Skills

Welcome to the Skills category of our blog, where we dive deep into the techniques and strategies that elevate your mountain biking experience. Whether you’re a novice eager to learn the basics or a seasoned rider looking to fine-tune your skills, our articles offer valuable insights into mastering various aspects of mountain biking. From cornering and braking to tackling technical terrain and improving your overall riding technique, we provide expert tips, step-by-step guides, and practical advice to help you ride with confidence and precision. Explore our posts to refine your skills, overcome challenges, and take your mountain biking to new heights.

The coach who trains coaches: Jamie Garrod and GSMBC

July 2, 2026

Summary: Jamie Garrod, founder of New Zealand Mountain Biking, is one of two New Zealand mentors for the Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches (GSMBC). He runs beginner and intermediate…

Top 5 Grade 4 Trails in Rotorua, New Zealand

June 27, 2026

Top 5 Grade 4 MTB Trails in Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua Share this with your friends If you’ve been following my channel for a while, you’ll know that most of what…

Suspension, braking, and protection: the performance partners

June 26, 2026

Summary: New Zealand Mountain Biking partners with SuspensionTech International, BrakeAce, Radic Performance, and POC for suspension, braking, and rider protection in professional coaching and guiding. Share this with your friends…

What to Wear on the Trails: Clothing, Protection & Our Partnership with POC | NZMTB

June 23, 2026

Dressed for the ride: clothing and protective gear. Share this with your friends Summary: What you wear mountain biking is a genuine safety consideration, not just a style choice. This…

Why Riders Make Us Their Favourite and Keep Coming Back

June 16, 2026

By Jamie Garrod, founder of New Zealand Mountain Biking Share this with your friends I don’t usually write about us. I’d rather be out in the forest watching someone finally…

Capturing and carrying it all: media and transport tools

June 2, 2026

Summary: New Zealand Mountain Biking partners with GoPro for video analysis and Shredder Racks for bike transport as practical daily tools in professional coaching, guiding, and tour operation. Share this…

MTB Tips: Smooth is Fast

January 16, 2025

Master Mountain Biking: Lessons, Coaching, and Essential Techniques Mountain biking is more than just a ride—it’s a blend of skill, confidence, and flow. At New Zealand Mountain Biking, based in…

NZMTB Podcast | The Ability to Coach MTB Skills Remotely! Matt & Rohan from BrakeAce and Nick (our Athlete)

July 26, 2024

PODCAST MTB – Sharing the STOKE! Remote coaching is here. See how it went with Nick and the creators of BrakeAce. Not only are we talking more about braking, but…

Top 3 Cornering Mistakes Mountain Bikers Make (And How to Fix Them)

July 1, 2024

Top 3 Cornering Mistakes Mountain Bikers Make (And How to Fix Them) Share this with your friends Cornering is a crucial skill in mountain biking that can make or break…

Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Jumping a Mountain Bike: Boost Your Skills!

June 24, 2024

Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Jumping a Mountain Bike: Boost Your Skills! Share this with your friends Jumping a mountain bike is one of the most thrilling aspects of…

Shaun Reid

7 months ago

Had the best few hours exploring the best dirt on the planet. Only having a limited time in Rotorua the hire and guiding was perfect for me to make the most of the redwoods. Top quality gear and Jamie's local knowledge and insights, combined with some bonus coaching tips along the way made for a premium experience.

Laura Ashurst

My husband and I had a 3 hour lesson with Jamie, who easily taught us at our own skill levels. He quickly assessed areas needing to be worked on for each of us. We both left feeling like stronger more confident riders, ready to put our new skills into practice on our home mountain. Would highly recommend New Zealand Mountain Biking

Carlo A

8 months ago

Robert Blass

I had four amazing days with Tracy (which Jamie organized perfectly in advance). They cared greatly for me, organized additional material/food and adapting the trail selection to my level of riding. They know Rotorua, as well as the Timber Trail, inside out; and are just fun to be around. Thanks!

Greg Allan

We had coaching with Asher today and it was an incredible lesson. He accommodated all the different skill levels of the family and we all learnt lots and feel more confident now. Thanks so much! Highly recommended 🤙

Hugh McLeay

9 months ago

Jamie took us for a half-day tour around Whakarewarewa. I'm an experienced rider, but this was my first time riding in Rotorua. Jamie chose trails that were perfect for our skillset, and I felt like I did some of my best riding following behind him. It was also very interesting to hear about the history of the area and the bike park itself. I would highly recommend a guided tour for anyone planning to ride in Rotorua!

Mike Foss

10 months ago

Jamie did a great job of tailoring a lesson for our group. There were some instant improvements and some other things to work on longer term. He was super helpful in tweaking our groups bike set up. We applied the lessons to riding minerals the next day

Toni Twiss

11 months ago

Doing a couple of coaching sessions with NZ Mountain Biking has absolutely transformed my riding and has taken me from a scared, reluctant rider trying to keep up with my kids to becoming a confident rider loving Grade 4 trails and starting to think about the next challenge! Jamie's coaching style is unique in that he takes you where you are at and knows exactly what you need to progress and meet your own goals. Most of all he keeps the learning highly personalised and super fun!

