At Treadmark NZ, we offer both private and group mountain bike lessons, each tailored to meet different needs and preferences. Here's a comparison based on four key aspects:

1. Focus and Customization:

Private lessons are highly focused and customized to your needs. Whether you're a beginner needing an introduction to mountain biking or an experienced rider looking to dive deep and fine-tune specific skills, private lessons provide tailored guidance and challenges to help you achieve your goals.

Ask yourself these questions:

   - If you're a beginner, do you think focused individual attention is applicable to your progress? In a lesson, we can maximize value by covering 1 or 2 aspects of riding, so you may need more than a couple of private lessons to get the best value for your time and money.
- If you’re experienced, do you have a specific goal in mind? For example, clearing all jumps on Mcnearly Gnarly or riding all the high lines on Carry on. Achieving these goals will likely require a combination of lessons to give you the best toolset for improvement.

Group Lessons: These are about collaborative progression and encouraging group dynamics. They're structured to cater to the ability of the group (we ensure the abilities match or add an extra coach for split abilities). Our group lessons cover more aspects of riding and include a decent amount of individual feedback. The focus although is on group progression and, with most of our programs being structured with intuitive progression in mind, every participant is bound to feel encouraged and have more opportunities to progress over time with our consistent schedule.

Our current group lessons include:

- Cornering development class at Coronet Peak (mixed groups)
- Bikes, beers and Queens - Women's lessons.

2. Session Structure and Duration: Private lessons are generally recommended in a series of three, each lasting around three hours, to build a strong foundation and layer on correct movement. These lessons are flexible for your schedule and can be organized at a time that suits your work-life balance.
Group lessons last about 2.5 to 5 hours and are structured around specific themes, offering either a full day of coaching to progress towards your riding goals or a set weekly schedule.

3. Learning Environment: Private lessons provide a closed, conducive environment, whether that’s 1 on 1 or in a private group, allowing for in-depth analysis and immediate feedback. This setting is ideal for riders who prefer a more personalized and intensive learning experience. In contrast, group lessons offer a social and supportive atmosphere, where you can learn from not only the coach but also from fellow riders while watching their mistakes, learning their takeaways, and being a part of their progression.

4. Pricing and Coach-to-Student Ratio: Our private lessons start from $265 per 3-hour lesson and $636 (20% off for a 3-pack - this includes GST). This pricing is for 1-2 people, so you can either do a 1 on 1 or bring a friend to split costs.

Group lessons range anywhere from $165 to $465, depending on how the lessons are structured. For instance, you would pay $465 for the Bikes, Beers, and Queens lessons, which cover 6 progression lessons of 2.5 hours each.

Coach-to-student ratio: Group lessons have a ratio of 1:5, whereas for private group lessons, the ratio is 1:3. For more than 3 people in a private group lesson, we ensure we add another coach to maintain the quality of feedback.

In summary, the choice between private and group mountain bike lessons depends on your personal goals, preferred learning style, and the level of individual attention you seek.

Private lessons offer a more personalized, intensive learning experience, while group lessons provide a social, community-oriented environment with progressive learning sessions.