Pinewood Lodge's summer transition to specialty mountain-biker accommodation has paid off, with little space to spare says Mitchey Greig, the driving force behind the change.
During summer - the first one the ski-cross athlete had seen in nine years - Greig (23) and her boyfriend turned the lodge owned by her parents into a "bike-in, bike-out" hang-out.
The lodge offered a full rental service, with workshop, cleaning facilities and "lots of space", space Greig said filled up quickly as word of mouth spread among visiting bikers.
"We have seen heaps and heaps of bikers coming through, and lots of them from Australia," Greig said.
"We've even had people asking where they can store their bikes and then fly in for a few days at a time and fly back out again."
She said the transition to specifically catering for mountain bikers had been an easy one given the space already available for storing ski gear, and thought the timing for the change was perfect.
"There's a massive mountain-biking culture starting to form and the best part about it is that all of these visitors are saying they are going to return ... they just enjoy how easy it is to get around and just how much diversity there is in a small area."
Greig thought the strong season would carry on well into autumn, boosted by events such as the Queenstown Bike Festival, which starts at the end of this month, and the "big names" at last month's Red Bull Roast It! bike jam.
However, for now, she is looking forward to a trip to Whistler, Colorado, to try on her skis again in preparation for the slopes this southern hemisphere winter.
"If there is something to offer in New Zealand in ski-cross, then I think I'll be doing that and some of the big mountain skiing, but we'll definitely be keeping the mountain biking going."
