Training and Education

Trail Building & Trail Care Schools

IMBA’s Trail Building School teaches IMBA’s philosophies and trains volunteers, professionals and land managers how to build and maintain sustainable single track. The school involves half a day in the classroom followed by 1.5 days of field instruction and hands-on trail construction.

The Trail Building School can be tailored to your particular area of need. Your sessions can include an emphasis on a number of courses such as:
» Trail Planning & Design
» Trail Maintenance
» Sustainable Trail Construction: Hand Building

Depending on your area, the type of project can vary. Just remember that the focus of the Trail Building School is education, not the construction of as much trail as possible. The instructors will guide on the construction of a section of sustainable trail built “by the book” that can serve as a model for future projects. Permission to construct a segment of new trail or a reroute is required.

The importance and value of IMBA Europe Trail Building Schools

There’s more to building a trail than moving rocks and dirt. Trails are usually part of larger systems that are the result of careful planning and collaboration process. These trail systems must serve the needs of multiple user groups and take environmental and geographical factors into account.

While land managers and other administrators are ultimately responsible for land planning processes, committed trail users and community groups have important roles to play as well. Planning, after all, is ultimately about the big picture, and that picture includes not only the forest and the trees, but also the entire trails community.

IMBA developed three books based on more than 25 years of trail building and trail planning experience. 1. Trail Solutions: IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack, 2. Managing Mountain Biking: IMBA’s Guide to Providing Sweet Riding and 3. Bike Parks: IMBA’s Guide to New School Trails. All very comprehensive reference books on trail building and management practices to mountain biking.

Trail building, maintenance and management is constantly subject to innovations. Through the DIRTT project, IMBA Europe will implement the latest trail development and management insights into our educational training programs.

To find out more about the IMBA Europe Trail Building School, please contact mark.torsius@imba-europe.com

Netherlands Institute for Mountain Bike Guides

ABOUT NIMG

NIMG aims to increase the quality of guided mountain bike activities through offering

• guide training
• creating a network for guides and
• connecting with internationally recognized partners.

DEFINE, DEVELOP & REPRESENT MOUNTAIN BIKING

The goal of NIMG  is to define, develop and represent the profession of Mountain Bike Instructors / Mountain Bike Guides , on a national and international level. NIMG is recognised as an expertise center for MTB guides who are either self-employed, employed by MTB specific organizations, or as a teacher in education.

“NIMG is distinguished by a wide range of training specifically for mountain bikers to offer to European recognition of the European Organization of Mountain Bike Instructor Guides ,  (EO MTBing). We guarantee the latest insights, both in the field of technology, training and trends for leading (commercial) mountain bike activities.

The strong network between the individual mountain bike guides is supported by cooperation with (inter)national cycling associations, trade associations, travel organisations and other relevant players from the Netherlands and Europe”- https://nimg.nl/about/

To find out more about NIMG follow the link below.

MOUNTAIN BIKE GUIDING AND INSTRUCTION

OUTPUTS & RESOURCES CAPS-MTB PROJECT

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN MTB INSTRUCTOR-GUIDE PROJECT?

The project is to Create a European Professional Standard for MTB instructor-guides (CAPS-MTB) in Europe.  The project is aimed both at:

• Countries/organisations who already have instructor-guide training programs 
• Countries/organisations who do not yet have a training program, but would like to develop one quickly and to the highest standards.

The first main project has been the creation of a standard qualification level for MTB instructor-guides across Europe, with the EO-MTBing European licence. EO-MTBing stands for European Organisation of Mountain Bike Instructor. EO-MTBing is a membership organisation that has been established during the CAPS-MTB project. EO-MTBing will be responsible for delivering the scheme once the project period ended. The CAPS-MTB project is being jointly funded by the initial partner organisations and the Erasmus+ scheme from the European Commission.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?

Create a minimum European training and evaluation standard for MTB instructor-guides. The standard agreed involves 360 hours of taught learning and 200 hours of professional experience. Each member organisation will continue to provide their own training schemes which, at the top level, meet the EO-MTBInG standard. Successful students will then be able to access a final European practical exam. The central final practical exam will be organised once a year (usually in autumn) at varying locations in Europe. Individual nations will also organise their own final exams, open to international students and overseen by an international evaluator. The European exams are spread over 3 days and include: 

• Guiding exam (full day-tour with clients)
• Skills instruction exam
• Technical riding exam (low speed bike handling and higher speed technical descending)
• Trail side repair, navigation and emergency management skills exam

Briefing and debriefing between candidate and (EU) assessor is part of the exam protocol