The Ride Guide course is designed to train experienced riders how to safely lead, small group rides:

• to beginner to low-intermediate students
• on green and blue, single track terrain
• in a “front country” environment, no more than 1hr away from emergency medical care
• for volunteer club riders, community events or basic mountain bike programs
• for an established mountain bike school, club or coaching service

Course Duration: One day + pre-course reading and worksheet (1-2hrs), totalling 9 hrs, including assessment. WHY TAKE THIS COURSE?

• Learn how to safely lead group or club rides: There’s a ton of fantastic volunteers out there in the biking community who want to help out with local group or club rides. This course is perfect for providing the necessary training so you can safely manage and lead a group of beginner to intermediate mountain bikers, out on the trails.
• Improve your riding skills: The course will mostly focus on Guiding Skills but will also review the key riding skills and provide you with personal feedback, to help progress your confidence and technique, while leading others.
• Build essential leadership and confidence skills: Talking in front of other people can be challenging, but it’s a great life-skill that mountain bike guiding and teaching can help develop. Similarly, leadership skills, problem solving, team work and confidence skills can all be developed during this course, with a friendly PMBIA Mentor.
• Some key things you’ll learn: Guiding skills such as safety rules, class management and terrain communication. Risk management and organizational skills to run safe, fun group rides. Bike set-up and assessment, plus first aid and mechanics workshops.
• Become more skilled, versatile and adaptable as a rider and as a person.
• Have fun! It’s a day of riding bikes, learning and getting stoked!

PREREQUISITES?

• Completed Ride Guide Worksheet (available upon registration)
• Confident riding at trail speed on intermediate terrain, including green, blue and “light” black trails.
• A minimum of 36 months of mountain biking experience.
• 40hr Wilderness First Aid Certification, or equivalent, recommended
• The level 1 course includes the first year of membership to the PMBIA. After the first year, membership is an annual fee.

Please Note: Successful candidates will be certified to work as a Ride Leader (guide) only, with beginner to low-intermediate riders, on green and blue trails, and will not be certified to teach mountain biking. Guiding students and leading them on safe, organized rides involves a very different set of skills and risks, then teaching people how to ride better. If your goal is to learn how to teach other riders, the PMBIA Level 1 course is the best option.