Buller 2015/16
- Thread starter chamboy
- Start date
NoFilter
Likes Dirt
Rode it yesterday and it was primo. Massive improvements to the top section of international making it flow really well and the mid section of abom with more jump features. Huge thanks to the build team it is riding really nicely. Haven't ridden any if the xc/am stuff this year yet, but looking forward to hitting it up. Well worth the journey!
As for your question about over40's riding DH, there would have been at least 10 of us old timers there yesterday, I rode everything on my nomad and it was fine.
As for your question about over40's riding DH, there would have been at least 10 of us old timers there yesterday, I rode everything on my nomad and it was fine.
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Thanks mate..
Looking forward to riding up there.
Improvements on both tracks were desperately needed, more flow on international will be sick for an old man like me.
Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
Just got back after a few days riding and one wash out. Overall had a great time, talking shit at the lodge mostly.
A more honest view of buller incoming;
Honestly, its the same old shit at buller, token efforts with a load of gravel strewn everywhere. If there was no chairlift, the place would be deserted, except for the exceptionally good XC tracks.
Top of International flows a lot better and is much easier on a smaller travel bike, but not dumbed down as someone else on here stated.
More gravel on Abom, slippery/shitter than last year - might be great if you like gravel berms and no proper effort on track maintenance. once your in the trees it's great.
After the efforts to fix a few things on copperhead, it's still shithouse, who designed and maintains this pile shit? the 'experimental gravel' surface is shit, dangerous and not particularly fun to ride. Quite a few places where the track needs some serious work or realignment, witnessed about a dozen crashes on there (top and mid section) by novice to intermediate riders (lowside after losing the front), mostly due to the gravel and piss poor designed reducing radius off camber corners, isn't this meant to be a flow trail... designed for novice/intermediate riders? then they put in some complete hacks of jumps mid way down... almost like some teenagers have done some digging after dark the quality is so piss poor.
Ususally make it up for three trips most summers, wont be going back this time unless its for some XC and delatite, thank you for the other resorts that are giving us more options.
A more honest view of buller incoming;
Honestly, its the same old shit at buller, token efforts with a load of gravel strewn everywhere. If there was no chairlift, the place would be deserted, except for the exceptionally good XC tracks.
Top of International flows a lot better and is much easier on a smaller travel bike, but not dumbed down as someone else on here stated.
More gravel on Abom, slippery/shitter than last year - might be great if you like gravel berms and no proper effort on track maintenance. once your in the trees it's great.
After the efforts to fix a few things on copperhead, it's still shithouse, who designed and maintains this pile shit? the 'experimental gravel' surface is shit, dangerous and not particularly fun to ride. Quite a few places where the track needs some serious work or realignment, witnessed about a dozen crashes on there (top and mid section) by novice to intermediate riders (lowside after losing the front), mostly due to the gravel and piss poor designed reducing radius off camber corners, isn't this meant to be a flow trail... designed for novice/intermediate riders? then they put in some complete hacks of jumps mid way down... almost like some teenagers have done some digging after dark the quality is so piss poor.
Ususally make it up for three trips most summers, wont be going back this time unless its for some XC and delatite, thank you for the other resorts that are giving us more options.
binner
Hath shat hymself
Thank geebus someone told the truth
Yup, that says it all...... Been there and it was a fucking waste of money and time. The trails were shite, I mean who the fuck carries a bike up a fucking lift on your lap! And thinks it's safe. The nite life was non existant and why the hell do trail fairies work on trails in the middle of the day.....
I went once and won't be going back.....
If you want real trails and XC / enduro DH then save two seasons worth of cash for forking out on Aust and go to Vancouver.......
Yup, that says it all...... Been there and it was a fucking waste of money and time. The trails were shite, I mean who the fuck carries a bike up a fucking lift on your lap! And thinks it's safe. The nite life was non existant and why the hell do trail fairies work on trails in the middle of the day.....
I went once and won't be going back.....
If you want real trails and XC / enduro DH then save two seasons worth of cash for forking out on Aust and go to Vancouver.......
ajay
^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
Thank world trail for copperhead.
Thats some pretty harsh criticism. The team of guys that maintain buller has pretty limited resource, and work fucking hard with what they've got.
Abom shit? Come on. Theres one corner with gravel that makes it a bit loose, but it's a far cry better than the goat track that existed before it.
International is a great track, fast, flowly and rough. (Except that pesky wall ride at the end)
I hope you guys told the lift crew what you thought of their work.
Thats some pretty harsh criticism. The team of guys that maintain buller has pretty limited resource, and work fucking hard with what they've got.
Abom shit? Come on. Theres one corner with gravel that makes it a bit loose, but it's a far cry better than the goat track that existed before it.
International is a great track, fast, flowly and rough. (Except that pesky wall ride at the end)
I hope you guys told the lift crew what you thought of their work.
waldog
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just home from two days there.
In summary, loved it.
No DH, or lift accessed trails, just XC stuff. Usual suspects, stonefly, corn hill, epic, delatite... Etc...
Trails as great as ever, fast, flowy, then rough and fast, tough climbs, but all round good times.
Yes, there is no night life, can't argue with that. No solution either.
In summary, loved it.
No DH, or lift accessed trails, just XC stuff. Usual suspects, stonefly, corn hill, epic, delatite... Etc...
Trails as great as ever, fast, flowy, then rough and fast, tough climbs, but all round good times.
Yes, there is no night life, can't argue with that. No solution either.
Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
I did indeed tell them my thoughts, as blunt as I wrote it here.
The guy running the cafe closed an hour before the chairlift stopped, many a person wanting to but a beverage went without.
The old goat style track was good, if I want to ride on gravel I can do that a lot closer to Melbourne and cheaper too.
