Welcome to Gnarnia - Information

For 1 - 6 riders        From £40 per rider for a Day, £25 for half a day

The progression from Nail It! this course takes the intermediate skills introduced and develops them further looking at committing steep and technical trail riding on both trail and off-piste trail. For those still building their confidence this is a suitable bridge between Nail It! and Race It!

Who are you?

You have been developing your off-piste skills as well as drop-offs and manuals, which you are pretty happy with using on trails up to red and black. You're wanting to concentrate on loamy trails and tight technical trail and your comfort levels on this terrain so you can happily go exploring more. You may be exploring mountain and hill trails and be interested in developing your technical riding for some of these mountain paths.

what are you riding?

You're riding a trail or enduro bike, perhaps a burly hard-tail, but probably a full-suspension bike. You almost certainly have over 130mm travel in your fork, and you have larger volume tyres. You have very effective brakes and fairlyaggressive tyres fitted, especially on the front.

where will we be riding?

We'll be riding in a forested area following loamy trail. The trail will have rocks and roots in it. There is likely to be a push-up. Venues include Dunkeld, Glen Devon, Glentress, Innerleithen, Aviemore (Burnside).

how physical will it be?

Much of the session will be spent concentrating on short elements of trail and the skills they require of us. There will be an initial climb, and in some venues a second climb which shouldn't be too taxing for most. You should be prepared (for a half day) to climb perhaps 200m and ride about 8-10km.

how technical will the riding be?

We'll be concentrating on off-camber, rough and rooty, steep muddy and rocky terrain. Some of the terrain will feel quite steep and committing, but you will be able to session sections as we go to dial in the techniques needed. All features will be rollable, but will involve elements that would be graded black at a trail centre.

what do you need to bring?

  • Helmet- in good condition under 3 years old - Trail or Full face, your choice
  • Knee and hand protection (compulsory)
  • Elbow and leg protection, and eye protection (glasses or goggles) (Recommended)
  • Bike - in good repair - ideally with flat pedals (get in touch if you need to rent)
  • Small personal first aid Kit
  • Food and Water enough for the session
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather forecast
  • Small repair kit:
    • Pump
    • Spare tube (even if you are tubeless)
    • Tubeless repair kit (if you're running tubeless)
    • Small multi-tool
    • Spare Chain link or two
    • Spare rear derailleur hanger specific to your bike

session specific content

We'll start with a brief kit check, and then go into a brief bike check, then look at the following:

  • Body Position - revision
  • Foot position, gear selection
  • Bike set-up
  • Skill development according to trail and location:
    • Reading ahead and 'traffic lighting'
    • Effective braking
    • Steering on steep and muddy terrain and ruts

By the end of the session, riders will have gained confidence in the transfer of their good basic skills to more steep and technical terrain. They will understand approach speed, and improve their ability to read the trail. Tactically they will improve their ability to recognise correct technique, choose lines, and ride them appropriately.

A whole day session will involve changing trail and utilising the skills coached in a new environment, with some guided riding.