What’s the best trip for you?

 
 

Our ratings should be used to guide your expectations towards the type of riding that will be included in a given itinerary as well as the expected speed of the group. These are also used to help you gauge your own skill and fitness levels so that we can more closely match riders with the appropriate trip to meet individual skill levels and interests. We take these very seriously and ask for you to as well.

This detailed information assists us to ensure each rider has the opportunity to maximize their experience on our tours. We expect there to be some variability in each group and our guides are experts at accommodating for such circumstances, but it helps a lot when riders join a trip that matches appropriately with their skill and fitness level.

Unsure where you stand? Our team is here to help anytime.

Send us an email or schedule a call back and we’ll set you up in the right direction. Let’s ride!

Find Your Skill Level:

Please make yourself familiar with our skill ratings. Each trip has been carefully rated based on the descriptions below. Be aware of these and be clear on what that means while traveling on a mountain bike tour. Matching riders to the appropriate skill level is essential for our guides to create the best and safest experience for our riders during their travels.

  • New to the Sport:

    You’ve never ridden a mountain bike, or you’ve tried it but only once or twice.

  • Beginner+: (Green Trails)

    You’re new to the sport. You can ride the bike on very basic gravel roads or wide trails. You can operate the bike, but you are still learning the art of shifting, climbing, descending and cornering. You do not have the confidence to navigate roots, rocks, and tight turns without walking.

  • Intermediate: (Blue Trails)

    You have a strong understanding of shifting up and down through the gears. You have the skills to brake appropriately on descents and you maintain a comfortable and sturdy stance on controlled climbs and descents. You are confident to ride through a variety of technical features (roots, rocks, tight turns) although you are most comfortable at a slow and controlled pace.

  • Intermediate+: (Blue/Black Trails)

    You have a strong understanding and practice with the skills of braking, shifting, cornering and descending. You are able to navigate variable terrain at a good pace. You are confident and comfortable riding singletrack trails and can easily navigate roots, rocks, mud, sand and creek crossings. You are capable of a front wheel and rear wheel lift and can put the two together to navigate over obstacles. You are fairly confident on steep climbs and descents, but you may walk sections on trails that are rated Black or Double Black.

  • Advanced: (Black Trails)

    You are comfortable and confident at high speeds in technical terrain. Your cornering skills are excellent, and you can easily ride the apex of berms. You are skilled and confident at navigating a variety of technical features such as roots, rocks, mud, sand, and creek crossings. You are very skilled at shifting your weight to navigate technical climbs, descents and all trail features. You can bunny hop over obstacles and are confident to handle smaller jumps and drops.

  • Expert: (Double Black Trails)

    You are very advanced in all areas of mountain biking. You have significant and strong skills in the areas of shifting, braking, speed control, cornering, climbing and descending. You can comfortably navigate all terrain at high speeds. You’re not afraid of jumps and drops and can easily manage transitions.

  • Pro: (Triple Black/Extreme Terrain)

    You can ride, jib, launch anything…no matter the size or technical difficulty. You’re probably next up for the Red Bull Rampage. You should probably come be one of our guides!

Find Your Fitness Level:

All of our trips are physically demanding. Please be honest with us (and yourself) to be sure you are prepared to handle the physical demands of biking on our tours. Note that all of our tours are rated on a scale of 1-7, with 7 being an extreme level of fitness.

Each of our tours will have a fitness rating based off the descriptions below.

  • Level 1

    You barely, if ever, exercise.
    You can ride a bike for short periods of time (< 30mins) and then you need to stop and rest.
    You exercise for less than one hour per week.

  • Level 2

    You exercise at least once a week for at least an hour. You can ride a bike at a relaxed pace, with a lot of stops, for up to 3 hours at a time and at least 3 days in a row. You can easily climb a trail that gains 500ft without walking.

  • Level 3

    You have a reasonable level of mountain bike fitness. You bike or exercise at least 2 times per week all year long for 1-2 hours each session. You are comfortable biking for 3-4 hours at a moderate pace. You can comfortably ride for four days back-to-back with climbing of up to 1000ft per day.

  • Level 4

    You have moderately strong mountain bike fitness. You bike or exercise 3-4 times per week all year long for at least 2-3 hours per session. You are comfortable biking for 2-3 hours at a strong pace and 4-6 hours with some stopping or at a slower pace. You can comfortably ride 5 days back-to-back with climbing of up to 1500ft per day.

  • Level 5

    You have solid mountain bike fitness. You bike or exercise 5-6 times per week year-round. You are comfortable biking for 4-5 hours at a strong pace and 6-8 hours with some stopping or at a slower pace. You can comfortably ride 6 days back-to-back with climbing of up to 2000ft per day.

  • Level 6

    You are extremely fit. You exercise 5-7 days per week year-round. You are confident that you can bike 6-8 hours a day for 7-9 days straight at a strong pace. You can comfortably climb steep trails without stopping and can easily climb more than 3000ft of vertical terrain with minimal resting.

  • Level 7

    You are an Olympic racer and you win gold medals every year. You should probably come train our team.