As for trail and rider classifications, it is a bit subjective. We’ll do our best to break them down. There are several categories for the classifications, but we will only focus on what we feel are the three main categories, XC, DH/FR, and All Mountain. Each is different in there own ways.

XC – Cross Country
DH – Down Hill
FR – Free Ride
ALL MOUNTAIN – see bottom

CROSS COUNTRY

XC – Beginner
These rides typically are flat or have slight elevation gains (well under a thousand feet). There are very few obstacles on the trail and oftentimes the trail is fire road. Anyone can ride, with any type of bike. Suspension does not make a difference and children are often invited.

XC – Intermediate
These rides have both beginner and advanced attributes. The climbing is often moderate which requires previous bike skills and good fitness. Usually these rides do not climb more than 1,000-1,500 feet and are around 10-15 miles long. Typically the majority of riding is on single-track with various rocks, roots, and obstacles (nothing ridiculous). This type of rider is usually known as a ‘weekend warrior’, who rides 2-3 weekends a month. Suspension bikes are recommended, with at least a front fork suspension. Children are not allowed unless they have extensive experience.

XC – Advanced (aka – EPIC rides)
This is the type of ride everyone in XC should strive for. EPIC rides are the type of rides, which are remembered with a dreamy glaze in a person’s eyes. These rides are usually ALL DAY, typically greater than 20 miles and have 2,000+ elevation gain. The best rides are all single-track with lots of scenic fast sections with technical areas to make it interesting. The climbing can be brutal, and the descents can be terrifying. If this ride were easy, it would not be Epic! Only experienced advanced riders should go. Weekend warriors typically do not have enough endurance and often ‘bonk’ during the ride. Bonking is horrible and to be avoided at all costs. The chance of injury is the greatest with the trail being the most remote. A broken leg or busted bike often requires a long, painful walk back to civilization. Full suspension bikes are best, but many hardcore Advanced XC riders ride lightweight hardtails. Absolutely no children are allowed.

DOWNHILL / FREE RIDE

Although a lot of great riders have been introduced to mountain biking through DH/FR, it is not recommended to start here if you have not really ever ridden. This area of our sport can be very dangerous and it could be fatal for an inexperienced rider on DH/FR rides.

DH/FR – Beginner
If there were such thing… this would be an Intermediate XC, Advanced XC, and/or BMX rider who is trying this area of the sport for the first time. It is not recommended for someone wanting to get involved in Mountain Biking for the first time, see XC – Beginner. Typically the trails consist of easy fire roads descending steep sections, bumps and turns as well as a few obstacles and small jumps are common. Usually very little pedaling is required. Full suspension bikes are always recommended for DH/FR.

DH/FR – Intermediate
First things first, at this level it is recommended that you wear protective gear, Full-face helmet, elbow pads, knee/shin guards and full fingered gloves. These rides are for the Advanced XC, and/or BMX rider looking to take their skills to a new level. Also the rider that has already ridden some DH/FR and is looking to advance there skills. Ski resorts are the most favored since DH/FR bikes can weigh 33-50 pounds. If no ski resort is available, the rider often will push their bike to the top of the ride or shuttle it. In some cases, they push or ride up a long fire road and ride down single-track. The single-track is very technical with jumps, drops and lots of rocks. There can be some man-made obstacles like wood planks and teeter-tooters. Usually the riders have full faced helmets and body amour.

DH/FR – Advanced
This is the most extreme level of the sport. It is mandatory that you wear full body armor, Full-face helmet, elbow pads, knee/shin guards and full-fingered gloves. A large part of DH is done on closed Racecourses by professional and amateur racers at ski resorts and/or Mountain Bike parks. As to Free ride, watch one of the mountain bike videos such as “The Collective” or "Kranked” and you will witness Advanced Downhill/Free riders. These riders are serious and also can get seriously hurt. 20-40’ jumps are common. Huge drops, and the roughest sections are considered the best part of the trail. Some Free riders excel in this area where there is NO TRAIL. They pick a line down something ridiculously hard and go! These bikes are heavy 40-50+ pounds with 7”-8”+ inches of travel (front and rear). These bikes generally have only one ring in the front and rarely are ridden to the top. Only hardcore, crazy, advanced riders with a lot of Downhill/Free ride experience should go.

ALL MOUNTAIN

You may have heard the word – "All-Mountain" rider. This is a rider who is a cross between downhill and XC. Their bikes typically have 5’’-6” of travel and weigh 31+ pounds. They are more interested in the plush ness of suspension at the cost of weight. This is actually the largest ‘new’ category of rider. They can join all XC AND Intermediate Downhill rides. To avoid confusion, We did not add them to the above sections. Some "All-Mountain" riders may have difficultly in XC Epic rides. After 20+ miles and 3,000’ of climbing those extra ‘bike’ pounds add up. Additionaly, some "All-Mountain" riders may be over ther head on the Advanced DH/FR rides.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. All of our leaders have experience in one or all the fields discussed above. Contact us.