words by corinne prevot

My memories of Moriah are from poignant intersections in our life path, where our journeys bumped into eachother throughout our upbringing and into our young adult lives.  We shared an adoration for our home hill of Burke Mountain, where, at the base, both of our fathers coincidentally pursued the unique combination of school and ski racing.  I recall faint memories of bobbling around as young 'ens in the base lodge, and again on campus, when old enough to attend BMA ourselves.  I was a few years older, though, so our overlap was brief. 

In the months before and after winter, I found freedom and solace riding the Kingdom Trails in the forests surrounding East Burke.  This overlapping love of single-track was confirmed when I visited Burke and unplanned, we shared a mountain bike ride that I remember vividly.  It was June and Moriah had just come back home from a semester at Dartmouth, voicing her enthusiasm for cycling, mountain biking, and a clear conviction for "getting into racing".

And that she did.  We reconnected 5 years later.  I'd gotten wind that "Moriah is going somewhere" with cycling and not long after, she reached out to me about collaborating with Skida.  I saw an opportunity to get together after the races at the Sea Otter Classic in April 2022.  I had some new merchandise to photograph and we'd planned to spend a day around the Monterey/Santa Cruz area taking photos, catching up, and riding bikes.

Of course, she won the iconic Sea Otter Classic race with flying colors with all industry eyes on her.  Expecting that she'd be busy following her big win, I'd texted her along the lines of, "now that you're famous, let us know if you need to reschedule the photo session :-)".  True to her word, she insisted on keeping our plans and the next day we met up on the beach, full smiles, fun outfits and cameras despite the rain.  

These are some of my favorite photos from the day:

Our small production team shared a hotel room in Santa Cruz that evening.  We bonded over our Vermont-roots, Moriah sharing how she dreamed of coming back to Vermont to create a community hub that celebrates food, wellness, and cycling. She envisioned using her platform as a cyclist to give back to the community that shaped her. Another hour of pillow-talk later, we awoke the next morning to Moriah heading off bright and early to her big day at Specialized, where she would be announcing her decision to leave her position as a Demand Planner (and she was a good one!) to lean into her full-time cycling career. 

Seeing her at this moment: a strong, graceful, successful young woman at the pinnacle of her sport, gracefully leaping up to the next level, perceived to others as the great unknown.  She was heading to a place where she would confidently venture further into her own potential and with her thoughtful approach, she’d surely succeed.  Witnessing this catalytic time in her life was a really special moment that I’ll never forget.  I was awestruck as she departed that morning with excitement and confidence in her next move. 

A couple weeks later, she was gone.

Under a bright June sky with the brilliant green backdrop of the Northeast Kingdom, hundreds of people from the Burke, BMA, Dartmouth, Middlebury, and greater cycling communities gathered on Sunday, June 12th, 2022 to celebrate the life of Moriah Wilson. The strength and the grace of the Wilson Family was felt by the entire community and Eric, Karen, and Matt each spoke eloquently about Moriah.

Today, there are several ways to support the Moriah Wilson Foundation. Her spirit will live on in the heart of the green mountains and radiates throughout her community. <3