Mount Buller new EPIC trail

gnarly_rider

gnarly_rider

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Again, can't find a thread on this (though likely buried away in a generic Buller thread?)

The Mt Buller Mt Stirling IMBA EPIC Mountain Bike Trail project involves the construction of a 40.39km trail that will offer visitors to the region a long distance, cross-country descending ride, providing stunning views across the Victorian High Country. The proposed trail crosses terrain within the Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Resorts (managed by Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management), Mansfield State Forest (managed by DSE) and the Mt Russell Education Area (managed by Parks Victoria).
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From http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Summer/Bike-Buller/Epic-Mountain-Bike-Trail-Project

Mt Buller Epic Trail – The Numbers

The significance of this project is huge, considering that the funding has been provided on a federal level and matched by the Mt Buller Mt Stirling Management. This is also a large chunk of investment to an already impressive trail network, where Mt Buller ambitiously want to have the best mountain bike trails in Australia and take on the world as global player within the premier mountain bike destinations.

A snap shot of the numbers paints the picture of an impressive large scale trail project:

- 40Km (25 miles) of trail

- 29Km (18 miles) of hand built singletrack

- 1000m (3280 ft) elevation drop

- 15Km (9 miles) descent

- $250,000 Epic trail investment

- Close to $1m already invested in mountain bike trails at Mt Buller
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From http://www.rideguideblog.co/2013/02/08/mt-buller-epic-mountain-biking-where-the-trail-begins/ 8 Feb 2013

Can't find a printed map of the route, except a screen grab from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JLZS9UBn4aE

MB1.jpg

Anyone know how to BIG embedded images?
 
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retroenduro

retroenduro

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Ben talked of this a long time ago. Im stoked he has now got it up and running. Will be an awesome addition to the area. Plus Buller needs to stay on top for MTB seeing as Falls Creek and every other resort is now trying to get a piece of the pie apparently.

Looks like its follows alot of the existing trails tho, it would be great to know where the new singletrack will be. Currently it looks like it uses big parts of gang gangs, stonefly and the plain creek track and then all the existing XC ski trails.

Would be good to also continue a trail along the Delatite to Merrijig and to allow riding down the west ridge (now that would be a technical descent!) into the back of sawmill.
 
gnarly_rider

gnarly_rider

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Just bumping this, with link to the official map below. Also as the Epic trail is not a DH track, I've always found it odd it's discussion is 'over there' in the DH section :biggrin1::

Official Buller updated trail map:

http://bike.mtbuller.com.au/images/MTB Map 2014-15.pdf


As well as the topo map for people like me who want a bit more detail (i.e. where does the epic utilise existing 4WD tracks).

http://www.mtbuller.com.au/uploads/file/Epic_Bike_Ride_Route_Map_Edited01.jpg

Also borrowed from GregP's post in DH section, profile of the whole Epic:
 

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Koper25

Koper25

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Thinking of heading down to Buller this weekend. Taking my Process 153, so I can ride everything. Planning on checking out the Epic while I'm there and possibly adding in the Stonefly decent if it's fun/worth it. Thoughts?
 
gnarly_rider

gnarly_rider

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The Stonefly descent is awesome!. But if you are intending do the full epic, that may mean climbing Stonefly twice?
 
Koper25

Koper25

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Yeah I know that means I'll have to do the climb twice. That's why I'm checking to see if the Stonefly descent is worth it :p
 
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ag1

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The epic is more than enough climbing for one day.
why not do stone fly one day with misty/corn hill/delatite and epic on another?
 
Zac Hinton

Zac Hinton

St Bernard
OMG, a sh*tload of climbing. I was not expecting that (should have done more research). The descent was long and fun but not worth it for the leg busting climb (for my fitness). I would not do it again personally. I was so knackered from the climb I couldn't make the most of the descent. Definitely suited to very fit XC riders only, IMO. The scenery was very appealing, and the soil was great. And wearing a full a face helmet was an Epic fail. More food, have a big rest along the way would have been a better option.

When you get to the log with ENJOY carved into it, you are at the descent. After that there is still a flat section that takes quite a while to get back to the Mirimbah Cafe. If the descent was accessible via shuttle it would be killer.