Response from the owner

It’s great to see you out there loving being on your bike and riding more trail Toni. Thanks for the feedback. Happy to help you reach your goals 🙌

Susan McDougall

Had a private skills lesson with Asher today. He was excellent at explaining a technique and then follow up practice with him giving feedback to me and even videoing. Would highly recommend him to older women who are wanting to improve and enjoy their MTB even more

Thanks so much for your feedback Susan. Glad that you had such a good time out there with Asher. Thanks for the recommendation. ~ Jamie

Reid Swartz

12 months ago

I had an absolutely incredible day riding the world-class trails of the Whakarewarewa forest with New Zealand Mountain Biking. Jamie tailored the ride perfectly to my ability level, sharing great tips on technique while making sure I felt confident and safe. His knowledge of the trails and local insight added so much to the adventure.

The guided shuttle service made everything effortless. It was great to have maximum time on the trails without having to worry about logistics, and our driver Peter had some great stories about the history of the trail network.

I can’t recommend this experience highly enough, and hope I’m able to make another trip here sometime in the future!

Thanks for the feedback Reid. It was great to ride with you and take you on all the trails that were perfect for your style and ability for an epic day on the bike!

Ryan Crossley

Best investment ever. Asher was a great instructor. He set my bike up properly and gave me detailed instruction on everything i wanted to learn. He covered the basics and gave me a new found confidence on my bike. Would definitely recommend for everyone. Im now hitting sick drops and jumps with ease!

Stoked to help you lock in a solid foundation that makes such a big difference to your riding. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference

David Pierce

Private guided shuttles in Whakarewarewa Forest Rotorua was well worth the money. So many fun trails to link up thanks local knowledge.

So good to show you around the forest and maximise your riding while here in Rotorua. Hope to see you again.

Katie Jones

1 year ago

I can highly recommend having MTB sessions with New Zealand Mountain Biking! The lessons are well structured, everything is explained well and demo rides are done to show you a visual example of the skill being taught. I have had two lessons so far and both Jamie and Asher excellent instructors, you will definitely see me coming back!

Thanks for the feedback Katie. Look forward to seeing you again to continue the improvements 😁

Sarah bertram

Put my son Lachy into the kids Sunday sessions with Jamie and he is absolutely frothing after each session. So much fun and coming away with some learnings. Jamie is great with the kids and seems to get through to them and keeps the sessions super fun! My boy wants to go every weekend.

Thanks so much, Sarah! It’s been awesome having Lachy in the Sunday sessions — he brings great energy and it’s epic to see him frothing after every ride! We’re all about making the learning fun and giving kids the tools to ride with more confidence and flow, so stoked to hear he’s getting both. Looking forward to more laps with him!— Jamie

Ian Donald

Very rewarding 3 hours with Jamie who is an excellent coach and communicator. I am confident that my riding will now go up a few levels.
Will definitely be returning for another session.
Highly recommended for any MTBiker regardless of skill or experience level.

Thanks for the awesome review. I’m really glad to hear that you found the session so rewarding and that you’re feeling confident to take your riding to the next level. It was great working with you and I look forward to riding with you again soon.

Janelle Taplin

I highly recommend a lesson with Jamie at NZ Mountain Biking. I've been at it for about a year, as an adult to a new hobby, and learning the basics around scanning, body position, foot position has already improved my riding and my confidence. Jamie even showed me how to check my bike over for mechanical issues and did a quick re-set of the brakes and gear triggers to better suit my hand position.

I'll be back in a few months' time when these skills have sunk in, for another lesson.

Great to hear the confidence has improved. I look forward to checking in and adding to the tool kit in a couple of months time.

bruce solomon

Our trip was flawless from start to finish. Great organization by Jamie. The lodging,food,bikes and all the extras that make a trip so special have obviously been well thought out and planned. Jamie was a great guide keeping our group on trails that pushed us just enough to have great fun.The biking was absolutely phenomenal and as we head back to Florida we will be longing for the trails of rotarua for a long time.

Thanks Bruce. It was great to host you all. It was great to find you the perfect trails for your abilities and the conditions. Until next time! Cheers

R Sharp

Well worth doing. I had a great 1:1 lesson with Asher. He worked quickly through basics and then into some tips and tricks on specific areas to help improve speed and flow through trails. I immediately saw the positive impact from the new skills and have a much better understanding of what to focus on and think about on a ride. Thank you Asher. I’ll be back again.

That’s great to hear Rebecca. Thank you for the feedback and great to hear you have some great take aways. Look forward to catching up with you next time.

Phil Irons

My 3-hour lesson with Jamie set me up with essential, introductory skills including optimum riding positions, trail awareness, braking insights and how to negotiate terrain changes and drops - as a result a massive improvement in confidence, speed and flow especially on downhill tracks. Extremely worthwhile!

