XC BRAGG CREEK SKI AND BIKE SOCIETY
In May, a number of coaches from XCBC took part in the PMBIA Level 1 and Ride Guide courses organized by the club at West Bragg Creek.
PMBIA stands for Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association. The original courses began in Whistler, BC, in 2006 in response to a demand for a professional and up-to-date mountain bike instructor certification course that provided the same quality and consistency of training and coaching as winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. From this, PMBIA was founded in 2015.
The PMBIA curriculum has since developed and progressed into a globally recognized instructor program that has trained thousands of mountain bike instructors worldwide and has helped countless riders improve their skills and confidence on a mountain bike. PMBIA now offers training in over 10 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Japan, South Africa, Spain, and more.
The 1-day Ride Guide course is designed to train volunteers and biking enthusiasts who wish to safely lead small, beginner groups on easy and moderate trails.
The 3-day Level 1 course trains both new and experienced instructors to skilfully teach and guide beginner to intermediate mountain bikers in both cross-country and downhill environments. New instructors learn the tools they need to safely and effectively teach, while experienced instructors increase their skill level and understanding in teaching and riding theory.
PMBIA breaks mountain biking down into six main skills. These skills are the fundamentals of riding a mountain bike and they build on each other like a pyramid: Stability & Balance: riding position and managing instability, Controls: proper and efficient gear operation, Terrain Awareness: scanning the trail and line choice; Direction Control: steering and cornering; Pressure Control and Timing & Coordination.
Ian Thomson, at 15 (the minimum age for PMBIA), was the youngest participant to complete the Level 1 course and become a certified PMBIA instructor. Ian started biking in the XCBC Recreational Mountain Bike Program when he was seven years old and has since progressed to being a tail gunner and junior coach in the program, as well as coaching with the Ride Fast program this year. Ian is also an avid cross- country skier and is a junior coach for the XCBC Jackrabbits program.
The XCBC Recreational Mountain Bike Program will run from September 3rd to October 10th on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm on the trails at West Bragg Creek. Bikers choose one of these evenings to ride. The program is open to bikers aged 6–17 years, and participants are split into groups of a maximum of six based on age and ability. There is also the opportunity for older and more skilled bikers who don’t necessarily want to race to take part in the program.
This program relies solely on the support of volunteers and we are always looking for parents and volunteers to help out as lead coaches, tail gunners and junior coaches. This program is very popular and fills up quickly, but a benefit to volunteering is that volunteers get priority registration for their children. Lead coaches plan the routes, teach lessons and mentor junior coaches. Tail gunners ride at the back of the group to catch stragglers and provide encouragement, so the only requirement for this role is a bike. Registration is available on the xcbraggcreek.ca website. For more information, please contact programdirector@xcbraggcreek.ca.
