Ski and snowboard schools regularly welcome never-evers, but what happens when someone shows up to the bike park with zero riding experience? 

 The question we posed to bike parks around the country was inspired by a mountain bike director who’s fielded it more than once. Still, it’s relatively rare in the world of mountain bike lessons to encounter a student who’s never put foot to peddle, even as a kid. 

The goal wasn’t to stump anyone, but to see how guest service teams respond to an unexpected request. Responses ran the full range: Some resorts took the query in stride, offering thoughtful guidance and creative options. Others were less prepared for the concept that someone might not know how to ride a bike, and a few weren’t shy about showing it.

Has a guest asked you an interesting question lately? Send it to jordyn@saminfo.com for the Spy to pose to other mountains. 

 

MOUNTAIN 1, UT

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: Well, we don’t have lessons on our trails. (sincere) So, you’ve never ridden a bike, or you’ve never ridden a mountain bike?

SAM: I’ve never ridden a bike in general.

Staff: Hmm, OK. I would recommend trying a road or something flat first (chuckles). There’s roots, rocks, berms and things that if you’ve never ridden a bike before you would definitely not know how to go at them.

SAM: Yeah, that makes sense. 

Staff: And like the balance and stuff like that. I mean, we have a nice big parking lot that you could definitely practice in.

SAM: That’s cool. Thanks!

Staff: But I wouldn’t want you to start on a full suspension bike. I would definitely start on a rigid bike with no suspension and then kind of work your way up into the suspension.

SAM: Thanks. I don’t have much bike knowledge so that’s good to know.

Staff: And we do rent bikes if your friends were still interested. 

SAM: Great, thank you for that. 

Staff: Yep, have a great day!

 

Score: 9

Comment: This was a terrific customer service interaction. She was genuinely helpful. Instead of rushing me off the phone after telling me the bike park doesn’t offer lessons, she took time to give me honest advice about what kind of bike I should be learning on and where I should ride it to start. 

 

MOUNTAIN 2, MI

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: (sincere) I’m sorry, what was the question?

SAM: [Restates question]

Staff: Umm, (long pause, chuckles), I have never gotten that question.

SAM: Yeah, I figured it was unusual.

Staff: I guess. We don’t offer lessons. 

SAM: OK. Dangit.

Staff: Yeah, you could just go out and try it. 

SAM: (laughs) I’m not sure I am comfortable with that. Do you have beginner trails?

Staff: Yes, we do have a few. I mean, you could have one of your friends teach you?

SAM: I guess they could if they were up for that.

Staff: Yeah, unfortunately that might be your best option. 

SAM: OK, well, thank you. 

Staff: Yep, good luck!

 

Score: 6

Comment: She was nice enough, but clearly caught off guard by the question. Her best suggestion was “have a friend teach you,” which rarely goes well. But she can’t invent a mountain bike lesson program that doesn’t exist, and she did recover reasonably well from her initial long pause. 

 

MOUNTAIN 3, NC 

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: Um, (monotoned) as far as I know we don’t have any lessons or anything, not here. So, you might have to do that somewhere else. 

SAM: OK.

Staff: You are able to rent a bike here, and we do have easy trails. If you go on our website, you can see the easy and hard layout.

SAM: Oh, OK. I wasn’t sure. You list mountain bike lessons on your website, so I wanted to call and check.

Staff: Yeah, we do have a camp that is running, which I think it’s [dates], but I can double check and ask. I don’t believe there was anything aside from that, though (quiet). 

SAM: Yeah, that would be great if you could check. 

(on hold)

Staff: So, they do have lessons. The availability kind of depends on instructor availability. So, like I said (annoyed), with the camp during [dates] it may not be as available on those days. You would just need to come in and ask. It just depends.

SAM: Is it OK if I call to ask? Or do I need to be there?  

Staff: No, you can call the day you want to go, and they can let you know if someone is available. 

SAM: We like to plan ahead. Can I call a week or so in advance?

Staff: That should be fine (she’s over it).

SAM: Do you know, are the lessons private?

Staff: Again, it depends. If there is more than one person that wants to do it, then it’s a group lesson. But usually not a lot of people do it.

SAM: OK, thanks for your help. 

Staff: Yep, goodbye.

 

Score: 3

Comment: It’s OK not to be an encyclopedia of everything your resort offers. Don’t get annoyed when a caller subtly points out that you gave wrong info and you discover it to be true, though. She went from asserting that the resort doesn’t offer lessons to being an expert on how lesson scheduling works—but I’m not confident in her expertise. 

 

MOUNTAIN 4, CO

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: If you do a private lesson, we can teach you how to ride a bike. We did it for a lady earlier this year. So, (excited) we can do our best to try to teach you if you’ve never ridden a bike before. If you do want to do that, you would need to select a private lesson.

SAM: Oh, that is so great. I have pretty good balance, but I’ve just never been on a bike before, so I wasn’t sure. 

Staff: Yeah (chipper), we taught a 38-year-old lady how to ride earlier this year, so we could probably do that again. 

SAM: Oh, that is awesome! We haven’t booked a date yet, but would I just book online?

Staff: Yes! Just go to [website]. As long as you book at least two days in advance, you will get the pre-book rate. You’ll need to book a lesson and then your bike separately. 