I inhaled a burger at Mirambah cafe afterwards, that is a great spot for a feed.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1418529332.277041.jpg
 
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G

gregp

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The Stonefly climb is a known quantity. I'm guessing the serious climbing people are talking about is in the section circled in red after the TBJ? It looks benign relative to the overall profile, so guess it is peppered with lots of shorter climbs with steep gradients? Hovering over this section seem to support this, I saw gradients of 20-36% flash on the screen as I dragged the mouse across it...

How much fire road is there on the Epic after you leave Stonefly?



EPIC2.jpg
 
gnarly_rider

gnarly_rider

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gregp said:
The Stonefly climb is a known quantity. I'm guessing the serious climbing people are talking about is in the section circled in red after the TBJ? It looks benign relative to the overall profile, so guess it is peppered with lots of shorter climbs with steep gradients? Hovering over this section seem to support this, I saw gradients of 20-36% flash on the screen as I dragged the mouse across it...

How much fire road is there on the Epic after you leave Stonefly?



View attachment 304158
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Looks like you pretty much climb the equivalent of Stonefly again...
 
R

rowanb

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gregp said:
How much fire road is there on the Epic after you leave Stonefly?
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Lots. From the top of Stonefly, it's fire road to Telehone Box Junction (yes, all that downhill is wide open fire road), then fire road climbing, about 500m of singletrack, more fire road... and eventually a flowy singletrack descent for a few kms. Then it's back to fire road... with a final 3km or so of new singletrack heading back up the river to Mirimbah. I was surprised how little new trail there was, and how much followed existing old roads.

My suggestion to make it a bit more fun is to ride the whole Stonefly loop, and once you get back to Howqua gap, take Circuit Rd across to TBJ and rejoin the "Epic" there. At least then you get a singletrack descent for all the climbing.

Edit: Strava here, though it got lost at the end somehow...
http://app.strava.com/activities/229172672
 
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T

Timbot

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Good climb

Zac Hinton said:
OMG, a sh*tload of climbing. I was not expecting that (should have done more research). The descent was long and fun but not worth it for the leg busting climb (for my fitness). I would not do it again personally. I was so knackered from the climb I couldn't make the most of the descent. Definitely suited to very fit XC riders only, IMO. The scenery was very appealing, and the soil was great. And wearing a full a face helmet was an Epic fail. More food, have a big rest along the way would have been a better option.

When you get to the log with ENJOY carved into it, you are at the descent. After that there is still a flat section that takes quite a while to get back to the Mirimbah Cafe. If the descent was accessible via shuttle it would be killer.

I inhaled a burger at Mirambah cafe afterwards, that is a great spot for a feed.View attachment 304144
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I thought the climb was well spaced with next to no pinch climbs and the fire road sections were not too steep so you could mac it without using your brakes much and as for the final decent.Mega.
 
Duane

Duane

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rowanb said:
I was surprised how little new trail there was, and how much followed existing old roads.
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Same. Didn't find the climbing overly difficult, just the amount of fireroad quite boring, and a lot of wasted descending on roads.

The sort of ride I'd do annually but as fun as the decent was I'm not chomping at the bit to ride "epic" fireroads to get there.

I think the descent if built on Buller could have had people flocking to the mountain to shuttle it, with all the boring shit to get there I think they have missed the mark. Epic 42kms it wasn't, about 10 to 12 kms of good existing, 10 to 12 of good new, the rest is fireroad climbing and descending.
 
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Timbot

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Duane said:
Same. Didn't find the climbing overly difficult, just the amount of fireroad quite boring, and a lot of wasted descending on roads.

The sort of ride I'd do annually but as fun as the decent was I'm not chomping at the bit to ride "epic" fireroads to get there.

I think the descent if built on Buller could have had people flocking to the mountain to shuttle it, with all the boring shit to get there I think they have missed the mark. Epic 42kms it wasn't, about 10 to 12 kms of good existing, 10 to 12 of good new, the rest is fireroad climbing and descending.
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If that big decent was on buller and "shuttlable"then it would get flogged to death by DH bikes and the like.This way it will remain in good nic.
 
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rowanb

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Timbot said:
If that big decent was on buller and "shuttlable"then it would get flogged to death by DH bikes and the like.This way it will remain in good nic.
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Not sure I quite follow the logic there. Build an expensive ($750,000!!!) trail, and design it so that a lot of people are excluded from riding it? Doesn't seem to make much business sense.
 
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