Frequently Asked Questions

Sure, as long as they’re well behaved and happy to hang out on the trail with a bunch of other people and dogs. In fact, we encourage you to bring your kids out and make a family day of it!

Yes. Be sure to select your preference in the 'Chapter Designation' field when you make your donation online or mention it to us when donating via phone.

Yes. Simply choose the chapter when you join or renew. If you’re already a member, and would like to support a particular chapter going forward, contact us.

Of course! Please call us at 206-524-2900 or send a check to: 

Please include your name, address, phone number, membership level and e-mail address!

For the most part, yes. Classes will be cancelled for severe weather only, such as heavy rain, high wind, or temperatures below freezing. Light rain is fine. If there is rain or stormy weather, please check the website and/or your email the day of the class to see if the class has been cancelled. If your class is cancelled, you can either apply the fee to another class, maintain a credit for future use, or receive a refund.

You do not have to be a member to participate in Evergreen MTB classes. Evergreen members receive a substantial discount on all education program classes, clinics, and camps, just one benefit of having a membership. For intermediate to advanced classes, the discount on classes for members equals the cost of an individual membership. So sign up today and get discounts on future classes and much more! You can go here to join!

Nope. Our Trail Crew Leads will be there to teach you the ropes, guide you, and answer any questions.

No. You just need to be a FREE registered user on our site. Go here to register.

No, not automatically because those are on two different systems.  If you'd like to have your donation count towards a membership, please email  to be added manually.   If you’d like to simply start or renew your membership, please go to our membership page.

No. A rigid frame or hard tail bike is perfectly fine.

Go to the class calendar and choose the class you’re interested in. Then click the registration button. 

If you forgot your password (or if you never knew it to begin with ... e.g. because we set up your account for you), you can reset it easily in three steps:

1. Visit the Login page and click on the "Forgot password?" link.
2. When the page reloads, enter your email we have on record for your account, answer the challenge question and click on the Save button.
3. Check your email inbox for a message from the website with a link that will take you to a page where you can set up a new password. Please NOTE: Check your Spam folder if you don't receive the email within 5 minutes.

First off - please note you can use your email or username to log in on our website.

If you do want to retrieve your username, however, you can do so easily in three steps:

1. Visit the Login page and click on the "Forgot username?" link.
2. When the page reloads, enter your email we have on record for your account, answer the challenge question and click on the Submit button.
3. Check your email inbox for a message from the website with your username. Please NOTE: Check your Spam folder if you don't receive the email within 5 minutes.

If you signed up for a monthly membership or set up monthly donations, and your credit card expired, you may need to change it so your good karma doesn't run out ;-)

Fortunately, it's super easy to make the update:

1. Log into the site (https://www.evergreenmtb.org/login)
2. Go to My >> My Dashboard (or https://www.evergreenmtb.org/my-dashboard)
3. In the Your contributions section, locate the recurring payment and click on the Change Billing Details link

Thank you for supporting Evergreen!

You can have up to five (5) people living under the same roof on any one family membership. We do need each person on your membership listed in our system so please do so in the text box provided on the membership sign-up page. To sign up for or renew a membership, please go here.

If you need to contact all ride attendees, here's how to do it (it's a bit cumbersome at the moment but we're working on a more user-friendly solution).

Please note you must be logged in to perform these steps:

1. On the event page: highlight and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C on Mac) the attendees' usernames
2. Click on the "My" button at the top >> Private Messaging
3. On the Private Messaging screen: click on the Compose link
4. In the Compose form: click into the "To" window and paste the usernames (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V on Mac)
5. Add commas between the usernames, e.g.: MtnPavlas, biker1, woodyallen
6. Type the message
7. Click on "Send"

Note: If you are NOT the event organizer and want to send a message to all attendees, including the event organizer, you need to copy/paste (or simply type) his/her username into the "To" field as well (you can find it in the event header).

Our instructors will notify you by email. We also post cancellations on our schedule page. Please check the schedule if it is raining the day of class.

Memberships created or renewed at events need to be entered into our system manually. So it can take up to a few weeks to get your info into our system. If you’re trying to sign up for a class or receive a member discount, and your membership account is not yet live, please contact us and we can get you set up ASAP.

Yes. Evergreen is a 501-3c nonprofit so your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you do not receive confirmation of your donation for tax purposes please contact us.

Not a bit. We have a saying around here: "It ain't the bike, it's the rider." We say that a lot. Honest. That said, your bike should be in good working condition and designed and equipped for off-road use.

This page describes how to prepare for Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance social group rides, etiquette on rides, and helping ensure you and your fellow riders all have a good experience.

