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Queenstown Bike Park, New Zealand

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Queenstown Bike Park Down Under

Queenstown in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island is recognised by many as the extreme sports capital of the world, so it wasn’t long before Queenstown’s mountain bike community started eye-balling the Skyline Gondola on the edge of town. Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown’s stunning scenery is inspirational for outdoor sports enthusiasts so it was only a matter of time before a bike park showed up! The Queenstown Bike Park is part of the Ben Lomond Recreational Reserve and is built on a steep pine-covered hill called Bob’s Peak (anyone know who BoB was?). The Gondola, which opened to mountain bikes in 2011, will take you and your bike up to 790 meters above sea level (2590 ft), giving you 500m (1640 ft) of vertical to play with on the trails back down into the town.

The trails vary from fast bermed and groomed trails to off-camber goat tracks, rock gardens, and natural single track, and as you would expect there are trails for beginners, intermediates and advanced riders. The recommended first run of the day is Hammy's Track. Built specifically for the opening of the Bike Park and works as a great introduction to downhill riding, suitable for all abilities, with a mellow gradient and wide, smooth corners. Will also warm you up nicely as at 6km long it's the longest trail at the bike park. At the other end of the scale, the World Cup trail features extreme freeride terrain and is littered with drops, gap jumps, and steep technical riding; everything you would expect from a trail with that name. For experienced riders only!

The park has been a labour of love for many people, with collaboration between the Queenstown Lakes District Council, the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club with it's many volunteers and Skyline Queenstown. If you were struggling for a reason to visit New Zealand, (but let’s face it there are already plenty) then the world class bike trails at Queenstown Bike Park, set to make it New Zealand's premier mountain bike destination, must surely convince you to get over there.

Bike Park Quick Facts

 

  • Peak Elevation................790m
  • Vertical descent..............500m
  • Total Trails...........................14
  • Beginner Trails......................1
  • Intermediate Trails................4
  • Advanced Trails....................4
  • Expert Trails..........................5
  • Longest Trail.....................6km

 

Who better to show you around than New Zealand local and Queenstown rider Kelly McGarry. You really should listen to a man that can back flip the 72 foot canyon gap at Red Bull Rampage...

And another pretty awesome video, from the FASTFOKUS team again with Kelly McGarry...

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