Product Description
Level 2 Tech Instructor certification
Trail access not included (unless specified)
Bikes not included
Please be ready to ride at least 15 minutes before the start of the course
Level II and III Certification program
Boost your coaching with the AIR and TECH certification training! These 4-day courses sharpen your riding and teaching beyond Level 1.
The TECH Certification program refines all our trail skills such as climbing and descending technical terrain, advanced trail cornering and manoeuvers such as wheelies, nose pivots and bunnyhops.
The PMBIA Level 2 TECH Specialized Instructor certification trains instructors to teach intermediate to advanced students in technical riding in both uphill and downhill settings.
The course focuses on refining skills in cornering, technical climbing, technical descending in natural terrain. Steeps, roots and rocks will be a main component of the TECH course.
Trail manoeuvres such as bunny-hops, wheelies, manuals, stoppies and nose pivots will allow trainees to adapt to a vast variety of trail situations.
What you will learn :
- Teach intermediate to advanced riders on technical natural terrain, both in uphill and downhill settings on trails ranging from cross-country to enduro.
- Refine skills in cornering, technical descents, technical climbing, rock rolls and maneuver-based techniques
- Improve risk management, guiding, and people skills at higher speeds
- Use PMBIA templates and methodologies to structure effective lessons
- Receive mentorship, practice teaching, and daily feedback from a PMBIA Trainer
Level II and III
Certification program
Level 2 and 3 (4 days)
Trail coaching certification
What you will learn
The PMBIA Level 2 TECH Specialized Instructor certification trains instructors to teach intermediate to advanced students in technical riding in both uphill and downhill settings. The course focuses on refining skills in cornering, technical climbing, technical descending in natural terrain. Steeps, roots and rocks will be a main component of the TECH course. Trail manoeuvres such as bunny-hops, wheelies, manuals, stoppies and nose pivots will allow trainees to adapt to a vast variety of trail situations.
- Teach intermediate to advanced riders on technical natural terrain, both in uphill and downhill settings on trails ranging from cross-country to enduro trails.
- Refine skills in cornering, technical descents, technical climbing, rock rolls and maneuver-based techniques
- Improve risk management, guiding, and people skills at higher speeds
- Use PMBIA templates and methodologies to structure effective lessons
- Receive mentorship, practice teaching, and daily feedback from a PMBIA Trainer
Who is it for & Course context
Designed for PMBIA-certified instructors aiming to teach intermediate to advanced riders in natural trails, ranging from cross-country to enduro trails.
- Suitable for bike schools, clubs, and coaching services
- Covers blue and black trails, including both uphill and downhill techniques.
- Lessons focus on cornering, descending, steeps, rock rolls, pumping, and jumps & drops
- Typically held in natural trail systems.
- Lift-accessed trail centers are an added bonus to maximise time spent on bikes.
- Locations must be within 2 hours of emergency medical care
Why take this course
- Become certified to teach advanced terrain and techniques
- Gain hands-on coaching experience in real-world scenarios
- Learn structured, skill-based teaching methods from experienced PMBIA Trainers
- Improve risk management and lesson planning for higher-speed riding
- Advance your career in bike instruction with an industry-recognized certification
Pre-requisites
- PMBIA Level 1 Certification (mandatory)
- Active PMBIA Membership (not included in course cost)
- 2+ seasons of teaching experience (recommended but not required)
- Completion of pre-course reading and worksheet (2-3 hours)
- Confident riding at speed on technical and flowy intermediate to advanced terrain
- 40-hour Wilderness First Aid (recommended but not required)
- Minimum age: 17 years (due to legal responsibility for students)
Pre-course reading & worksheet (3h)
The pre-course workshop is essential to prepare for the Level 2 tech course, so you can get the most out of your PMBIA training. It involves reading the comprehensive PMBIA Reference Guide and Level 2 Course Booklet, and completing the mandatory Level 2 Worksheet. Please note the reading and worksheet takes approximately 3 hrs + to complete. These will be provided in your member profile following registration.
The PMBIA Level 2 TECH Specialized Instructor certification trains instructors to teach intermediate to advanced students in technical riding in both uphill and downhill settings. The course focuses on refining skills in cornering, technical climbing, technical descending in natural terrain. Steeps, roots and rocks will be a main component of the TECH course. Trail manoeuvres such as bunny-hops, wheelies, manuals, stoppies and nose pivots will allow trainees to adapt to a vast variety of trail situations.
- Teach intermediate to advanced riders on technical natural terrain, both in uphill and downhill settings on trails ranging from cross-country to enduro trails.
