The mountain bike program at SMGS provides students with a broad foundation in Downhill, Free-ride and Cross-Country riding skills.
Welcome to the SMGS Mountain Bike Program
Catering to beginner to elite ability levels across Kindergarten to Year 12, day and boarding students, the SMGS Mountain Bike Program has a strong legacy in providing students with a broad foundation in Downhill, Free-Ride and Cross-Country riding skills.
As a result of our school’s population growth and mountain bike trail development in Jindabyne, Thredbo and the wider Snowy Monaro region, we are pleased to launch the SMGS Mountain Bike Academy in Term 1, 2022. Complementing the current mountain bike program opportunities, the academy athletes will have access to a full day of advanced coaching in a small group setting. Additional details will be available in early 2022.
The SMGS Mountain Bike Program has three components:
- Mountain Bike Academy – launching in 2022 – further details and application requirements coming soon!
- Specialist DH Instructor Development Program
- Competitions
- Academic Support
- Transport
(Scroll down for more details)
- Wednesday Sport Program
Open to students in Years 5 to 11, the Wednesday Sport program runs from Term 4 to Term 2, from 1:15 to 3:30pm, and typically includes the following elements:
Term 4
Students complete a five-week skills and conditioning program, aimed at learning or improving riding skills on a wide range of trails, obstacle courses, jump lines and flow tracks. Cross-country riding is the backbone of this program, promoting fitness and conditioning.
At the end of Term 4, students complete an introductory downhill session at Thredbo, with new participants able to ‘try before they buy’ and learn skills like loading and unloading onto the chairlift.
Term 1
In addition to cross-country, downhill riding at Thredbo is also available, with formal instruction in safety and basic skills for beginners. The use of all recommended safety equipment is compulsory for SMGS students participating in this part of the program.
Term 2
Students have the chance to ride a range of trails in and around Jindabyne and the lake, including jumps trails and downhill trails, giving students a variety of terrain on which to finesse the skills learned over the season.
- K-4 Mountain Bike Club
Offered in Terms 1 and 4, students in K-4 have the opportunity to participate in a weekly, after-school mountain bike program. Coached by Jindy Riders, the program fosters confidence and bike handling on trails and terrain close to the school. These trails include the Lake Jindabyne trail network, Bungarra and Hatchery Bay.
SMGS Mountain Bike Program Staff:
Josh Armstead
Martin Philpott
SMGS is proud to be a MTBA School of Merit.
Coming in Term 1, 2022
SMGS Mountain Bike Academy
SMGS has offered Mountain Biking as a weekly sport option for many years, and we are pleased to further increase the opportunities for MTB development from Term 1, 2022 in the newly developed MTB Academy.
The program will run for Terms 4 and 1 each year as a specialist downhill development program with qualified and experienced coaches at Thredbo allowing for day and boarding students to reach new heights of personal excellence. Students from Years 5-12 are welcome to apply.
The new SMGS Mountains Bike Academy has several key components:
- Specialist DH Instructor Development Program
- Specialist downhill instructor led coaching programs will be available for MTBA team members. The coaching sessions will be a full day at Thredbo each Wednesday within very small groups to ensure individual instruction.
- Competitions
- SMGS will aim to travel to a number of interschool events in 2022 as well as provide academic support for students competing while at events.
- Academic Support
- Team members will have the option to attend an additional afternoon out of hours academic assistance session each week led by a qualified teacher.
- Transport
- All MTBA team members will receive transport to and from Thredbo each Wednesday with their own bikes.
Note that our regular Wednesday MTB Sport offering from beginner to advanced levels as part of the weekly sport program will continue to be available for students.
The SMGS Mountain Bike Academy Program coordinator is Joshua Armstead who can be contacted on josh.armstead@smgs.nsw.edu.au
More information will be coming soon in January 2022 including expressions of interest and the application process, and Q&A. Please register your interest below.
Recent posts about Mountain Biking
Girls’ Mountain Bike Clinics with Three-Times Queen of Cannonball, Sian A‘Hern.
SMGS, in association with Sian A’Hern Coaching, is excited to hold two new clinics focusing on our female riders. At SMGS we want to provide students with opportunities to build their riding confidence and ability [...]
SMGS’ Inaugural Girls’ Mountain Bike Retreat Ready to Roll
Snowy Mountains Grammar School, in association with Jindabyne Girl Riders, are very excited to announce our first ever Girls’ Mountain Bike Retreat. Mountain biking in the Snowy Mountains is a growing sport, and at SMGS [...]
From Downhill to Cross-Country, SMGS Mountain Bike Program on Track
SMGS Mountain Bike Program Snapshot SMGS’ Mountain Bike Program is multi-faceted, with students having the opportunity to participate in the three mountain bike disciplines of freeride, downhill and cross-country. In 2018, SMGS rolled out a [...]
Echidnas and rocks and berms. Oh my!
Junior School K-4 Mountain Bike Club The Junior School K-4 Mountain Bike Club has begun its four-week program for Term 1 with rave reviews from our youngest SMGS students. The group of junior riders are [...]
Mountain Bike Australia School of Merit
Snowy Mountains Grammar School is very excited to announce that it has been selected as a School of Merit by Mountain Bike Australia, the peak body for mountain biking in Australia. SMGS is one of only [...]
SMGS Mountain Biking Program Students Celebrate at Annual Awards Presentation
On Friday 25 June, the SMGS Mountain Biking program held its annual presentation evening. In attendance were students who participated in the 2018 Australian MTB Interschools competition, the Wednesday Sports program and the new addition [...]