Issues / good things with Abom - as a paying customer, get someone to build some shit professionally (not world trail), piss all the gravel off, realign the track. I first raced it in 94, nostalgia is cool and all, but the entire top section is a decade past it's used by date. If they want more money in summer, they need to build better stuff, properly.
First jump is good.
First corner is a slippery piece of shit, shitty berm made of gravel. People crash here.
First straight, rhythm section is worn down - humps are there presumably to slow people down, they dont, then theres that random kicker right before the corner, and gravel, all gravel so far.
Next s bends, a lot better than last year even if they are gravel, they did well here.
Next two doubles that are now table tops, shit, what hack built these.
Next straight into the next jump and corner, more gravel but otherwise fun.
Straight leading towards the copperhead / abom junction needs a lot of work, its designed and maintenance is shit, off camber, but the track has significantly migrated down the slop - this bits boring and does nothing other than continue the trail.
Berm into Copperhead Abom junction - ruined, was good previous years - they decided to put a linking track into a berm area, stupid.
Next section, gravel, shit.
Jump in trees, great.
Landing from jump in trees, covered in gravel with a freakn hole where a berm should be, multiple crashes where witnessed here. Plain lazy and dangerous to leave the track like that.
Leaving the trees, left hand turn, shit, needs a real berm to continue some flow.
next two straights, shit, gravel, off camber, they offer nothing to the track.
Next few berms, shit, completely made of gravel, slippery, slow down of fly off the top of these shit berms.
Little drop off in trees is fine, except for the shit OH&S - star picket poking up and random treated pine on side.
Past the tbar area, two sweeping bends, used to be great, until the gravel was dumped everywhere.
Once you jump back into the trees, no more gravel, mostly a great bit of track.
Show off corner, track in migrating down hill as you exit the rock bermed section, soft dirt many a crash here.
My copperhead list is a lot longer
arty:
ajay
^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
I don't know man, that top section has been gravely since it's inception. The jumps on the straight are perfectly fine, previous to that it was a highspeed brakebump fest into a blown out corner, now no-one skids around that first right hander and it holds up really well - especially on a race weekend. The rest of those jumps along the traverse are just opportunities to pump.
I agree to a point that there are parts of the track that are far from ideal, and there is so much red tape preventing the trail crew from realigning it. That being said, if you don't like loose, sketchy and off camber parts on a DH track, I'd question whether you actually like DH? Do you prefer smooth groomed trails like the YouYangs style tracks (nothing against the Yangs, I quite enjoy riding out there)?
Copperhead... indeed, my list is probably as long as yours I think that is also the general feeling within the community.
I agree to a point that there are parts of the track that are far from ideal, and there is so much red tape preventing the trail crew from realigning it. That being said, if you don't like loose, sketchy and off camber parts on a DH track, I'd question whether you actually like DH? Do you prefer smooth groomed trails like the YouYangs style tracks (nothing against the Yangs, I quite enjoy riding out there)?
Copperhead... indeed, my list is probably as long as yours
I think that is also the general feeling within the community.
Mud Gecko
Likes Bikes
I'm up at Buller atm with a couple of mates. We are only interested in DH, so no xc for us. We're having a great time although there seems to be a lot of untapped potential as far as dh tracks go. I wouldn't class copperhead as a dh trail or even outlaw express for that matter, both of those tracks can easily be done on a 140-160mm travel bike. International is good, lots of rocks, good jumps and technically challenging. Abom is also pretty good. In my opinion, dh tracks should be loose, rough and hard to ride. What's the point in having a downhill bike if all tracks are smooth like bmx tracks?
I don't think I'd come back though, for the cost of being up here and only 2 good dh tracks there's not much incentive to return. Might go to Thredbo or NZ next time.
On the plus side the weather has been absolutely perfect. Time to go hit the tracks!
I don't think I'd come back though, for the cost of being up here and only 2 good dh tracks there's not much incentive to return. Might go to Thredbo or NZ next time.
On the plus side the weather has been absolutely perfect.
Time to go hit the tracks!
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Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
I don't know man, that top section has been gravely since it's inception. The jumps on the straight are perfectly fine, previous to that it was a highspeed brakebump fest into a blown out corner, now no-one skids around that first right hander and it holds up really well - especially on a race weekend. The rest of those jumps along the traverse are just opportunities to pump.
I agree to a point that there are parts of the track that are far from ideal, and there is so much red tape preventing the trail crew from realigning it. That being said, if you don't like loose, sketchy and off camber parts on a DH track, I'd question whether you actually like DH? Do you prefer smooth groomed trails like the YouYangs style tracks (nothing against the Yangs, I quite enjoy riding out there)?
Copperhead... indeed, my list is probably as long as yours
Interesting point about you yangs, ride there every second weekend (close to home), for a small hill, they have made the most of every piece of track and altitude lost - all in-house by MTB enthusiasts. But its a little too groomed, although that style of building there means it holds up really well to heavy use. I rate AM highly at youies and DH pretty reasonable.
My favourite DH trails at Buller are outlaw and yellow post, although they are kind of more AM technical and I quite enjoy off camber loose stuff, just not the neglected buller gravel style. Otherwise some of the XC descents are very nice.
teK--
Eats Squid
Yeah this.
First time down Abom, and a few rides into a new rig. Got booted over the bars off that kicker and broke my shoulder.
Zac Hinton
St Bernard
All the gravel added was a bit offputting, I agree. I hadn't ridden International in 15 years, and from I remember of it, it is much better now. Copperhead is my fav trail there, but yes, If You Yangs had more shuttles I think that would be more popular than Buller, given its location. Buller dirt is nice though