Great long weekend there. Did Saturday to Tuesday. Legs and hands are still feeling it. Wishing I was back there.
Very easy and straightforward setup. Line up for a 12 seater van, head to the top in about 20 mins and ride down.
You can get 4 runs in easily per day. More if you skip lunch and how many vans they have running.
The shuttle wait ranged from zero to 20 minutes. I found I waited longer on the Tuesday where the park was very quiet and they didn't have many shuttle drivers running vs the busy weekend.
First two days were sunny and very dry, last two had rain from the top to the start of the 3rd section.
As everyone has said, the trails are awesome. Great variety of flow and technical trails. More catered for intermediate riders as the unavoidable blues can get pretty rocky and steep for a beginner.
Gave all the trails up to half of the double blacks a go. Some quite steep and tight but a blast to ride down. Nothing like I have ridden before locally. Sussed out some of the pro trails, saw some of the features ... yeah nah maybe next year hah.
Some of the steeper blacks and double blacks are pretty f*@cked if it's raining. Pure slick mud. Still ridable with speed, just need tyres that grip and clear mud well. MMs & DHR2 is what I'd recommend.
In terms of travel, you'd want 160mm at a minimum if you plan on tackling most of the trails. I took my Specialized Enduro.
King brown, Natures Nectar, Funky Cold Maydena and the Local were my favourite trails.
The Local -> Maydena Hits (minus the last jump HA) -> South Crescent were really good for improving jumping skills. Very well groomed and a big variety of speeds and angles of jumps.
Hired a Sender on the last day. Felt a bit easier but I didn't quite get the suspension dialled in so it wasn't a wow difference.
I noticed that they didn't reset their suspension settings after each hire (eg wind everything to the middle after each hire), so you'll be using the previous rider's settings. Just something to keep an eye on if you bring someone who isn't very savvy in that department.
Tyres wise they run DHR2 3C DH on front and rear.
Torques won't be in till another month or two.
Not sure about the Strive tyres.
There is an optional crash insurance of $30.
The food they serve is really good. Get the pizzas and baguettes. Good variety of beers and cider on tap.
Staff are super friendly and helpful.
If you're going for 3+ consecutive days, please note there is discounted pricing on their site. What isn't mentioned is that the discount isn't automatically applied and there is a unique coupon code for each number of days you're staying that you need.
eg for 5 days its '5dayscon', 3 days its '3dayscon' etc, if I remember correctly.
Couple key points:
- Bring a full face helmet, goggles and pads.
- Pack a riding jacket. The top when rainy and windy can feel below 5.
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Make sure your brakes are working 100%. Not being able to slow down confidently is something you don't want to worry about. Bring spare pads too just incase.
- Bring chain lube as the bike wash at the bottom has cleaning spray which is a degreaser (not that you'll be doing much pedalling)
- Chuck some grippy tyres on
- Arrive a bit early to get your passes for the day, coffee and get in the queue.
- You can leave water and snacks in a bag at base if you don't feel like taking a camelbak.
- No showers there but there is a bathroom with a changeroom/foot sink to wash your legs.
- Get your groceries in Hobart just after you land.
- Budget hire has 3 seater vans or 4 door utes which are reasonably priced. Roof bike racks are also an option for other cars. Make sure you check the deals/coupon page for free extra days or upgrades.
- My bike + check in was 30kg on the way in and 35kg on the way out (wet gear)
- Have a blast!
I cannot recommend this place enough. Definitely will be back there.
