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In which Madison talks summer activities and Vacationland.
It’s been a few months since the snow has been flying in the Northern Hemisphere, but Madison Blackley has been staving off the warm season blues with loads of summer activities. She’s a regular on the links, got in slush laps at High Cascade, and recently picked up a new teardrop camper with her partner, Tyler Blackburn, that they’ve been taking up to Wyoming on the weekends. I caught up with Mads before she and Tyler head to the East Coast for a month where they’ll post up on the coast of Maine (being from Maine myself, I always am looking for an excuse to talk about the wonders of the Pine Tree State and Mads is always down). Last year, the Rome team rider’s season was truncated when she injured her shoulder at the very first film spot of the year, but she healed up and capitalized on conditions at the end of the season to put together a full part that will be dropping this fall. Read on for what Madison has been up to this summer (and why Maine is the perfect place to spend a month at the tail end of the season). – Mary T. Walsh
Hey Mads, how is it going?
Good! I sprained my ankle the other day, unfortunately, and am in a boot with my foot all black and blue, ha. I’ll be good in a few weeks but kind of laid up for the meantime
Oh dang, I’m sorry to hear that! What did you do?
Jumped out of the truck loading golf clubs. HA. I’m a kook.
Oh no! Ha, golf is supposed to be the mellow off-season sport!
I know. I’m bummed I can’t play, but whatever, can only laugh at my stupidity at this point.
You guys have been playing a ton, too, right?
Yeah, we’ve had a good golf gang going lately.
How’s your game (other than the ankle)?
I’ve been playing pretty well. I can keep up with the boys, for sure. I want to play some small tournaments and stuff.
Are you going to bring your golf clubs to Maine when you head out there? There are some really rad golf courses around where you’re going!
Oh yeah, we’ll be golfing. We golfed a bunch last year so now we know all the good zones!
When are you guys going?
The whole month of September! I’m a local now.
Yes! You can have Amato’s at least twenty times during that time period.
With inflation, it’s all I’ll be able to afford, and I’m not bummed
September is so nice there. Are you guys driving out?
Sure are.
What are your three favorite things about Maine?
So much water everywhere—lakes, oceans, rivers, the food always seems to be local, and endless outdoor activities.
Ha, the food always comes from just below the dock you’re standing on. Do you guys have any big plans for while you’re in the Pine Tree State or just relaxing and seeing what comes up each day?
I’m really hoping to spend a lot of time surfing since we’re right on the beach!
Related/unrelated, have you seen the stuff about the sharks?!
Yeah, there is a shark tracker you can see where they are—there’s that massive one that killed the swimmer that is maybe 900 pounds.
It is 900 pounds?!
Huge. I surf where I can touch the ground if I drop down, ha.
It’s so crazy. I never associated the beach in Maine with sharks when I was growing up. The scariest thing was seaweed brushing against you when you didn’t expect it, ha.
And that is still my biggest fear, ha.
Have you swam at a beach that’s made up of clam flats yet?
Noooooo! Where is that?
Oh man, there are a ton of them up in the Midcoast area. It was my nightmare as a kid. It’s a mud/silt bottom instead of sand and when you step on the ground your feet sink in like jello and there are shells and mussels and stuff in the silt so you hit hard objects and it is the grossest feeling.
I’ll pass.
Will you get to visit Stillman and the Rome crew while you’re back East?
I will for sure make a trip up there to see all the Rome homies and for sure play some rounds with Maggie Leon. I went and stayed with her for a few days last summer and we golfed every day. She’s pretty good, too.
Did I see on Instagram that you and Tyler got a new camping toy—a teardrop trailer?
Hehe, maybe. It’s the cutest teardrop. Technically we are bringing it out to Maine to deliver to his parents, but we might be storing it in SLC for if they come visit. It’s the best, though. We’ve been going to Wyoming to Bode and Beresford’s property every weekend and just doing all the activities.
That is so cool! What activities?
Dirt biking, paddleboarding, river floating, golfing, biking. All the things.
There’s a river up there too? That sounds wonderful.
It’s the best lazy river ever. We did it two days in a row this past weekend.
You and Tyler are kind of crushing summer. What’s currently up with your garden?
I keep telling myself that, ha! It’s too hot for some things. I have green beans coming, lots of tomatoes, endless basil, and may or may not have some weed plants, hehe. And lots of cucumbers forming, too!
What kind of tomatoes did you do?
I did like three kinds: cherry, beefsteak, and another heirloom, but as they grow I have no clue what is what. Only time will tell. I’m just hoping everything will be good to harvest by the time I leave for Maine, or else the renter will get some nice veggies
A little planning, a little bit of surprise.
Living on the edge. Winging it fully
Next up you’ll have to get into canning.
That seems like a lot of work, ha.
Speaking of classic summer activities, you went to Hood in June with BTBounds for a week at High Cascade, too. How was that trip? The snow looked really good out there!
It’s been a while since I’ve been to hood in the summer, and it was full coverage and perfect temps! Could not have been better!
You posted on Instagram yesterday about a project you are releasing this fall, too. What is that all about?
I am going to put something together about how I got injured at the very first film spot of the year and it ended up putting me out for about three months. Somehow I was able to pull it together and film a part in the last month of the season—it’s all powder jumps basically. My good friend, John Blume III, filmed it and will edit it as well
And what’s up for this coming winter? It’s early still, but working on any plans?
Pretty much, I want to make up for last year. I would love to do Corbet’s again, jump of a ton of stuff into pow, film some cool stuff, Natty Select? I’m still looking for a great backcountry part to come to fruition.