Something for all mountain bikers

Justin Leov
Justin Leov
With the new Gibbston River Trail, New Zealand's first gondola assisted bike lift, and a booming local trail scene, mountain bikers in Queenstown are spoilt for choice this summer.

Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said Queenstown's range and quality of trails, world-renowned scenery and facilities was putting it on the map as a must-do domestic and international destination for bike enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.

''Biking is the perfect way to explore our region and soak up the spectacular lake and alpine landscape ...

''It's not just the trails that make Queenstown so appealing, it's the rest of the package,'' Mr Everitt said.

Kiwi downhill star Justin Leov visited Queenstown recently on a biking trip along with New Zealand Olympian and World Cup Cross-country rider Kashi Leuchs, and said he was blown away by the quality of trails.

With such high praise, The Queenstown Times decided to have a look at what to expect this summer:

Downhill

• From January 24 to May 29 2011, the Skyline Gondola will offer a whole new dimension of biking access for New Zealand. For a $475 season pass, or a $70 adult day pass, riders will be taken by gondola to the top of Bob's peak to explore an extensive network of newly developed trails. Open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• 7 Mile is a 10-minute drive from Queenstown on the Glenorchy Road and features a mix of cross-country and intermediate downhill tracks through a pine forest. Queenstown has an active mountain biking club and these trails, and others, were established by keen local riders.

• The Wynyard Express DH track and freestyle area is a favourite with adrenaline junkies and is internationally renowned for its freestyle and slopestyle jumps. There is also a purpose-built jump park located on the road to the Coronet Peak ski area.

Heli-biking

At the more extreme end of the scale, adventure-seeking mountain bikers have dozens of heli-biking options around the region to choose from.

• For $399 Vertigo Bikes offers an exclusive tour to the majestic summit of Ben Cruachan in the Remarkables Range - the highest heli-bike drop off location in the area - with 18km of downhill heli-biking terrain to the base, in the Gibbston valley.

• Fat Tyre Adventures offers single, double descent, and multiday heli-biking options. Their $590 ''Double Descent - Big Day Out'' package offers close to 3500m of descent in one day. Accessed by helicopter, the first descent lands at 1700m on the Old Woman Range, and ends in Bannockburn. fter lunch, riders are taken by 4WD to a single-track descent from Leaning Rock - an area of monolithic rock formations.

Leisure

• The more leisurely cyclist can enjoy the 8.5km stretch of the new Gibbston River Trail, with spectacular views of the Kawarau River, and a panoramic mountain backdrop.

• A new option for this summer is a back-country ride along the western shores of Lake Wakatipu, starting with a 45-minute cruise aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw. The 50km trail is the first leg of Queenstown's Around The Mountains cycleway and takes in spectacular scenery from Mount Nicolas and Walter Peak high country farms through beech forest and alpine tussock, to Mavora Lakes. The trail can be done independently, or riders can experience two to three hours of it, in a small group, with an experienced guide and van travel option.

• The new Manse Road trail is an easy way to explore Arrowtown and offers diversions through to the Chinese Village and the Arrowtown Millennium Walkway and Bush Creek.

• Another gentle scenic option is Jardine Park which has been specially developed for families. The park is located on Kelvin Heights Peninsula and also connects to the popular Kelvin Heights and Jacks Point trails.

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