Most Fridays throughout the school year, seventh grade science teacher Teodor Miu and sixth grade social studies teacher Joe Haggerty can be found hitting the slopes or mountain trails with a group of Rifle middle schoolers and homeschooled students.

The gear, transportation and trips are free — all students pay is a $75 registration fee to enter the ski and ride club known as Flowstate.

The club was founded in 2021 by Miu, who moved to the Western Slope from Denver after accepting a position at the middle school. A different job opportunity, one where he would also teach skiing and mountain biking, gave him the inspiration for the club.

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In the fall and spring, Miu and Haggerty take students mountain biking, and in the winter, they hit the slopes on skis. No matter the mode, the goal is always the same — to give every middle schooler the opportunity to get off their phones and have an adventure in nature. 

Through his experience in education, Miu realized that access to nature is an equity issue, with sports like mountain biking and skiing often reserved for more affluent students. 

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“The bigger reason behind it is more of a question of ethics and equity,” Miu said. “I want the Rifle middle school kids, and any kids in our valley, to have the same opportunities as any kid up valley would in terms of adventure sports. Mountain biking is generally reserved for more affluent males and so is skiing. My goal is to make it available for every kid in our valley and beyond.”

The club started with no bikes and no funding, just a vision of increasing students’ access to outdoor adventures. 

“I started reaching out to everybody I could think of in the community, and one person would send me to another, just creating connections in a positive way,” Miu said.

What started as a day trip to Snowmass with borrowed bikes became an almost weekly trip into the mountains with over 20 bikes donated by the community.

The club spends at least 12 full days biking each fall and spring on trails from Moab to Snowmass. The gear, transportation and trips for the 30 plus students involved each season are free.

“There are some kids that do not fit into traditional sports at school and we tend to attract them. They find a sport that they’re truly enjoying,” Miu said. “The cool thing about mountain biking and skiing is that you don’t have to be the best. You’re competing against yourself and you can become better. So these kids find an avenue to do something healthy.”

Flowstate is supported by local businesses and organizations like Garfield County Outdoors, which helps with transportation costs. In November, the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners awarded Flowstate a $2,500 grant, which will go toward buying a new bike for each student in the club.

The community support for the mountain biking club gave Miu the momentum he needed to expand into skiing. 

“I went back to Snowmass, and I said, Hey, this is gonna sound crazy, but it seems like you have the same vision as I do, which is to see every kid, regardless of their socio-economic status, on skis and in nature,” he said “…I said, I don’t want to take advantage of you guys, but would it be crazy if I were to ask you for help getting the skis or getting kids on the slopes?”

Former Garfield Re-2 School Board member Christina Maness has seen the impact of Flowstate first-hand. Her son, Winston, a sixth grader at Rifle Middle School, joined the mountain biking club earlier this year and will also ski with Flowstate this winter.

“I enjoyed meeting new people and hanging out with new friends and I enjoyed riding the trails in the Flowstate club range,” Winston said.

Christina noticed a shift in her son’s excitement for school when he joined the club. 

“He hadn’t enjoyed the last couple years of elementary school so much, and so he was just not motivated and not excited about going to school,” Christina said. “He got into this mountain biking club, and he was super excited and made new friends through the club. It’s been a remarkable difference from last year to this year, his excitement to go to school and do things, and I think the mountain bike club was a huge part of that.”

Now partnered with Roaring Fork Cycling, Flowstate has served more than 100 kids for a total of over 70 Friday trips, according to Miu, who hopes to expand the club to other schools. 

“I just feel like I’m up to something good,” Miu said. “I see the fruits of our labor, and I just know deep down that this is the right thing to do. I want to keep going. I want to grow this to a healthy level in a way that’s sustainable so we can reach more kids. I know there’s more kids, even in other schools, that would want to join us.”

Go to thisisflowstate.org/##Support to find ways to get involved.