Thanks Phil - It was great to give you a good solid platform to progress from! I look forward to catching up with you at some point down the track.

Daniel Lawrence

2 years ago

5 stars all day. Jamie helped us piece together our riding puzzle, turning advanced tracks from a bit of hoping for the best into a smooth, controlled and confident ride, almost overnight. Such a simple approach but so effective.

Stoked to help you both unlock some new features and lines. Looking forward to checking in with you in a few months time

Andy Evins

If I could give 6 out of 5 stars I would! Jaime w/New Zealand Mountain Biking was an amazing guide full of an in depth knowledge of all the trails we rode! My wife and I could have simply tried our best to navigate the trails in Rotorua but with Jaime’s help we were able to have a stress free epic adventure navigating a wide variety of trails plus as a bonus, he put up with my endless questions about the area. If you looking for a guide, stop looking and hire Jaime!

Thanks for the feedback Andy! That is what having a local on call is all about - I hope I was able to give you enough info about the area to satisfy the hunger!

Fernanda Mejia

We booked 4 days of private guided tours with Jamie and it was incredible. We rode Whakarewarewa Forest, Maunga Kākaramea and did a heli shuttle ride around the Kaimanawa Range. All four days were amazing, packed with some of the best riding this area has to offer. Jamie works with you to tailor the trip according to your riding skills and goes above and beyond to make sure you’re having heaps of fun. I would definitely recommend him and his company!

Thanks Fer, it was great to kick start your NZ trip with a solid few days of getting in some great riding. All the best with the rest of your trip!

Emma McNamee

100000% worth the investment in a lesson; just one session with Jamie has literally changed my riding and my confidence! Cannot recommend enough! And a really lovely guy too! Thanks Jamie!

Thanks for the feedback Emma. Stoked that you are feeling so good on your bike now!

Beki Wurster

Absolutely worth the money for lessons! I think I progressed more in a day and a half with Jamie than I have the last 7 months of living and riding in Rotorua. We had a really nice time working on technique and building skills, but I didn’t realize just how much it helped until we went out for our next ride and suddenly “scary” features felt easy and in control.

Great to hear that you are stoked on the progress made on the Level Up course. I am looking forward to following up in the new year and taking what we worked on even further! Thanks, Jamie

Mark Shepheard

We booked via Jamie and he arranged a ride training session with Asher for my 12 year old son Kobe. It was a great session at Redwoods. Anyone who has been here would understand that it has trails all over the place. The session was for the team to provide coaching but also to assist in showing the best trails for Kobes ability. It was a great experience for Kobe and we will be back for another session in the future. Highly recommend if you visit rotarua and you don't know the hill that well book in a session as it will be well worth it.

Great to hear that Kobe had such a good time out there with Asher. Kobe is such a talented rider. It is awesome to have the flexibility to show him exaclty what he needed to see.

Philip Goldsmith

I can't say enough about riding with Jamie and New Zealand MTB for a few days this November. Progression leaps and bounds, world class trail systems, Jamie's ability to sort out the best trails for us on the fly, and last but not least his low key sense of hospitality felt just like riding and hanging with friends at home. Already planning our return next year 🙂

Sean Patrick

Jamie with New Zealand Mountain Biking was an amazing guide and it was an outstanding experience. My wife and I did the Hero Dirt Mountain Bike Tour late Oct 2024 and it was an excellent mix of riding in different regions with different scenes. Jamie was very receptive to what we enjoyed, and he tailored the trails to our riding style and skill level. The food and accommodations were great, and we felt very well taken care of. The Hero Dirt tour was the perfect way of introducing us to the mountain biking in the region/New Zealand (my wife and I are both from Canada and we primarily ride enduro in BC and AB). It was a great mix of shuttling and pedalling days, and the heli-bike-trip at the end was amazing. After the Hero Dirt Mountain Bike Tour, my wife and I continued to mountain bike multiple regions in the North and South Island, and I would have to say that the mountain biking we did with Jamie in Rotorua was definitely the best.

Jamie seemed to know all the trails like the back of his hand – he was able to give us a run- down of all the upcoming trails, a heads up on all the terrain features, and was able to adapt trails as we went. He also gave us both riding and travel recommendations for the rest of our NZ trip. Sure, you could have had a “similar” experience guiding yourself with Trail Forks, but the comfort of having a very experienced guide in an unfamiliar area allowed us to get a ton of extremely fun riding in without much brain power. Having Jamie as a guide was absolutely invaluable, and I would highly recommend booking with New Zealand Mountain Biking if you want to get the ultimate NZ mountain biking experience.

Nicole Rattray

Jamie from New Zealand Mountain Bike was amazing! We couldn't have asked for a better guide who took us to amazing trails that suited our riding style. Everyone felt so comfortable with Jamie and he gave some great pointers too. We had a group with all different riding styles and he made sure everyone had the best experience. He also made sure we didn't go hungry. If you want to see the best of Rotoruas Redwoods, book in with these guys!