Ride with more confidence, control, and flow

Ready to Progress Your Riding? A structured 10-week coaching program in Rotorua

If you’re looking for structured mountain bike coaching in Rotorua that combines practical trail riding, video feedback, and ongoing progression support, the NZMTB Progression Program is designed to help you ride with more confidence, control, and flow.

A single lesson can create breakthroughs. A structured program turns those into habits

WHO For Riders chasing PRs or just chasing better

WHEN Flexible booking | 4 x 3-hour sessions

WHAT Mountain Bike Coaching with support between sessions

WHERE Rotorua & Online

HOW 6-10 Week Program | Book Session Times to Suit You

COST NZD$1250

Four 3-hour sessions over 6-10 weeks

If you are motivated to take your riding further, this is for you!

Build confidence, improve technique, and create lasting progression with structured mountain bike coaching in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest.

The NZMTB Progression Program is designed for riders who want more than a one-off lesson. Through a combination of private coaching, personalised video feedback, and between-session support, this program helps riders develop real skills that transfer directly onto the trail.

Whether your goal is smoother cornering, better braking control, more confidence on technical terrain, or simply feeling more comfortable and capable on the bike, this coaching program creates a clear pathway for progression over time.

Session 1

Assessment & Foundations

We identify current riding habits, strengths, confidence levels, and key areas for progression while building strong riding foundations.

Every session includes personalised post-ride video feedback to help reinforce learning and make progression easier to understand visually.

Your 10-week period starts from here. We do offer flexibility for when you book your sessions and how long you wish to spread them out. We strongly recommend 6-10 weeks.

Session 2

Skill Development

Focused coaching around braking, cornering, pressure control, line choice, and trail awareness.

Session 3

Sharpen the Tools

This is where we refine and build on technique, timing and power. Gaining experience on “how much” and “when” to use your new skills.

Session 4

Consolidation & Progression

Review progression, compare video feedback, and create a clear pathway for continued improvement after the program finishes.

Rider Support

Personalised Video Feedback & Rider Workspace

Every session includes personalised post-ride video feedback to help reinforce learning and make progression easier to understand visually.

Your complimentary rider workspace includes:

Selected riding clips
Annotated coaching feedback
Voiceover analysis
Practice focuses and drills
Progression notes between sessions

Between sessions, riders can submit up to 2 riding videos for additional feedback and progression support. Feedback is typically returned within 48–72 hours.

What We Work On

Every coaching program is tailored to the rider, but common focus areas include:

Mountain Bike Fundamentals

Body position and balance
Braking technique
Cornering technique
Trail scanning and vision
Pressure control and traction

Technical Mountain Bike Skills

Steep terrain confidence
Technical climbing and descending
Line choice
Rock gardens and roots
Technical trail features

Flow & Speed Management

Carrying speed safely
Generating flow through terrain
Pumping and pressure management
Linking corners together smoothly

Advanced Skills

Jumps and drops
Technical trail riding
eMTB-specific riding techniques
Race preparation and trail strategy

Coaching Location: Whakarewarewa Forest – Rotorua, NZ

All sessions take place in Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua — one of the world’s best mountain bike trail networks.

Rotorua offers:

progressive trail grading
flowing singletrack
technical terrain
world-class trail infrastructure
year-round riding conditions

This allows coaching sessions to be tailored specifically to rider goals, confidence, and progression.

The Dirt on the Details

Pick your own dates, spend 6 – 10 weeks riding with progression in mind

Why Choose NZMTB

New Zealand Mountain Biking combines professional coaching, local trail knowledge, and years of guiding and riding experience to create coaching that is practical, supportive, and progression-focused.

Our coaching philosophy focuses on building confidence, understanding trail movement, and creating skills that riders can continue applying long after the session finishes.

All coaches are GSMBC qualified and hold current outdoor first aid or PHEC qualifications.

RIDER SKILL LEVEL

Intermediate to Expert

Recommended Timeframe

Programs are designed to be completed within 10 weeks to maintain consistency and progression.

What you need

Your bike (the one that you ride most regularly).

The Onform Video Analysis app (complimentary).

You will receive an invite to your personal workspace to communicate with your coach after each session.

Program Includes

4 x private 3-hour coaching sessions
Personalised video feedback
Complimentary rider workspace
Between-session progression support with 2 video submissions between each session.
Trail and drill recommendations

Add Ons

BrakeAce sensors and GoPro

Pricing

1 Rider – NZD $1,250
Additional riders – NZD $300 per rider
Maximum group size: 6 riders

At $156/week over 8 weeks, the program costs less than booking four standalone sessions and delivers significantly more. Included across the 6–10 weeks: your Onform rider workspace, annotated video feedback, voiceover analysis, between-session video submissions, progression notes, and ongoing coach contact.

Riders should be of similar ability and goals to ensure the best coaching experience.

Ride. Review. Progress.

Why Multi-Session MTB Coaching Works

Most riders know what they want to improve but struggle with:

consistency
confidence
trail application
knowing what to practice
maintaining progression between rides

The NZMTB Progression Program combines:

practical on-trail coaching
personalised feedback
video analysis
riding drills
progression tracking
between-session support to help riders continue improving long after each session finishes.

Current skill level matters less than mindset. If you’re motivated and ready to put in the work, this program is designed for you. This program has been proven on riders from beginners through to experts (grade 5 and above), it works so well because the program is tailored to each rider’s needs.

Personalised one-on-one or your small-group sessions focused on your riding goals, from body position to jumping or finding extra speed. We use video analysis to help you improve faster because it helps you see what you are doing to associate it with how it feels. We then share the videos through the Onform App in your own private workspace.

We start with a short assessment conversation and ride to identify areas for improvement, then target specific techniques.

Usually 3 hours, but we can extend to a full day if you are coming from out of town. It’s easy, just book the morning and afternoon sessions on the day. You will be given 4 different voucher codes so that you can book your 4 sessions when it suits you in the 10 week window.

Primarily in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest, with access to world-class terrain. There is enough terrain in here to cater to all abilities.

Yes, we can travel by arrangement, passing the travel cost to you.

Absolutely, private sessions are perfect for new riders wanting to build confidence and build a solid foundation to progress from.

The beauty of private coaching sessions means that we tailor each session to each rider. If it is performance you want, then it’s performance you’ll get! Not only do we ensure you’re doing the fundamentals right, we also look into advanced techniques to look at timing, power, and technique.

Yes. You can add up to 5 riders (total of 6). It is a great way to share the new skills and progress together. For this program, extra riders can be added for $300 per rider.

Yes, we provide post-lesson debrief, drills, and optional videos from any video analysis.

Not ready to commit? Get in touch first, jamie@newzealandmountainbiking.com

Gallery

“The data doesn’t lie. It was like this coaching confirmed some ideas that I had but also gave me solid skills to improve on that I didn’t even realise had been detrimental to my riding.”

Matt Fairbrother

Christchurch, NZ

ARE YOU READY FOR AN AUTHENTIC
NEW ZEALAND RIDING ADVENTURE

Shaun Reid

5 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

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

6 months ago

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

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

8 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

9 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 9 months ago

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

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

10 months 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!

Response from the owner 10 months ago

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

Sarah bertram

1 year ago

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.

Response from the owner 1 year ago

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

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

2 years ago

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.

Response from the owner 2 years ago

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!