MTB Beginner Guide

Never ridden a mountain bike before?

Our 2-hour Intro to MTB Clinics are specifically tailored to riders who are new to the MTB world, helping you to get to know your bike, select your gears and control your brakes. 

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Are you confident on a BMX, road bike or motorbike?

With some basic skills under your belt already, you’ll be ready to ride easy gravity trails with a certified instructor in a MTB Fundamentals Clinic.

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Not sure what level you are? 

No matter what level you are, the MTB School has programs designed to help you improve your skills. Take our handy quiz to find out which Clinic is right for you.

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Trail Styles

• Gravity Trails: Lift-accessed trails beginning at a high elevation and using gravity to propel the rider downhill.
• Cross-Country Trails: Trails that traverse through undulating terrain. 
• Skills & Jump Parks: An area where riders can practise freeride tricks and technical skills using a range of jump and drop features.

Trail Difficulty Rating System

• Beginner: These trails generally have a wider trail width, a firm and stable surface and a steady gradient.
• Intermediate: These trails have a mostly stable trail surface with some variability in the terrain. The trail may feature both avoidable and unavoidable obstacles including small jumps and drops plus a steeper gradient.
• Advanced: These trails are widely variable and are suitable for advanced riders only. The trail will feature larger jumps and drops, loose rocks, very steep gradient and large unavoidable obstacles.

Trail Types

• Flow: These trails are machine built and offer wider trail width, smooth surface, flowing terrain with manicured berms and jumps.
• Technical: These trails generally have a rougher surface, narrower trail width and irregular surface. These trails may feature tighter corners, rocks, roots and other trail features.

First Trail

All new riders should take the Merritts Gondola and then the Cruiser Chairlift up to the top of the Cruiser MTB Area. Once at the top, ride the Upper Easy Rider trail into Grasshopper, taking you back down to the bottom of the Cruiser Chairlift. Make sure to take your first lap easy and inspect the trail at low speed. Continue lapping this trail a few times to get the flow for the features before working up to faster speeds and larger features.

Next Up

Once you are feeling confident on Upper Easy Rider, you can progress to Sidewinder for an added challenge. It’s important to make sure you are fully confident on each trail before progressing so repeat each trail as many times as necessary. ​

Trail Progression

To navigate the park with confidence, we recommend that you follow the trail progression map which starts small and builds up to more complex trails. 

​Enduro Bikes: Combines full suspension in the front and rear with a lighter bike design and more gear options, allowing riders to both climb and descend hills. At minimum, all riders should have a full suspension enduro bike as these are suited to the majority of trails in the mountain bike park.​

Downhill Bikes: A full suspension, downhill-specific bike is especially designed to handle the bike park’s more advanced technical and freeride terrain. We recommend this bike for those looking to rider the stepper & faster trails in the MTB Park.

Cross-Country​ Bikes: Generally have less suspension than downhill & enduro bikes, making them ideal for pedalling long distances both up & downhill. While these bikes are a good option for Thredbo’s cross-country trails, they are not recommended on the gravity trails in the Thredbo MTB Park.

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Thredbo Retail and Rental offers an extensive range of the latest gravity focused enduro and downhill bikes from Norco. We also have a range of e-bikes and recreational mountain bikes for kids and families to enjoy on the Thredbo Valley Trail and village cross-country trails.

All downhill, enduro and hardtail rental packages must be booked online. Bike rentals may sell out over peak season and school holiday periods. We highly recommend booking your rental and lift pass at the same time to avoid disappointment.

Recommended Protective Equipment

• Helmet (Mandatory)
• Wrap-around goggles
• Neck brace
• Body armour
• Long sleeves
• Elbow pads
• Full-finger gloves
• Knee pads or shin guards
• Closed-toe shoes

Armour Package

Don’t let a crash put an end to your day. Protect your body with our Rental Armour Package. Available with all bike rentals. Armour package includes helmet, pressure suit & knee pads.

Purchase Protection

Stocking a huge range of helmets, body armour, gloves and goggles from leading brands including Fox, Oakley, Troy Lee Designs, Ion, Leatt and 100%, our Retail store has everything you need to tackle the trails safely.