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When you’re first starting out mountain biking, there are the basics to learn—to look ahead, body position, braking—and then there’s the biggest, but most rewarding, headache of them all: Switchbacks. Here are some basics, plus a switchback primer, to get you rolling that singletrack with confidence.
When you’re first starting out mountain biking, there are the basics to learn—to look ahead, body position, braking—and then there’s the biggest, but most rewarding, headache of them all: Switchbacks. Here are some basics, plus a switchback primer, to get you rolling that singletrack with confidence.
Switchbacks—also called hairpin bends—are any turns on the trail sharper than 90 degrees. When you first come across one, the mere sight of it can flip your brain around and twist your confidence like a wet rag filled with nervous sweat. Up or down, they can be one of the most daunting things when you’re new to mountain biking. You may feel some trepidation potentially screwing it up, but as we say in the Worth It Manifesto: “Acknowledge but don’t indulge fears.” So yes, fear, we see you, but we accept the challenge of the switchback, so let’s put our brains and bodies in gear and do this!
In the video at the top of this story, pro mountain biker Kate Courtney focuses primarily on the downhill switchback, but uphill uses the same principles with a couple of small additions. But first—the downhill. First, adopt the “Attack Position” (explained below) as you approach the downhill switchback and remember: some of steps in this list below will be happening concurrently.
As you approach, take a good look at the turn and scrub your speed before the corner. Speed is key—you don’t want to come in too fast. Once you've passed the tightest point of the corner, let go of the brakes and carry your speed out.
Come in slow, swoop outside and wide, and then look for the exit and coast out. Aim for the high side of the trail as you’re coming in.
Lean the bike into the corner and point your shoulders towards where you want to go—let them lead the way.
This is crucial for balance and control. As you turn into the corner, adjust your weighting on your pedals to keep yourself above the bike and not falling into the corner. Your bike will be leaned, but you, not so much.
Look where you want your wheels to go, not where you’re afraid they’re going to end up. As you enter the turn, look "through" it and to the exit of the switchback. Where the eyes lead, the bike and body follows. Remember: You control your bike—it doesn’t control you—and in this case, your eyes lead the way.
You want to be loose in the upper body and keep your hands "light" to give you more freedom to move around on your bike and maintain your position above it as you tackle the corner. See Attack Position below.
A lot of the above tips are still relevant, such as Stay Loose, Lead with your Shoulders, Take a Wide Line, and Look Where You Want to Go. But let’s add “Maintain Your Momentum” and two other tips.
Last words: As with all things mountain biking, practice makes perfect, so if you find a good switchback that doesn’t have a high penalty for messing it up, “Session” it until you’ve nailed it.
You’ll hear mountain bikers talk a lot about the attack position, and it’s not what you think. The Attack Position is a fundamental, out-of-the-saddle body position in mountain biking. Let’s compare. When you’re sitting down and riding, you have a ton of stability, but when you’re standing, what you sacrifice in stability you more than make up for in maneuverability. Most out-of-the-saddle body positions have their cornerstone set in the Attack Positon, so it’s a key skill to learn. Here’s Kate Courtney with a quick demo, and we’ve added some quick pointers below to help you assume the Attack Position.
Attack Positon sounds aggressive, but as you can see in this video, it actually makes a whole lotta sense. When cats are ready to pounce, they’re light on their feet, nimble, and ready for anything—and that pretty much sums up this body position. It doesn’t matter if you’re Kate Courtney charging down the trail in an XC race or a weekend warrior out to have a blast, everyone uses this body positon. Do as Kate does in this video and practice it on some sloping trail with gentle corners to experiment with balancing and moving your body around your bike.
Nailing switchbacks—both up and down—is a triumph. The more you practice, the better you get, and pretty soon, you'll be whizzing around corners and controlling your bike as magically as a witch on her broomstick. That’s why we make the Switches Brew Badge as part of our Worth It Will Do bucket list—a list of 35 skills and goals to master throughout the year. Go get yours, and download the full list, plus corresponding badges, here. We’ve even made some animated gifs of these badges for your Instagram stories, which you can read about here.
Nailing switchbacks—both up and down—is a triumph. The more you practice, the better you get, and pretty soon, you'll be whizzing around corners and controlling your bike as magically as a witch on her broomstick. That’s why we make the Switches Brew Badge as part of our Worth It Will Do bucket list—a list of 35 skills and goals to master throughout the year. Go get yours, and download the full list, plus corresponding badges, here. We’ve even made some animated gifs of these badges for your Instagram stories, which you can read about here.
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