Ride leaders are volunteers

First off, ride leaders are just fellow riders like you who enjoy social rides and have volunteered to organize a ride. They're not employees of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and are not trained in any way--but most of them are experienced riders and know the trails they ride well.

Rides and ride leaders vary a lot

Many aspects of a EMBA ride, from the scenery, to the speed, to the weather, to the attitudes of fellow riders, can vary a lot. The EMBA has very few rules/guidelines for what a ride leader is supposed to do or not do. See the Ride Leader Guidelines page for more information on what you can expect from your ride leader. And when in doubt, don't hesitate to contact the ride leader before the ride, if you have any questions about location, length, difficulty of the ride, logistics, etc. The ride leader's name above each ride on the calendar is a link to their email address.

Start Time

Be on time! Unless otherwise stated in the ride post, assume that the ride will in fact be leaving from the trail head parking lot at the stated time. Some leaders/riders will wait up for people who show up late, but don't count on it. Don't forget that you'll need time to change, get the bike ready, etc.

Signing up for rides

Don't sign up for a ride unless you're fairly confident you will in fact make it. Ride leaders have expressed frustration with people who remove themselves from a ride at the last moment. This is especially true if the ride has a size limit on it, and is full or close to being full. It's only fair to others who might want to take your spot. A couple days before the ride, please consider whether you think you'll really be able to make it and take your name off if you think you might not. If you cancel within a few days of the ride and the ride was full, you get brownie points for posting a message and letting people know your slot opened up.

What to bring on the ride

First of all, bring a helmet. All riders must wear a helmet on a Evergreen ride.

We strongly recommend protective eye wear; on overcast days or in low light conditions many riders will wear plain un-tinted lenses.

Bring enough food and water--in fact, bring a little more than you think you'll need. Stick an extra candy bar, energy bar, and/or energy gel in your pack. Some people bring a sandwich, others trail mix or nuts. For water, some people can get by with a water bottle or two, but most use a hydration backpack for longer rides. On longer rides and hot days, it's good to make sure you replenish electrolytes (essential salts) with a sports drink or an energ products that contains them. (Some gels do.)

Plan your clothes for variable weather conditions, at all times of year. Even in summer, high elevation rides can potentially turn wet and cold quickly even if the forecast looks good. For anything above 5000 feet, bring a long-sleeve top of some sort, any time of year.

A common set of items in a rider pack might include:

• A wind breaker, rain jacket, backup long sleeve jersey, or vest;
• Spare tube, tire levers, and pump
• Food and water
• Backup snacks
• Multi-tool; for some also chain tool, spoke wrench, backup disc brake pads
• Zip ties or duct tape for MacGyver repairs
• Very basic first-aid, e.g. an ace bandage, some ibuprofen, antihistamines.
• Compass
• Map of the trails if available; might be in the Evergreen Trail Guide; for back country rides a Green Trails map
• A whistle to signal distress

In general, be more conservative and plan for more unexpected conditions if the ride is more remote. (Tiger Mountain counts as somewhat remote--it can be a long walk back to the car!)

Make sure your bike is in good working order, and bring basic bring tools and supplies for your bike, e.g. a multi-tool for minor adjustments, tire levers, a spare tube, and a pump or air cartridge. Ride leaders are not expected to be prepared or willing to make repairs on riders' bikes. Experienced riders will often carry some additional bits like spare disc brake pads, a few zip ties, and some duct tape (carried wrapper around a pump).

The pace of the ride

The pace rating for EMBA rides (Social, Moderate, etc.) can be very subjective at times. "Social" for one rider or ride-leader can be "Fast" for another. So, if you're new to the club, remember that you may find yourself on a ride that's much faster, or much slower, than you'd hoped. That's usually OK--don't worry too much about being the slowest rider on a ride. Everyone gets a turn at that role. However, if you feel you cannot complete the ride and want to leave, it's very important that you let the ride leader know. Don't just split up from the group--when people notice you are missing, they may spend considerable effort looking for you to make sure you're OK. You may want to pick your first few rides at trail systems that are less isolated and have easy bail out options, like St Edwards State Park, Soaring Eagle, Tapeworm, South SeaTac, or Tolt MacDonald.

Good group riding habits

This all may seem a bit obsessive at first, but after a few group rides you'll probably appreciate most of these.

