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Trip

Santa Cruz, CA

Education, Mountain Biking

Trip Santa Cruz WFA/WFR
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Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590
Home to the perfect mix of forested and coastal trails, Wilder Ranch State Park is where we embark on our first aid curriculum specific to mountain biking.
 
Our partners at Backcountry Medical Guides are offering these two wilderness medicine courses so you can explore on your mountain bike with confidence and a greater understanding of best practices for emergency situations. These courses are specifically tailored for mountain bikers.
 
Join Backcountry Medical Guides in beautiful Santa Cruz, California for this unique guided experience. The Wilderness First Aid For Mountain Bikers course covers the essentials of wilderness and emergency medicine, tailored to injuries and scenarios most common in mountain biking. You’ll spend a combined 13 hours on-trail for skills and scenario training, with 4-6 hours of self-paced precourse work issued 4 weeks prior to the course. Practice treating life threats, stabilizing injuries, and evaluating and managing medical and environmental hardships.

Select Your Trip

Itinerary
WFA Itinerary
Note that the itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, determined in the guide’s best judgement, or any other reasons beyond our con­trol.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Day 1:Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Ohlone Bluff Trail

    We’ll meet at the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) headquarters at 9:45AM for check in, CPR skills lab, and Risk Management Labs. We’ll hop onto our bikes and ride to Wilder Ranch State Park, stopping for skills and scenario practice. Around noon, there is a trailside lunch break before the afternoon, when we will continue on the trails, with intermittent stops for trauma skills and scenario practice. The day wraps up around 4:30PM +/- 30 minutes.
  • 2
    Day number 2
    Day 2: Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles, 800+ feet vertical

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Wilder Ridge Loop

    We will meet again at the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship at 9:45AM for another day of skills and scenarios practice. We’ll finish back at the SCMTS at 4:30PM +/- 30 minutes.
Trip Package Includes
  • WFA certification good for 2 years
  • CPR: AED Adult/ Child/ Infant, valid for 2 years
  • Pro­fes­sion­al guid­ing and instruction
  • Manual with lecture notes
  • Pre-course learning
  • 20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply)
Not Included
  • Air­fare
  • Trans­porta­tion to and from the trailhead
  • Hotel accom­mo­da­tions
  • Meals
  • Per­son­al gear (Such as a mountain bike)
  • Guide gra­tu­ities
  • Travel insurance (we recommend World Nomads)
Questions? Call or email us
Area Information

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California is a beautiful town perfectly situated at the juncture between forested coastal mountains and world-class surf breaks. Perhaps most widely known for its place in the surfing world, Santa Cruz is also home to some of the best mountain biking around. Just north of town, Wilder Ranch State Park is home to miles of trail winding along epic cliffs dropping off into the Pacific, making it the perfect backdrop for this course.

