Mountain Biking Instructor

Dates of Employment: May 30 – August 1, 2025
*This position is not limited to just summer. For the right candidate we could extended employment to begin in the spring and/or extend through the end of the fall season. 

Location: Spruce Knob Mountain Center, Circleville, WV
Experience Learning is seeking outdoor professionals to lead high-quality, adventure-based, outdoor education programs in backcountry environments throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Position Overview:

This summer, Experience Learning will be hiring two mountain bike focused instructors. These instructors will be riding at Experience Learning’s Sweetwater Farm Trail Center as well as all over West Virginia. While mountain biking instruction is important, other lessons will be taught along side biking. Instructors will lead campers on wilderness based camping trips that help our campers become confident, competent individuals with a clear vision of their responsibilities and potential for improving the human condition and the natural world.

Mountain biking camps run from beginner bike (3 day camps), to intermediate and advanced (6 day camps). Experience Learning has partnered with NICA, and all bike instructors will be required to pass all NICA tests before the start of the summer camp season. This will be at no cost to the instructors.  Instructors will lead a fully immersive ‘travel’ camp experience where we take kids into backcountry environments to ride epic WV trails full of roots, rocks, and ruts. Please visit our mountain bike summer camp page to see all of our offerings.

It is expected that this position is not just a “mountain bike instructor” position. On weeks where a mountain biking camp may not be offered instructors will lead other camps and perform other duties.

While living and working on-site Instructors will also have the opportunity to cook for large groups, as well as be on-call at different points in time throughout the season.

Our ideal candidate will be able to:

• Instruct on basic mountain bike fundamentals

• Assess risk and manage all situations

• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe environment for students and guests

• Prepare and deliver hands-on, experiential, and inquiry-based lessons in a remote outdoor setting for both day and evening programs

• Lead 3-6 day adventure mountain bike camps that are partially dorm based and partially and field-based in challenging settings that include camp craft, orienteering, caving, stream ecology, forest ecology, geology, rock climbing, canoeing, stewardship projects, outdoor cooking, and survival skills

• Facilitate discussions and initiatives around leadership, communication, environmental stewardship, teamwork, creative problem-solving, and other subjects

• Implement and model excellent risk management strategies and administer first aid as needed

• Teach and lead groups in the outdoors, in varying weather conditions, and on uneven terrain

• Prepare facilities and gear before trips and clean facilities and gear at the end of trips

• Prepare and cook meals for visiting rental groups as needed

• Maintain a professional demeanor while interacting with groups and guests

• Assist with facility upkeep as needed, including basic carpentry, repairs, vehicle maintenance, and general troubleshooting

Requirements:

• Experience riding a mountain bike in rocky and rooty terrain

• Must be 21+ years of age or older

• Minimum of Wilderness First Aid (WFA) & CPR/AED certification (Required)

• Current Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Certification (Preferred)

• Valid driver’s license

• Must be able to hike 10 miles on uneven and mountainous terrain

• Able to carry a 35-40 pound backpack

• Effective communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills

• Positive attitude, determination, and unassailable work ethic

• Teaching experience, either formal or informal

• Ability to confidently lead groups in a remote outdoor setting

• Desire to teach and work with young people from varying social and economic backgrounds

• Curiosity about the natural world and willingness to learn academic natural science lessons

• Experience working in the outdoors, especially in inclement weather

• Ability to live in shared space with other instructors and practice positive self-care

• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and some weekends

• Desire to live in a remote place with an outstanding community of outdoor professionals and to work hard to make positive change in our world

Benefits:

• Daily compensation rate: $82.00-$110 a day based on the merit-based scale.

  • See the Merit Based Pay tab to see what pay range you might fall in

• Shared housing provided

• 1 day of health leave per month worked

• Access to pro deals

• Opportunities for organizational advancement