Higher Learning: Mountain Bike Operations Program

Endless Biking is celebrating 10 years of building riders, as part of their celebration they are sponsoring ten articles that revolve around the fundamentals of their business; bikes, community and learning.

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HIGHER LEARNING: MOUNTAIN BIKE OPERATIONS PROGRAM

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Working in the mountain bike industry has never come with a handbook. In fact our industry is still so fresh that people who simply have initiative and imagination have developed most of the systems and processes currently in place. Until recently, working in this industry meant creating a role for yourself and finding a way for your unique set of skills to allow you to ‘live the dream.’ But as we’ve grown, developed and become more accessible to the general population, the opportunities for employment have grown as well. This has created a new opportunity to standardize qualifications for positions working in roles such as coaching, guiding and trail building. Capilano University, embracing the location of their Sunshine Coast campus, has created the first, and currently only, Mountain Bike Operations Certificate program of its kind internationally.




The materials for the program were created with the input of mountain bike industry professionals including Jay Hoots, Daniel Scott, Darren Butler, and Kelli Sherbinin. A main focus of the program is on sustainable park and trails design and building, however it also covers the tourism industry, risk management, event management, marketing, guiding and leadership skills, wilderness first aid, environmental stewardship, and communications.




Kelli and Darren teach the Mountain Bike Instruction (Level 1 & 2) and Guiding for Single Day Trips portion of the program. Drawing on her thirteen years of instructing, Kelli started with the MBO program in 2007. It was in its second year and she was asked to re-write the existing curriculum based on Endless Biking’s newly created Mountain Bike Instructor Training certification. “We have created the curriculum from the ground up and have been able to increase the course from a 3 credits to 4.5 over the last 8 years.” The changes in their portion of the curriculum have allowed for more time to teach each component; instructing and guiding, thoroughly, creating more employable students. In the beginning the program only covered Level 1 instructor training, now it covers Level 2 as well, which meets the requirements for businesses like Whistler Bike Park. “Not all of the students in the program want to become an instructor and/or guide, but having the skills, experience and certification is valuable for their professional development, as well as to have on their resume and will give them options as it is an added value to a potential employer,” says Kelli. “That aside, some of the students are absolutely in the program to get work in this field. When the students successfully complete our section they will be able to teach and/or guide youth and adult riders in a controlled environment or on trail or in a bike park.” In addition to focusing on the course material related to developing itineraries and risk management strategies, Kelli and Darren also help students to improve their own riding in order to expand their abilities.




The course materials are reviewed annually and are continually adjusted based on feedback from the students and industry. “We also leave the students some room to figure a few things out on their own, to allow them to have ownership of their ideas, projects and exercises.” A key component to the relevance of the materials is that the instructors are also leading industry experts who continue to work in their field, outside of the program, on a daily basis.



“I find a program like this sets a foundation of what the industry is expecting from our students and helps them to understand the industry as a whole,” explains Darren. “They get to gain perspective on how they can make their talents and passion apply to an area that they may not have even realized existed.”
“For those people in the industry who are familiar with our teaching style, they know we push the students towards a very high standard,” says Darren about how the industry views graduates of the program. “We don’t give away grades and certifications, you earn them and the industry knows this and can count on it.” Students graduating from the program have found work in building trails and bike parks internationally, sales jobs, management positions, instructing and guiding work, as risk managers, as well as, some have their own businesses. “We have hired some of the students at our company, Endless Biking. In fact Jordan Drinovz is still with us, he took Kelli’s very first class in 2007.”




So what advice do they have for prospective students? “I would make sure that the candidate is aware that the program, while focused on mountain biking, is still a University program and that there will be book based learning along with the hands on bike related parts,” offers Darren. “I would also tell them that the program is what you make of it, almost every student who was determined and applied themselves got a job in the mountain biking industry after graduation.”

There are still spots available for the 2015/2016 school year. Visit Capilano University for more information.

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CAPILANO UNIVERSITY MOUNTAIN BIKE OPERATIONS ALUMNI

LOGAN PEAT
I am riding at a full time professional level in the FMB World Tour. I travel all over the world competing and filming.

DANIEL SCOTT
I ended up being hired right before graduating by Mark Schmidt, the then lead instructor for the trail design/construction course, to run the Trails Solutions Program for IMBA Canada. I was then hired by Capilano University four months later to be the field instructor for the trail design/construction course of the MBO program. I still teach with Jay Hoots at Cap U and look forward to it every year! I left IMBA Canada after 5 years to work for Alpine Bike Parks Canada based out of Whistler, BC where I am currently the Professional Services Manager. We design and construction bike parks and trail projects all over North America and abroad.

RUEBEN SALZGEBER
I am the Sales Representative for Procycle and Raceface Performance Products in eastern BC and the prairie provinces.

SEBASTIAN JOHNSON
I have been working full time at the Whistler Bike Park for the past 3 summers. I have also worked in the Yukon teaching backcountry mountain biking to young army cadets through Cabin Fever Adventures.

KELSEY BEGG
Since completing the MBO Program, I have spent the last three summer seasons coaching and instructing for the Whistler Bike Park. I also spent a month instructing army cadets in the Yukon where I was hired by the Federal Government of Canada and contracted by a company called Cabin Fever Adventures.

KYLE NORBRATEN
The course brought me to the Sunshine Coast and in turn changed my life. I haven't directly used my education to get to where I am now, it was merely coming to the coast, meeting new best friends, getting dream-come-true opportunities in the mtb film industry, and working hard doing what I love with a dedicated group of friends. Sure a lot of things I learned come into play in my work and life and I ultimately thank the MBO program for putting me on the path to becoming a professional mountain biker because it brought me to the right place I needed to be in life at the right time.

CALLUM JELLY
These days I write, film and shoot photos for mountain bike companies, magazines, and websites worldwide. I also appear in photos on my bike from time to time. In the winter I turn my lens and pencil onto the ski world, and in the shoulder seasons the surf world.

JORDAN DRINOVZ
Right out of the program I started guiding for Endless Biking and I still am seven years later. Currently I am the program coordinator at EB. I look after setting up all our programs throughout the season making sure that the guides and clients have everything they need to create a great mountain bike experience. I still get out and guide and instruct in many of the programs, after all I got into the industry to ride my bike so it has been great to have a job that allows me to do that even as I progress up in the company. In the winter I seamlessly slide into my role as a Ski Patrol supervisor on Grouse Mountain Resorts.

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