• When you come to an intersection, yell out "left" or "right" to the person behind you, and make sure they hear you and know which way to go. If there's any uncertainty as to whether they heard you, WAIT.
• When the person in front of you yells out "left" or "right", repeat it so they know you heard, unless you're close enough to them that it's obvious which way to go.
• If you're the second-to-last person in the group, make sure to wait up now and then for the last person. If they have to stop, due to an injury or mechanical problem... then the closer you are to them, the less time, hassle, and logistics will be involved in going back to find them.
• Don't follow too closely behind another rider. Leave some space between you and them. This is in your own interest: if they flub a move and stop or dismount, it'll give them time to get out of your way so you don't hit them and don't have to stop as well.
• Conversely, if you stall yourself, please get out of the way of any rider coming behind you so they can continue on without stopping. Nothing breaks up a group ride like little "pile ups" of people stopping because the first person goofed on their bike handling.

IMBA Rules of the Trail

1. Ride On Open Trails Only.
2. Leave No Trace.
3. Control Your Bicycle!
4. Always Yield Trail.
5. Never Scare Animals.
6. Plan Ahead.

Carpooling to rides

Basic rule: If you are in somebody else's car, always offer gas money. If you are the driver, always accept it. Be respectful of the vehicle you are traveling in. Treat it better than your own.

We really appreciate your taking the time to lead a group through your favorite area. You will find that it is a lot of fun and just a little work! We want everyone who goes on the ride to have a great experience. Aside from these guidelines, be sure to observe the Evergreen MTB Alliance Website Code of Conduct.

Above all

Ride on open and legal trails only!

Before the ride

Consider whether the trails are in ridable condition. Taking a group on wet, soggy, muddy trails can do real damage. In rainy weeks, please pick appropriate places to ride.

Print a copy of the sign up sheet from the web calendar

• The ride leader should arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the stated meeting time.
• Encourage riders to come prepared and be ready to leave by the posted ride time.

Ride leader preparation

• Carry a small first aid kit containing bandages, aspirin, gauze and Neosporin.
• Ride leader should wear appropriate clothes for conditions and ALWAYS a helmet.
• Ride leader should know the route unless the ride is advertised as exploratory.

At the trailhead

• Introduce yourself as the ride leader
• Bring a copy of the ride sheet and have riders sign in.
• Keep the ride sheet on you where someone else will be able to find it if necessary.
• Allow a 5 to 10 minute grace period, then assemble the riders and outline the expectations:
  • If someone exits from the ride, they MUST tell someone (preferably ride leader).
  • Give an estimate of the length of the ride.
  • All riders MUST wear helmets. NO exceptions.
  • Announce regrouping points and bailout points if applicable.
  • State proper trail etiquette, including brief recap of IMBA rules of the trail.
  • Make sure riders have proper supplies. Use your discretion – if a rider is very unprepared (e.g.: very little food and water, inadequate clothing) for an epic backcountry ride, you may have to turn the rider away.
• Hand out maps if appropriate.
• Count number of riders.
• If it’s a large group request a volunteer “sweep”.

On the ride

• Before you start each section, establish the next regrouping point.
• Be aware of how many are ahead of you and how many are behind.
• At breaks consult maps with the group, if appropriate or available.
• Watch for stragglers and make sure to keep them with the group.
• Manage the group pace to finish the ride within your expected time frames.
• After breaks make sure everyone is ready to go before getting back in the saddle.

Back at the trailhead

• At the end of the ride, wait for everyone to finish before you leave.
• Remember to thank them for coming.

Post ride wrap up

• Please complete the ride sheet and send it to the rides coordinator.
• If you have time and creative energy, please post a ride report!

Beginners

• Beginners belong on beginner rides. If someone cannot keep up, be ready to send that person back or have them use a safe bail out point, if there is one. It's better to send them back early in the ride than to find out 20 miles out that they cannot finish.
• At the start of a long ride the ride leader(or the assistant) should evaluate the group and turn back anyone who is not up to the distance or technical difficulty of the ride. This might be difficult, but much safer for the ride and the rest of the group.

Unconventional or exploratory rides

It is OK to lead an exploratory ride or a “you’re on your own ride” as long as it is clearly advertised as such.

Example of exploratory ride: You want to check out a new area, you would like some company. You post a ride on the calendar and clearly state “I have not ridden here before, expect possible hike a bike, route finding and post-dark return to the car.” 

Example of “You’re on your own” ride: You plan to go do a hard fast ride and think others might enjoy it. You post a ride on the calendar and clearly state “I will be there, but will not have maps and will not be regrouping. This is for independent riders who want to share a great trail. Possible post ride beers and food, campout, etc.”

Pace

• Leisurely: Allows for maintaining a conversation among all riders pretty much at all times. Riders stay in one group. (The ride must be on a wide and easy double track).
• Social: Adjacent riders should be able to talk to each other. Riders stay in one group.
• Moderate: Frequent re-groups (at least, at every major trail junction).
• Fast: Occasional re-groups (Each rider still waits for the one behind at most trail junctions).
• Race: No re-groups. (Any race or RATT rides).