Festival Skill Levels
Newbie
Trail Rating
- Ride pavement, bike paths, packed dirt, and gravel.
- Trails are brand new to you; mountain biking is a fresh adventure.
Skills & Techniques
- Comfortable riding a bike, but no mountain biking experience.
- Need to learn the basics: bike setup, balance, braking, shifting, trail awareness.
Fitness
- Comfortable with up to 30 minutes of pedaling on flat terrain at an easy pace.
Beginner
Trail Rating
- Can ride most double tracks.
- Starting to explore green (beginner) singletrack but often walk obstacles and features.
Skills & Techniques
- Can stand up while coasting, but not balanced or confident.
- Always seated when pedaling over bumps and hills.
- Shifting often leaves you in the wrong gear on climbs.
- Braking = lots of skidding, not much control.
- Focus tends to stay on the front wheel, making cornering difficult.
- Roots and rocks feel overwhelming.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 60 minutes of pedaling on rolling terrain at a moderate pace.
Novice
Trail Rating
- Confident on all double track and most green singletrack.
- Beginning to try blue (intermediate) singletrack but often walking obstacles and features.
Skills & Techniques
- Standing out of the saddle more often; balance is improving.
- Occasionally standing up over bumps and hills while pedaling.
- Using both brakes, but still afraid of the front brake (or have gone over the bars once before).
- Starting to anticipate gear changes but still struggling to choose the right one.
- Beginning to pick a “line” through trail sections but don’t always stick to it.
- Comfortable rolling over small roots and rocks, but it feels more like luck than skill.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 2+ Hours of pedaling on rolling terrain at a moderate pace.
Strong Novice
Trail Rating
- Confident on double track, green single track, and most blue singletrack.
- Beginning to explore black (advanced) singletrack but often walking features.
Skills & Techniques
- Balanced on pedals while coasting, sometimes adjusting body position for terrain.
- Often hover slightly over the seat when pedaling through bumps.
- Comfortable using both brakes, but still hesitant on steep descents.
- Gear selection is mostly on point, though cadence can feel too fast or too slow at times.
- Looking ahead more and choosing better lines.
- Thinking strategically about obstacles and technical sections.
- Can lift front and rear wheels (up to ~6 inches) with focus.
- Can climb and descend under control on moderately steep singletrack.
- Confident rolling small obstacles and drops (up to 6”) and handling some loose terrain or sand.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 2 Hours of pedaling on rolling terrain at a moderate pace.
Intermediate
Trail Rating
- Confident on all double track, green, blue, and most black singletrack.
- Starting to test double black (expert) singletrack, though many features still feel intimidating.
Skills & Techniques
- Can confidently stand while coasting and adjust body position as terrain changes.
- Almost always hover off the seat while pedaling through bumps.
- Confident using both brakes effectively.
- Gear selection is smooth and appropriate to terrain.
- Always scanning ahead and picking lines, though sometimes caught off guard in tricky sections.
- Actively thinking about riding smoothly through technical features.
- Beginning to attempt larger obstacles and working on advanced wheel lift techniques (like bunny hops), but still need practice.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 4+ hours of pedaling on rolling to challenging terrain at a moderate pace.
Strong Intermediate
Trail Rating
- Confident riding green, blue, and black singletrack.
- Can handle a wide variety of terrain: roots, rocks, mud, sand, and steeper sections.
- Beginning to feel more comfortable on double black trails but may still walk big features.
Skills & Techniques
- Confident and balanced in attack position on descents and rough terrain.
- Body position adjusts naturally for climbing, descending, cornering, and obstacles.
- Confident using both brakes, even on steep descents, with good modulation.
- Gear selection is smooth and almost always correct for the terrain.
- Looking well ahead and actively choosing efficient lines.
- Comfortable lifting front wheel over ~6–8-inch obstacles and combining with rear wheel lifts.
- Rolling drops up to 12” with confidence; experimenting with small jumps and airtime.
- Cornering technique is improving: leaning bike, looking through corners, and maintaining flow.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 4+ hours of pedaling on rolling to challenging terrain at a moderate to strong pace.
Advanced
Trail Rating
- Confident on all types of trails: green, blue, black, and double black.
- Actively seek out technical singletrack and challenging terrain: steep rock rolls, drops, switchbacks, and rock gardens.
- Thrive in bike parks and technical downhill terrain.
Skills & Techniques
- Mastered balance, body position, braking, and shifting.
- Confident on steep climbs and technical descents.
- Can hop, manual, and bunny hop obstacles with control.
- Carry speed through corners and over features with fluidity and style.
- Confident with larger drops and jumps, including taking airtime intentionally.
- Reading terrain ahead at speed and making line adjustments quickly.
- Focused on refining technique, riding efficiently, and adding style.
Fitness
- Comfortable with 3+ hours of pedaling on challenging terrain at a strong pace, including sustained climbs and technical descents.