Park City's Rollerblading Women Deliver Fun for All
The PC Bladies typically wrap up their rollerblading jaunts with vino at Old Town Cellars.
Image: Courtesy The Bladies
What does a group of brightly costumed women on rollerblades have to do with radical self-acceptance? Oddly enough, everything. Just ask Megan Harrod, one of the founding members of PC Bladies.
“Yes, it’s a little silly and it stands out,” she admits. “We wanted to create a space where chicks felt welcomed and could be themselves, and have fun—free of judgment.” Harrod says the group, founded in 2017, is “just like book club, but on blades and with booze at the end.”
Image: Blake Peterson
Inclusivity and lifting each other up is what PC Bladies is all about, thus the mantra: “No Bladies left behind.” Many of the founding members are former elite athletes and some are even Olympians, but their semi-regular meetups are truly for any woman and open to all.
“There’s no top performer,” says Park City local Blake Peterson. “Everyone will have road rash—it’s a rite of passage,” she laughs. “It’s OK to fall down because there’s a group of badass women who will pick you up and wheel you forward, not just because of the Old Town Cellar Rosé at the end, but because we want to share this ridiculous fun with all women, comfortable on eight wheels or not.”
A typical Bladies meetup is announced on Instagram (@pcbladies), involves a starting point (like the White Barn on Highway 224), includes a roughly five-mile stint on blades, and culminates at the unofficial Bladies HQ, Old Town Cellars. The local wine company has been a big supporter from the start.
Each event has a theme that is as zany as the concept itself, ranging from Sister Wives (the most popular yet) to ’80s Prom to Neon Night. “My Bladies dress-up box is stacked, but my neon blue leggings and knee-high rainbow socks are typically the foundation of my look,” says Peterson.
What’s next for this gliding group of trailblazing women? Harrod wants to see more chapters emerge across the US. “We want to inspire women to create a girl gang of their own in their community. It’s inspiring to see such a network of accomplished women come together, let their guard down, and blade,” says Harrod.
These feisty Bladies also roll for a cause, donating proceeds from their logoed hat and tank-top sales to the nonprofit Peace House.
Image: Blake Peterson
