A couple of years ago my son went mountain biking on the Slickrock
Trail in Moab, Utah, with his scout troop. He was so excited to return
and tell us about his new favorite sport. Furthermore, he was adamant
that I buy a mountain bike and take up the sport with him. Over the
course of the next several weeks he told me about the technique he used
to keep himself upright and in control while descending the
treacherously steep hills of Slickrock. “You have to keep your behind
way over the rear tire,” he told me. I tried riding down our front
steps. It was harder than it sounded, and I crashed on several
attempts. After I had received enough scrapes and bruises, I did
something exceptionally smart. I asked my son to show me exactly how he
did it. Hey, it worked! I was finally able to ride the bike down our
hard steps and, eventually, the steep trails of Slickrock.