- Refine skills in cornering, technical descents, technical climbing, rock rolls and maneuver-based techniques
- Improve risk management, guiding, and people skills at higher speeds
- Use PMBIA templates and methodologies to structure effective lessons
- Receive mentorship, practice teaching, and daily feedback from a PMBIA Trainer
Designed for PMBIA-certified instructors aiming to teach intermediate to advanced riders in natural trails, ranging from cross-country to enduro trails.
- Suitable for bike schools, clubs, and coaching services
- Covers blue and black trails, including both uphill and downhill techniques.
- Lessons focus on cornering, descending, steeps, rock rolls, pumping, and jumps & drops
- Typically held in natural trail systems.
- Lift-accessed trail centers are an added bonus to maximise time spent on bikes.
- Locations must be within 2 hours of emergency medical care
- Become certified to teach advanced terrain and techniques
- Gain hands-on coaching experience in real-world scenarios
- Learn structured, skill-based teaching methods from experienced PMBIA Trainers
- Improve risk management and lesson planning for higher-speed riding
- Advance your career in bike instruction with an industry-recognized certification
- PMBIA Level 1 Certification (mandatory)
- Active PMBIA Membership (not included in course cost)
- 2+ seasons of teaching experience (recommended but not required)
- Completion of pre-course reading and worksheet (2-3 hours)
- Confident riding at speed on technical and flowy intermediate to advanced terrain
- 40-hour Wilderness First Aid (recommended but not required)
- Minimum age: 17 years (due to legal responsibility for students)
The pre-course workshop is essential to prepare for the Level 2 tech course, so you can get the most out of your PMBIA training. It involves reading the comprehensive PMBIA Reference Guide and Level 2 Course Booklet, and completing the mandatory Level 2 Worksheet. Please note the reading and worksheet takes approximately 3 hrs + to complete. These will be provided in your member profile following registration.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know
Riding skills required
For the Level 2 course, you should be comfortable on technical single black diamond trails and some double black diamond trails. Trail ratings vary, think about the trail ratings at major riding centers such as Bromont, Empire 47, Sentiers du Moulin, Vorlage or others. Riders should be comfortable climbing and descending advanced terrain, with roots and rocks, cornering with flow and performing maneuvers such as bunny-hops, wheel lifts and basic small wheelies, manuals and nose pivots.
During the four days, instructors will get plenty of time to ride and practice teach, allowing a comfortable space for instructors to learn, grow and support each other through the course. The PMBIA Trainer will work the the candidates to mentor and provide daily, ongoing feedback to ensure the most effective training experience possible.
What to bring
PMBIA courses are designed to bring industry standard protocols and ethics to all it’s instructors. It all begins with the proper equipment and accessories. To make courses accessible, no need for high end equipment, but a minimum is required:
A perfectly tuned, modern mountain bike and equipment :
Planning your day
To protect yourself from minor scrapes and injuries, PMBIA recommends that you ALWAYS wear knee protection. Gloves, eyewear / goggles and elbow protection are also recommended, but not mandatory. Of course, a helmet is always essential, ideally a mountain bike specific helmet. Lightweight full-face helmets provide additional protection. A full-face helmet and chest protector for advanced lift accessed courses is also highly recommended.
As the class will be held outdoors, we might not have access to indoor facilities. It is recommended that you check the mountain weather forecast and plan accordingly, as mountain weather can change rapidly. Think about layering clothing to adapt to conditions, a lightweight jacket is always a good option to have. It is recommended that each member of the group bring snacks and water to ensure they have enough energy to enjoy the course.
Cautionary note to participants
- Communicate your apprehensions, previous injuries and physical limitations to your trainer.
- Do not exceed your physical and technical limits.
- All difficulties and modules such as technical sections, drops and jumps are optional at all times. Although showing a proper level of riding on these obstacles might be necessary for your certification process. Please discuss with your trainer.
- It is your responsibility to make sure you are healthy and ready to participate, free of injury or concussion.
- Please report any injury to your trainer. When injured during a course, a incident report must be completed and signed by the trainer and the trainee.
As we want to prepare you for a great experience, here are some notes on risk management in mountain biking.
Certification process and retest procedures
WHAT’S THE OPTION IF I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL WITH BOTH RIDING & TEACHING ASSESSMENTS?
PMBIA courses have a proven certification process and there is a pass or fail criteria for riding skills, teaching skills and minimal fitness assesment. The certification process is clearly outlined in the PMBIA manuals and will be discussed by the trainer during the course. If at any point, a trainee wishes to discuss in private with the trainer about course standards, they are encouraged to do so as early as possible during the course, to avoid a surprising outcome.
While failing one of the course components can be a tough pill to swallow, we are with you on this! Every person moves through the process at their own rate so try to stay positive and focus on your own personal progression, rather than comparing your own performance to others.
