Mountain Bike Instructor Qualifications
Sport & Recreation
A course by
AdventureWorks
A pathway of qualifications for becoming a mountain bike leader, instructor, or advanced practitioner, designed to develop leadership, safety, instructional, and technical skills for mountain biking in outdoor recreational settings.
Blended study
This is a mix of online learning & face-to-face sessions
AdventureWorks, Auckland
Core skills this course teaches
Lead mountain bike activities safely under supervision
Plan, prepare for, lead, and evaluate mountain bike activities in 'front country' terrain, prioritizing participant safety on MTBNZ Grade 2 trails.
Respond to emergencies and manage risk
Assess and respond to mountain biking emergencies and demonstrate appropriate risk management.
Demonstrate personal and leadership mountain biking skills
What You're Signing Up For
AdventureWorks offers a ladder of Mountain Bike Instructor Qualifications at Level 4 (Leader), Level 5 (Instructor), and Level 6 (Advanced Professional Practice). These micro-credentials support individuals seeking to lead, instruct, or mentor in mountain biking. The qualifications emphasize independent operation under safety management, instructional competence, environmental responsibility, and leadership of technical skills in dynamic, sometimes complex outdoor environments. Blended delivery includes online self-study and in-person workshops with robust assessment of leadership and biking skills. Prerequisites require first aid certification and prior mountain biking experience, increasing with level.
Course Content
- Emergency care situation response
- Identifying and managing risks in mountain biking
- Safety management and organizational systems
- Leave no trace and environmental principles
- Cultural awareness (including local iwi, hapū, tikanga, kawa)
- Natural history, flora, and fauna interpretation
- Group leadership planning and activity management
- Briefing, debriefing, and communication skills
- Equipment inspection and instruction
- Emergency response and rescuing
- Pre-activity checks and procedures
- Participant needs monitoring and management
- Mountain bike skills instruction (Grades 2–5)
- Weather interpretation and forecasting
- Mentoring and teaching others (Level 6)
- Assessment tasks: planning, skills demonstration, leadership, review
What you need to know first
What sort of industry will this job lead to
Sport & Recreation
Outdoor Education
Adventure Tourism
Future employment opportunities might be
Mountain bike guide/leader
Mountain bike instructor
Outdoor recreation leader