Mountain Biking Pre-departure Checklist

The Problem:

Have you ever gotten to the trailhead only to discover a key item left back at home.

Real Life Example:

I was headed to West Bragg Creek (Canadian Rockies). It felt like I was missing something important. I could not for the life of me think of what it was. I put the pedal down, to make some time. A few minutes later, a glance in the rear view mirror uncovered the missing item: my Santa Cruz Tallboy - my bike!

As luck should have it, it was a rare day riding solo. I was only half way to the trailhead parking lot which is under 45 minutes from my house. With no one waiting on me, I simply chalked it up as getting old and forgetful, turned my car around, picked up Penelope (my Santa Cruz; yes, I name my bike - don't judge), headed back to the trails, and had another awesome day riding.

The Solution:

What if you prevent this from happening to you ever again? The airline industry and areas of healthcare like surgery use checklists to minimize the risk of errors, as described by Atul Gwande in The Checklist Manifesto. Why not utilize checklists for mountain biking? Here's Schralp's MTB Pre-Departure Checklist:

Did we miss anything? Let us know! Print it off. Head off to the trails knowing you got everything you need. Get outside. Get schralping. Onwards and upwards!