitational (July 2) – an invite-only freeride session, featuring all the best women in MTB. Come out and watch the pros on the slopestyle course 4:00pm to 7:00pm, over at Silver Queen. Live music, food trucks and an epic freeride line culminates to create an awesome day for the whole family.