Skills Boot Camps
Become a better rider @ Buckwallow!
Book May 30th, 2015 Now! Book June 27th, 2015 Now! Book July 25th, 2015 Now!
Ride Overview
The Ride Guides Skills Boot Camps aim to remedy this situation. Let’s try and make those “ride-arounds” a thing of the past, or take you up a level overall and open up a whole new set of trails for you. Riders from novice up through intermediate skills levels can benefit significantly from spending a day with our Instructors. Not only do we spend the day at one of the best cycling areas in Ontario, the infamous Buckwallow, but you’ll get a fresh made BBQ lunch to boot.
Our Skills Boot Camps are taught in a group format which also helps to promote comradery within the group of riders. Skills Boot Camps can also be booked outside of the scheduled dates for groups of 4 riders or more.
If you are under the age of 16 (as of December 31st, 2015), please check out our Junior Skills Camp held at Horseshoe Resort in Barrie, Ontario. Click Here for more details.
Ride Pricing & Scheduling
Testimonials
“The skills camp was EXCELLENT! We were able to come away with a solid understanding of the skills that were emphasized. I attribute this to the knowledge and teaching ability of the instructors and course format. Providing an off-trail environment to explain the skills, demonstrate the skills and then have the students attempt the skills while being critiqued was a low pressure way for us to be introduced to these new skills. Then being able to go onto the trail and apply what we learned while still being critiqued, solidified the skills in our minds.”Steve M.
“On Saturday July 5th we had a fantastic day at the Ride Guides Skills Boot Camp at Buckwallow. Matt, Sara and Tim were awesome! There were great explanations and demos of MTB skills which we practiced off-trail and then we got to use them on the trails. We were challenged to try trail features we would never have considered before and we did them! The whole day was well-organized, lunch was great, trails were fun. I think everyone really enjoyed the day. On the trip home, we talked non-stop about the things we accomplished outside of our comfort zones. We highly recommend Ride Guides! Thanks again Matt, Sara and Tim!”Don K.
Camp Vitals
Itinerary
What To Bring
Your Mountain Bicycle
Making sure you bring a good, high-quality Mountain Bike with you is hugely important to the success of your riding adventure. Riding on safe equipment is paramount and we want to make sure you have a great time out there. For those without a mountain bicycle, or perhaps a sub-standard bicycle, we have a wide selection of affordable, high-end rental bikes available.
We have put together the following recommendations to give you a little guidance towards bike selection. Also, we understand that some people may have different mountain bicycle configurations, such as a single-speed or a fully-rigid and in those cases we ask that you contact us and make us aware of the bicycle type you intend to ride so that we can better advise you of your options. Again, if you have any doubts or questions feel free to reach out – we’ll be glad to help!
Riding Equipment
On top of your mountain bike, there are a couple of other items that you will need to bring for your safety. Without these items, you will not ride and that will be sad for everyone. If you don’t possess these items, we can help you out by renting them to you for the duration of your ride:
Tools
One of the advantages of going out with Ride Guides is that you won’t need to worry too much about tools. Our guides will ALWAYS be equipped with EVERYTHING on this list. However, we do understand that some people would rather bring their own tools and that’s fine, but you are more than welcome to use ours:
Spare Parts
Whenever you are venturing out on a ride, you should always keep spares of parts which are more prone to failure. Here is a list of the spares that we recommend you bring with you on your ride. Remember, if you have a mechanical failure while you are in the bush, it is usually a long and boring walk out:
Clothing
It is important to make sure that you are dressed appropriately for the weather. Mountain Biking is a strenuous physical activity so you also want to be sure the clothing you are wearing allows for good breathe-ability. when in doubt, dress in layers which can be easily removed and stowed. Some areas of the trail can be prone to poison ivy at different times throughout the season, so you will likely want covering on your lower legs to help prevent exposure. Another key clothing item is padded riding shorts. These shorts can help save your butt from a couple hours of saddle punishment, and we highly recommend them.
If you are bringing your flat pedals, make sure you have good pair of shoes that will promote traction on the flat pedal surface.
Logistics
Departure Point
Unless alternate arrangements have been made, our Skills Boot Camps take off from Buckwallow Cycling Centre, 1064 Reay Rd – Gravenhurst. Your GPS will be wrong, please don’t follow it. Please us the following instructions to successfully locate Buckwallow (From Toronto):
Departure Time
Please meet promptly at 9:00am, the designated start time, unless you have booked a custom skills camp and requested an alternate start time. When we are done for the day, we will be back at the parking lot and ready to leave at 3:00pm.
