Words :: Vince Shuley. Sponsored by ZEP MTB Camps.
Mountain biking is so ubiquitous in the Sea to Sky Corridor that it’s easy to forget how young the sport actually is. Unlike skiing and climbing (which have over a century of history and knowledge getting passed down through generations) many of mountain biking’s pioneers are still kicking around. Some of them are even still riding their bikes.
The first mountain bikes were tearing up fire roads (and vice versa) in the early ‘80s, but the rapid growth of mountain biking didn’t really engage until the mid-2000s. People were getting initiated the way most do in niche sports: by following their more skilled and faster friends. But Paul Howard knew there was a better way.
“In the mid to late ‘90s, finding an experienced [MTB] coach who could offer a quality lesson was like finding gold dust,” says Howard. “Most of the operations in those days were pretty loose, and I would say borderline kamikaze. No one was really teaching anything. Fast forward to today and it’s run as professionally as a ski lesson or a golf lesson.”
Paul Howard and his team at ZEP MTB Camps have played a significant role in the evolution of mountain bike coaching over their 18 years of operation. Starting in Whistler in 2006, ZEP has since expanded its reach to offer youth and adult coaching programs in the Okanagan.
When not coaching the regular development programs or skills camps – ZEP instructors travel world wide conducting PMBIA instructor training courses, working toward creating a global network of highly skilled and qualified bike instructors and coaches.
In 2023, the demand for mountain bike coaching is at an all-time high. New entrants to the sport are taking introductory clinics as their first step rather than the old-school method of crashing through the learning curve by following their faster friends.
“The demand for lessons is stronger than it ever has been, both geographically and demographically,” says Howard. “Kids especially are progressing so much quicker, not only because the kids’ bikes have gotten so much better, but the coaches have gotten so much better.”
For beginner and intermediate riders looking to level up—whatever their age or confidence—taking a lesson is more or less a no-brainer. But take a more advanced or expert rider, someone who races regularly but not professionally. They can ride almost every trail in the Whistler Bike Park, so their aim isn’t necessarily to ride more difficult terrain but to ride it more confidently at speed.
In 2023, the demand for mountain bike coaching is at an all-time high. New entrants to the sport are taking introductory clinics as their first step rather than the old-school method of crashing through the learning curve by following their faster friends.
“Many of our ZEP clients are exactly that type of rider, anyone from a 17-year-old junior looking to improve their race results at the BC Cup races all the way up to the 40 or 50-year-old who does the occasional race at Crankworx or the BC enduro series,” says Howard.
“As the sport matures, people are realizing just how technical it is and getting these advanced riders into lessons is not as much of a hard sell. If you’re spending thousands of dollars on your bike and going to the gym to get stronger and fitter, you’re still going to struggle to get faster if your technique sucks.”
Howard’s goal has always been to strengthen both the local and global community of mountain biking and what he describes as “getting more bums on bikes.” That has meant leading trail maintenance evenings in partnership with the Whistler Offroad Cycling Association (WORCA), raising money for charities such as World Bicycle Relief and always keeping mountain biking as inclusive and accessible as possible.
Recently Howard teamed up with fellow coaching veteran Kristian Jackson to launch the Donuts & Bikes podcast as a way to reach the ears of instructors, coaches and riders through a different medium. Producing quality tutorial videos for mountain biking is not only resource intensive, but can often fall short of getting the results the audience is seeking.
“Good coaching requires time and an exploration into the nuances of ‘when’ and ‘how much,’” says Howard. “It’s not black and white with a series of tips and tricks to fix everything. You need to personalize it, you need to quantify it and you need to offer feedback. The podcast dives into those nuances in a conversation that’s over an hour long. It gets into the details in a slightly abstract way and gives the listener that time to understand the subject matter, more than what you can in a four-minute YouTube video.”
With great deals on bikes this spring, there’s never been a better time to get into mountain biking. There’s never been a better time to get faster, smoother and more confident on your bike. And if you’ve never taken a lesson before, there’s never been a better time for that, either.
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