About our program and who it is for:

Mountain biking (mtb) is the sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially designed mountain bikes. AKA: FUN!

Level 1: New/Novice = Little to no mtb/off-road experience, probably no formal mtb coaching or instruction. If your rider is Level 1 and in 4th or 5th grade - consider registering for Flying Squirrels.

Level 2: Beginner/Early Intermediate = Some experience biking off road, or rides a mtb less than three times a month on average, little to no mtb coaching or instruction

Level 3: Intermediate = Consistent mtb riding experience, some previous mtb coaching or instruction, rides once or twice a week on average

Level 4: Upper Intermediate/Advanced = Plenty of mtb riding experience to make it down most trails, previous experience getting mtb instruction (like Radical Rippers), rides twice a week or more on average, athletic riders that might have fitness and experience from other sports too

Level 5: Advanced/Expert = Plenty of mtb riding experience to make it down any trail, experience as a ride leader, mentor, or mtb coach, previous experience getting mtb instruction, rides twice a week or more on average, athletic riders that might have fitness and experience from other sports too

Level 6: Pro = getting paid to ride, you should probably apply to join our coaching team

Upon registering you will be sent a confirmation email which contains our intake survey link. Please complete this ASAP so we can do our best to sort groups based on age, expectations, goals, and previous experience. Although honestly, many students would probably fit well in more than one group.

You can let us know if you have preference over the day of the week your rider is in practice (Mon, Wed, Friday).

We pride ourselves in low student to coach ratios, rarely over 4:1, which gives students an easier path to progression.

Part of the special experience we hope to create with the Radical Rippers Program is rooted in our meticulous attention to how we sort the riding groups. We do our best to group riders based on similar age, interests, goals, and expectations as well as offering practices on multiple days of the week. Ideally, the riders spend the whole 8 weeks together, in the same group, with the same coaches, which we find increases the fun and safety for everyone, while building friendships, trust, and confidence.

Every group will have outliers on the climbs and outliers on the descents - which is always a reality of mountain biking in a group. However, our coaches are professionally trained to handle ability splits and a variety of goals so every rider will find fun, safe, progression over the course of the season. The intake survey you get when you register will help us pick the best group for your rider on a day of the week that you prefer. We will let you know practice days, assigned coaches, and our location schedule by April 1st.

If a rider’s abilities are far outside of the group they were put in, we cannot keep them in that group. It compromises safety and the experience of everyone.

We understand that students may grow their mountain bike skills or have a crash or injury that diminishes their mountain bike skills, between signing up for this program in March (Spring) or August (Fall) and the start of the season in mid-April (Spring) or September (Fall). However, there are some situations in which a student has abilities far outside the description of the level they were signed up for and cannot be safely accommodated. In these situations, the student will be offered to switch groups that we deem more appropriate. If you can’t make practice on that day work, refunds are not guaranteed and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. It is essential that parents be as honest and thorough while completing our intake form to ensure we are placing everyone in an optimal group.