Skills are roughly defined as our ability to do something well, often with desired results. Such ability requires heaps of practice, a period of failure, adaptation, and eventually confidence. Oh, and throw in a healthy dose of humility for good measure.

Most people are not born talented at the things they love to do. For some, the challenge of learning and improving is precisely what draws them to highly skilled activities like mountain biking.

If you look back at the level of skills that carried you through your first few rides, you likely can see some improvement from where you sit today. Maybe you have some scars that remind you of specific lessons?

I have a friend who has been racing mountain bikes professionally for over twenty years, and he just recently learned how to manual. He raves about how useful this new skill is on the trail, and chides himself for not learning it sooner. Even the most talented riders have something they could practice and improve, and elements of their skills where they’d like to have more confidence.

Basic MTB skills

The first skills most riders learn are centered around staying safely on the trail, riding efficiently, and gaining overall balance on the bike. These are the skills that allow us to crash less and ride longer, making mountain biking more enjoyable.

Intermediate MTB skills

Once you start to feel comfortable on the trail and can confidently scan the trail ahead of you in time to make a safe decision to walk it or shred it, the next steps in mountain bike skill progression are all about getting around and/or over sharp turns and obstacles.

Advanced MTB skills

Developing advanced mountain bike skills takes time, and for some advanced skills, the use cases are fairly limited. Still, once you nail advanced tricks you’ll have the confidence to ride any trail, anywhere.