SAM: Perfect. And do I need to say that I am a first timer, or do I just let them know when I get there?

Staff: There are comment sections when you book the lesson, so you can just put a note there.

SAM: Great, thank you!

Staff: Yeah, have a great day. 

 

Score: 9

Comment: She was upbeat and reassuring, and I love hearing that I wouldn’t be the first newbie they’ve taught. Clear info, good energy—no complaints here.

 

Mountain 5, VT

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: Well, we don’t have lessons on our trails. So, you’ve never ridden a bike, or you’ve never ridden a mountain bike (sincere)?

SAM: I’ve never ridden a bike in general.

Staff: Hmm, OK. I would recommend trying a road or something flat first (chuckles). There’s roots, rocks, berms and things that if you’ve never ridden a bike before you would definitely not know how to go at them.

SAM: Yeah, that makes sense. 

Staff: And like the balance and stuff like that. I mean, we have a nice big parking lot that you could definitely practice in.

SAM: That’s cool. Thanks!

Staff: But I wouldn’t want you to start on a full suspension bike. I would definitely start on a rigid bike with no suspension and then kind of work your way up into the suspension.

SAM: Thank you. I don’t have much bike knowledge so that’s good to know.

Staff: And we do rent bikes if your friends were still interested. 

SAM: Great, thank you for that. 

Staff: Yep, have a great day!

 

Score: 9

Comment: This was a terrific customer service interaction. She was genuinely helpful. Instead of rushing me off the phone after telling me the resort doesn’t offer lessons, she took time to give me honest advice about what kind of bike I should be learning on and where I should ride it to start. 

 

Mountain 6, MN

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: We do have a clinic this weekend. Otherwise, we sometimes offer private and semi-private lessons on site.

SAM: OK, great.

Staff: (cheerful) We also have cross-country trails that are not downhill if you wanted to start there.

SAM: Perfect. Are the private lessons on a certain day or is it kind of random?

Staff: I can transfer you to the ski school, and they should be able to tell you if someone is available this weekend.

SAM: That would be great, thank you.

(transferred and repeated question)

Staff: What day were you looking for?

SAM: We don’t have a set day yet, but I wasn’t sure if your private lessons were mainly on the weekend or if they varied.

Staff: Yeah, absolutely. So, we do have them on the weekends. Let me pull up my list here, and I can give you some dates.

SAM: Thank you. 

Staff: So, this weekend is booked up, but the next available weekend would be [date]. 

SAM: Oh, perfect. I will need to talk with my friends to see if that would work with them, and I can call you back. 

Staff: (excited) Sounds great. They are two-hour lessons, and you can always book online, too. 

SAM: Great, thanks for your help!

Staff: Yep, Goodbye.

 

Score: 8

Comment: These folks were completely undaunted by my status as a total bike noob. Could they have asked some follow up questions? Sure. Still, they both were cheerful and helpful, with useful info about the lesson format and schedule.

 

MOUNTAIN 7, NY

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: (rude) Yeah, we have areas where you could do this, not on the mountain itself.

SAM: OK, but you don’t offer lessons or anything? 

Staff: No. 

SAM: So, the trails you are referring to, are they flat so I could learn? 

Staff: Yeah.

SAM: But not up on the mountain?

Staff: No.

SAM: OK. Do you rent bikes?

Staff: No.

SAM: Does anyone in the area?

Staff: (checked out) Not sure. I would check with [shop] and give them a call.

SAM: Alright, thanks.

Staff: Goodbye.

 

Score: 1

Comment: If there were a sport for one-word answers, she’d be on the podium. Not exactly overflowing with assistance. 

 

MOUNTAIN 8, ID

First Contact: Female.

SAM: Stated question.

Staff: Um, hold on, let me ask for you.

SAM: OK. Thank you. 

(on hold)

Staff: (chipper) So, yes, we do offer mountain biking lessons.

SAM: Oh, perfect.

Staff: Yeah, so it’s a two-hour private lesson tailored to your ability, trails, choice, and goals.

SAM: And it’s OK that I’ve never ridden a bike before?

Staff: I mean, it says that it’s tailored to your ability, so even if your ability is that you don’t know how to ride a bike (chuckles), they will work with you on that.

SAM: That’s great.

Staff: If you want to go ahead and book that now for a certain date, we definitely can. 

SAM: OK. Let me talk with my friends first. We didn’t pick a date yet. I wanted to make sure I could tag along first. 

Staff: Perfect. 

SAM: I don’t own a bike—do you do rentals?

Staff: Yes, we do rentals. You would get your rental whenever you get here, just so you can figure out which one works best for you. We typically do the lessons from [a.m. time slot] and then another batch from [p.m. time slot]. So if you wanted to do the lesson in the morning and then all of you go out together, we can schedule it that way. 

SAM: Oh, that would work out great. I will call back once we know more. 

Staff: Sounds great. Have a great day. 

SAM: Thank you! Goodbye. 

 

Score: 10

Comment: She was cheerful and solution-oriented. After confirming the lesson could be tailored to my skill level, she laid out the details with clarity and confidence. AND offered to book me right then but didn’t force it. Nicely done!

Identity Revealed: Tamarack