If you were unsuccessful with both riding and teaching the best pathway is to repeat the full course again to allow you more time to process, practice and consolidate the course information.
To help support members through this process, the PMBIA will offer a 20% discount on the course price. Please email info@pmbia.org prior to registering, in order to receive a discount code.
IF I FAIL THE RIDING OR TEACHING PORTION OF THE COURSE, HOW DO I RETEST?
Re-testing is always an opportunity to learn and continue to improve. Passing any PMBIA course is a process that each person moves through at their pace, based on their skills, experience and personality. Stay positive and make sure you do your homework before coming back for a retest!
Riding retests have two options; to attend the second day of the course or submit a video. Attending the second day of the Level 2 course is often the best option as it allows another full day of riding and training with a PMBIA Course Conductor. If a candidate cannot attend a course in person to retest their riding, they can submit a video of their riding for review by a PMBIA Course Conductor.
Teaching retests must return for only the second day of the Level 2 course to join the course candidates and teach one maneuver-based lesson and one skills-based lesson. Please see the PMBIA Course Conductor first thing in the morning of the retest with any questions or concerns you may have.
PMBIA policies
IMPORTANT NOTES :
PMBIA courses require minimum number of participants to run. They also require many logistics, including trail permits for specific dates, detailed scheduling, travel and accommodation of course staff, and are confirmed two weeks prior to the start date. It is for these reasons this refund-injury policy exists to ensure that PMBIA and its course participants are not adversely impacted by last minute cancellations.
If you are travelling to a course, please do NOT make any travel arrangements, before the course is confirmed. You will be contacted at minimum 2 weeks prior to the start of the course if registration numbers are looking low. The PMBIA will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by the participant.
Complaints policy
The PMBIA is committed to the highest standards of practice in our work. We value any feedback, enquiries or complaints from the public or our members as we continuously strive to improve our training resources, courses and industry services. Our complaints process is guided by the following principles:
Accessible: The PMBIA complaints process is publicly available on our website, and members and non-members are informed of their right to complain about our organization. Any enquiries, feedback or complaints should be sent to our admin team at info@pmbia.org.
Fair: All complaints will be handled in a manner that is impartial and fair. Our process provides the opportunity for anyone to submit relevant information and have an opportunity to be heard before the review of the complaint is finalized. We thoroughly and objectively review the complaints we receive, and are committed to keeping people informed of the progress of their complaint. The PMBIA Executive Director is responsible for reviewing and conducting investigations of complaints that are not resolved by the Admin Staff. If a complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the person raising the concerns following investigation, further internal review may be conducted by the PMBIA Board of Directors and/or the Technical Directors (if applicable).
Person-Focused: We recognize that people have different needs, and each person has their own unique history that they bring to the interaction with our association. We commit to listen to our members and non-members’ concerns, treat them with dignity and respect, and maintain confidentiality throughout the complaints process.
Responsive: We will respond to complaints within 7 business days, and will seek to resolve the complaint at the earliest opportunity. Complaints that cannot be resolved at first contact, or those that raise more serious concerns about our organization, will be forwarded for further review/investigation. The PMBIA is committed to these time frames and will inform our service users of the progress of their complaint and reasons for any delay in the complaint resolution process.
For the Level 2 course, you should be comfortable on technical single black diamond trails and some double black diamond trails. Trail ratings vary, think about the trail ratings at major riding centers such as Bromont, Empire 47, Sentiers du Moulin, Vorlage or others. Riders should be comfortable climbing and descending advanced terrain, with roots and rocks, cornering with flow and performing maneuvers such as bunny-hops, wheel lifts and basic small wheelies, manuals and nose pivots.
During the four days, instructors will get plenty of time to ride and practice teach, allowing a comfortable space for instructors to learn, grow and support each other through the course. The PMBIA Trainer will work the the candidates to mentor and provide daily, ongoing feedback to ensure the most effective training experience possible.
PMBIA courses are designed to bring industry standard protocols and ethics to all it’s instructors. It all begins with the proper equipment and accessories. To make courses accessible, no need for high end equipment, but a minimum is required:
A perfectly tuned, modern mountain bike and equipment :
To protect yourself from minor scrapes and injuries, PMBIA recommends that you ALWAYS wear knee protection. Gloves, eyewear / goggles and elbow protection are also recommended, but not mandatory. Of course, a helmet is always essential, ideally a mountain bike specific helmet. Lightweight full-face helmets provide additional protection. A full-face helmet and chest protector for advanced lift accessed courses is also highly recommended.