Trip Planning

Trip Planning

WFA

This program is designed to be highly experiential. Thus, students will be expected to be comfortable riding 10+ miles through intermediate terrain, and both ascend and descend 1000 feet. For skills practice you will need to be able to get on and off the ground, squat, and lift the weight of your bike. Equipment must be in good working order, and it is advised to bring a kit to maintain your bike. Consideration should be taken to ensure you are fit enough to embark on these trails. Please contact BMG if there are questions about student fitness requirements.
Packing Checklist
FAQ
FAQ
  • What if I need to cancel?
    Before 1 month of the start of the event students receive a 75% refund, excluding 25% deposit. Between 1 month and 2 weeks students receive a 50% refund. Within 2 weeks of the course students will not receive a refund, however 50% of course fees can be applied towards additional BMG programs. Any cancellations made by Backcountry Medical Guides will result in a full refund (including 25% deposit) or transfer to an available course of equal value.
  • Where is the course located?
    These courses are located in Santa Cruz California, and will be held at Wilder Ranch State Park
  • I need local accommodations. Do you have recommendations?
    Airbnb, and hotel/ motel accommodations are plentiful. The program is on the Westside of Santa Cruz at Wilder Ranch State Park.
  • What COVID-19 policies do you have in place?
    Anyone attending a BMG Course is required to have a COVID-19 Vaccine. In accordance with Backcountry Medical Guides’ duty to mitigate and maintain an environment that limits known or avoidable risk and hazards, we have adopted this new policy to safeguard the health of our employees and their families, our customers and students, and the community at large from infectious diseases due to Covid -19. This policy will comply with all applicable laws and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities, as applicable. We will continue to monitor the situation surrounding covid and adjust our policy as needed with guidance from the CDC and local policies.
  • What are the prerequisites to participate in this course?
    There are no prerequisites for these courses.
  • How physically fit do I have to be for this course?
    This program is designed to be highly experiential. Thus, students will be expected to be comfortable riding 10+ miles through intermediate terrain, and both ascend and descend 1000 feet. For skills practice you will need to be able to get on and off the ground, squat, and lift the weight of your bike.
  • Who are the guides?
    Adam Cosner- Paramedic Scott Bisheff MD - a practicing emergency physician in San Luis Obispo, California, Scott loves all things outdoors: surfing, mountain biking, camping, trail running, backpacking, snowboarding, and traveling.
  • What if I need to change the dates of my trip?
    Participants are allowed to transfer to a different course if done so 1 month or more, prior to the start date of the originally registered course. To transfer there is a $40 non-refundable transfer fee. Only one transfer is allowed per registration and absolutely no refunds will be granted after the transfer. For transfers made after 1 month before the original registered course date, 50% of course fees can be used to transfer into a different course. Participants will be liable to pay the remaining balance after 50% of course fees have been applied to the course.
  • When and how do I meet up with the group?
    You will receive detailed instructions regarding when and how to meet the group from BMG.
  • What is the maximum number of guests on the trip? Is there a minimum number of guests needed to run the course?
    There are a maximum of 12 guests for this course. The guest:guide ratio is 6:1, with groups of 12 being split into 2 groups due to COVID. The minimum number of guests required to run the course is 8.
  • Is there a minimum age required for this trip?
    You must be 14 years or older to attend the WFA course. You must be Ages 18+, or 14+ with a registered guardian chaperone for the WFR course.
  • Is transportation provided?
    Transportation is not provided
Testimonials
“I took the WFA for mountain bikers course and I thought it was great. Our instructors were very knowledgeable and the scenarios they ran us through will definitely prepare me for real world accidents. I highly recommend this course to anyone who would like to stay safe while biking out in the woods”
Devon J
BMG Course Guest
“Well exceeded my expectations - we were actually in the woods going through real life scenarios, such as splinting a sprained ankle, and treating flesh wounds. The instructors were really solid and had real life experience in the medical field as well as the backcountry.”
Michael V
BMG Course Guest

A destination near you

Coming Soon
Sorry, this trip is sold out
Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590
Trip

Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590

Select Your Trip

Itinerary
Wilderness First Aid
Note that the itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, determined in the guide’s best judgement, or any other reasons beyond our con­trol.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Day 1:Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Ohlone Bluff Trail

A destination near you

Coming Soon
Sorry, this trip is sold out
Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590
Trip

Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590

Select Your Trip

Itinerary
Wilderness First Aid
Note that the itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, determined in the guide’s best judgement, or any other reasons beyond our con­trol.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Day 1:Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Ohlone Bluff Trail

A destination near you

Coming Soon
Sorry, this trip is sold out
Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590
Trip

Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590

Select Your Trip

Itinerary
Wilderness First Aid
Note that the itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, determined in the guide’s best judgement, or any other reasons beyond our con­trol.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Day 1:Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Ohlone Bluff Trail

A destination near you

Coming Soon
Sorry, this trip is sold out
Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590
Trip

Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590

Select Your Trip

Itinerary
Wilderness First Aid
Note that the itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, determined in the guide’s best judgement, or any other reasons beyond our con­trol.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Day 1:Mountain Trail Stewardship: 9:45AM - 4:30PM

    Ride: 7-10 miles

    Trails: Wilder Ranch State Park- Ohlone Bluff Trail

A destination near you

Coming Soon
Sorry, this trip is sold out
Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590