Cornering

Key facts

Skill level

2/5

Risk

2/5

Terrain

flat and bermed turns

Bike types

MTB, eMTB

Four steps

1. Brake before. Arrive at the speed you want to leave with.
2. Look through. Turn your head to the exit before you turn the bars.
3. Lean the bike. Press the bike down into the turn with your inside hand while your body stays more upright over the tyres.
4. Drive out. Weight the outside foot, then pump or pedal out of the exit.

Flat turns and berms

On a flat, loose corner drop the outside pedal and stand on it: it pushes the tyres into the ground. In a berm keep the pedals level — the wall holds you, and a low pedal can catch it.

Wide in, tight out

Enter a corner wide and cut to the inside late. The exit gets straighter, so you can let off the brakes sooner and carry more speed onto the next section.

Related articles

• Attack position — The standing stance every descent starts from: pedals level, knees and elbows bent, weight centred over the bike and eyes up. From here you can react to anything the trail throws at you.
• Braking — Braking well is braking in the right place: hard and early on good ground, then off the brakes where the trail is rough or turning. The front brake does most of the work.
• Flow trail — A trail built to be ridden on momentum: berms, rollers and small tables, one after another, so you barely pedal or brake. The easiest way to feel fast and learn to use the terrain.
• Singletrack — A narrow trail, about as wide as one bike, winding through the terrain. The heart of mountain biking: most of the riding worth driving to is singletrack.
• Berm — A banked turn: the outside of the corner is built up like a wall, so the bike leans into it and keeps its speed instead of sliding out.