As the class will be held outdoors, we might not have access to indoor facilities. It is recommended that you check the mountain weather forecast and plan accordingly, as mountain weather can change rapidly. Think about layering clothing to adapt to conditions, a lightweight jacket is always a good option to have. It is recommended that each member of the group bring snacks and water to ensure they have enough energy to enjoy the course.
- Communicate your apprehensions, previous injuries and physical limitations to your trainer.
- Do not exceed your physical and technical limits.
- All difficulties and modules such as technical sections, drops and jumps are optional at all times. Although showing a proper level of riding on these obstacles might be necessary for your certification process. Please discuss with your trainer.
- It is your responsibility to make sure you are healthy and ready to participate, free of injury or concussion.
- Please report any injury to your trainer. When injured during a course, a incident report must be completed and signed by the trainer and the trainee.
As we want to prepare you for a great experience, here are some notes on risk management in mountain biking.
WHAT’S THE OPTION IF I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL WITH BOTH RIDING & TEACHING ASSESSMENTS?
PMBIA courses have a proven certification process and there is a pass or fail criteria for riding skills, teaching skills and minimal fitness assesment. The certification process is clearly outlined in the PMBIA manuals and will be discussed by the trainer during the course. If at any point, a trainee wishes to discuss in private with the trainer about course standards, they are encouraged to do so as early as possible during the course, to avoid a surprising outcome.
While failing one of the course components can be a tough pill to swallow, we are with you on this! Every person moves through the process at their own rate so try to stay positive and focus on your own personal progression, rather than comparing your own performance to others.
If you were unsuccessful with both riding and teaching the best pathway is to repeat the full course again to allow you more time to process, practice and consolidate the course information.
To help support members through this process, the PMBIA will offer a 20% discount on the course price. Please email info@pmbia.org prior to registering, in order to receive a discount code.
IF I FAIL THE RIDING OR TEACHING PORTION OF THE COURSE, HOW DO I RETEST?
Re-testing is always an opportunity to learn and continue to improve. Passing any PMBIA course is a process that each person moves through at their pace, based on their skills, experience and personality. Stay positive and make sure you do your homework before coming back for a retest!
Riding retests have two options; to attend the second day of the course or submit a video. Attending the second day of the Level 2 course is often the best option as it allows another full day of riding and training with a PMBIA Course Conductor. If a candidate cannot attend a course in person to retest their riding, they can submit a video of their riding for review by a PMBIA Course Conductor.
Teaching retests must return for only the second day of the Level 2 course to join the course candidates and teach one maneuver-based lesson and one skills-based lesson. Please see the PMBIA Course Conductor first thing in the morning of the retest with any questions or concerns you may have.
IMPORTANT NOTES :
PMBIA courses require minimum number of participants to run. They also require many logistics, including trail permits for specific dates, detailed scheduling, travel and accommodation of course staff, and are confirmed two weeks prior to the start date. It is for these reasons this refund-injury policy exists to ensure that PMBIA and its course participants are not adversely impacted by last minute cancellations.
If you are travelling to a course, please do NOT make any travel arrangements, before the course is confirmed. You will be contacted at minimum 2 weeks prior to the start of the course if registration numbers are looking low. The PMBIA will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by the participant.
The PMBIA is committed to the highest standards of practice in our work. We value any feedback, enquiries or complaints from the public or our members as we continuously strive to improve our training resources, courses and industry services. Our complaints process is guided by the following principles:
Accessible: The PMBIA complaints process is publicly available on our website, and members and non-members are informed of their right to complain about our organization. Any enquiries, feedback or complaints should be sent to our admin team at info@pmbia.org.
Fair: All complaints will be handled in a manner that is impartial and fair. Our process provides the opportunity for anyone to submit relevant information and have an opportunity to be heard before the review of the complaint is finalized. We thoroughly and objectively review the complaints we receive, and are committed to keeping people informed of the progress of their complaint. The PMBIA Executive Director is responsible for reviewing and conducting investigations of complaints that are not resolved by the Admin Staff. If a complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the person raising the concerns following investigation, further internal review may be conducted by the PMBIA Board of Directors and/or the Technical Directors (if applicable).
Person-Focused: We recognize that people have different needs, and each person has their own unique history that they bring to the interaction with our association. We commit to listen to our members and non-members’ concerns, treat them with dignity and respect, and maintain confidentiality throughout the complaints process.
Responsive: We will respond to complaints within 7 business days, and will seek to resolve the complaint at the earliest opportunity. Complaints that cannot be resolved at first contact, or those that raise more serious concerns about our organization, will be forwarded for further review/investigation. The PMBIA is committed to these time frames and will inform our service users of the progress of their complaint and reasons for any delay in the complaint resolution process.