Mount Buller new EPIC trail

[Big Tim]

Forgot about the signs. They are good but in some spots easy to miss. Just take your time and take a map. Really all in all not a hard place to get out of. That circuit road (look it up before you go) goes from the bottom of Stirling up to Craigs hut (Man from SNowy River) If you hit that road/ track its easy to get yourself back out again. Its kind of hard to get lost.

Enjoy.

 

[gnarly_rider]

Did Epic for the first time yesterday. That trail is glorious. The climb is hard but really its just the stonefly climb that's hard. Its slow and technical, especially for a big heavy bugger on a big 29er. I did the stonefly decent and then took the circuit road around to telephone box junction. Met 3 people on that morning who all recommended that I do it that way as its a nicer ride.

I reckon that is the ONLY way to do the Epic; I have no idea why anyone would climb Stonefly, then descend on the fire-road :frusty: .

 

[Big JD]

Forgot about the signs. They are good but in some spots easy to miss. Just take your time and take a map. Really all in all not a hard place to get out of. That circuit road (look it up before you go) goes from the bottom of Stirling up to Craigs hut (Man from SNowy River) If you hit that road/ track its easy to get yourself back out again. Its kind of hard to get lost.

Enjoy.

Hey Big Tim
Did you see my mates Chris and David on new Yeti FS?

 

[moorey]

I reckon that is the ONLY way to do the Epic; I have no idea why anyone would climb Stonefly, then descend on the fire-road :frusty: .

Yeah, challenges are shit. It's only a short fire road, stop looking to justify being too much of a pussy to climb :whistle:

 

[mtb101]

after all its a ...... 'XC epic trail' not drive to descents and bomb down. you have to go through pain of climbing to really appreciate the fantastic descent and overall ride experience of the 50k ride.

of course each to their own if you're enjoying it wtf, and I did ride back up to buller so maybe that's not normal.:doh:

 

[gnarly_rider]

Yeah, challenges are shit. It's only a short fire road, stop looking to justify being too much of a pussy to climb :whistle:

Yup Moorey. Just like your ability to read my post in context seems to be a challenge for you...

I was agreeing with Big Tim that climbing Stonefly then descending the fire road is crazy. As he did, climbing Stonefly, then descending Stonefly, then climbing the Circuit road is the way to go...


Or is the too soft for you as well?

 

[moorey]

Yup Moorey. Just like your ability to read my post in context seems to be a challenge for you...

I was agreeing with Big Tim that climbing Stonefly then descending the fire road is crazy. As he did, climbing Stonefly, then descending Stonefly, then climbing the Circuit road is the way to go...


Or is the too soft for you as well?

Reading is for softies:behindsofa:

 

[Big Tim]

Sorry dont remember the Yeti's. I was getting tired and not noticing bikes.

Actually went back up there last weekend did Epic on Friday with some mates, then did a 4WD shuttle to the downhill section of Epic got another 4 runs on that for Saturday.

Followed by very tired downhills on the chairlift for Sunday.

Great weekend out and fun had by all. Yes I know I cheated but that Epic downhill is way too good and only superman could do it twice in one day.

I hope I can get one more run in before they close it this year.

Enjoy it everyone.

 

[Big Tim]

Moorey. I did the climb, just didnt do the fire track back down, I did Stonefly back down.

Keep on smiling.

 

[moorey]

Moorey. I did the climb, just didnt do the fire track back down, I did Stonefly back down.

Keep on smiling.

I dunno. I'm watching you.

I would rather not see it shuttled and multiple runs on DH bikes, only because it will blow the descent trail out quickly. Even on my second loop, the day after opening, it was a dust bowl with brake ruts starting. I don't think it was meant for heavy traffic. My 2c

 

[waldog]

I dunno. I'm watching you.

I would rather not see it shuttled and multiple runs on DH bikes, only because it will blow the descent trail out quickly. Even on my second loop, the day after opening, it was a dust bowl with brake ruts starting. I don't think it was meant for heavy traffic. My 2c

It hurts to agree with you, but I also would hate to see the Epic descent become a shuttle bitch. It's not the greatest descent around, but it's a tasty reward for the hard work of the rest of the climbing and such.

It will die a very fast death if it gets shuttled constantly.

My 3c

 

[Big JD]

Epic is a rewarding mtb challenge

rode Epic on Saturday for the first time. It was a real challenge for me with less than ideal fitness, christmas kilos and a lack of bike time. I really enjoyed the experience as a whole and was please to make it with little fuss. Loved the last downhill, enjoyed the coffee at TBJ and found peace with Stonefly climb. I simply went at my own pace and it was absolutely fine- it wasnt a race. Some of the fitter riders in our group pushed on and waited at the top but it wasnt too long a wait they say. My mate did it on a SS- super effort.
Ideally it would be great to have a ST descent from top of Stonefly (Sterling) instead of the fire road and the climb out of TBJ is alittle demoralizing- especially the last rocky fire road. If I look at its entirety- it is a great MTBing experience/ trail.
Now that I have done it I know what to expect and can pace/ push myself more. I would suggest people simply follow the route- dont ride the fire road to TBJ, eat really well and go at your own pace.
To be honest- i didnt think i would make it but it was fine- hard work but very rewarding.

 

[shake_rattle_and_ roll]

How long did you guys take to complete the Epic doing the Stonefly climb/descent & Circuit Rd route, Big Tim (or anyone else who's done the same route)?

Just trying to get a gauge how long it'll take for a group of us that'll be up there at the end of the month. Going to be 9 guys & girls with a mixed range of abilities (intermediate riders would best describe the 2 least experienced in the group). There'll undoubtedly be gas-bagging, arse-scratching & general waiting for fellow riders at varying points (+ the food/drink stop that people will want to do), so am weighing up making the most of the climb i.e. descend the group via Stonefly, or just descending the fire road as marked in order to avoid it being a 7h protracted affair. Would it be a fair guess the alt route via Stonefly descent/ Climbing Circuit Rd to TBJ adds 45+min to the overall Epic time? The saving grace for our planned Epic adventure on the Sunday is that given we're staying in Sawmill Settlement our route effectively will end at Carters Rd after the last long descent.

Likewise those who've stayed in Sawmill & ridden to Mirimbah (end of Epic trail), roughly how long does it take to ride that endsection along the river to the Mirimbah gate/shuttle? Last time we stayed in Sawmill the Epic hadn't been completed & subsequently we had to ride the main road to & from, which sucked balls. Loving the prospect of actually being able to ride some nice trail to the shuttle pick up for those who are renting houses off the mountain.

 

[moorey]

Nice work JD. Second time is a lot easier too. You remember it being harder and longer....and before you know it, it's over.

Shakes, first time was 3h 20m of riding time for full loop from the village, including riding up sterling summit. Second loop was with a bit slower crew, no summit, and around the same time.

 

[Travis22]

Hi BigJD, your Epic experience sounds identical to mine. It was all in all a magnificent ride with lots of highs and lows haha. I spent my first Epic ride trying to hold back for fear of not making it and not having any idea what lay ahead, when it was all over i was quite dissapointed it was finished but at the same time i was sure knackered. When i did the Stonefly climb for my 2nd time recently i smashed my first time and i hope next time i do the full Epic it will go much the same.

When doing the Epic trail we didnt do the Stonefly descent (the people i was with had had a bad experience previously with a very busy (4wd traffic) cct rd which equaled a horrible dust filled nightmare for them so i guess you just have to pick your weekend. Ive since ridden the full stonefly trail and then taken the cct road around to the River trail and honestly when riding Epic in the future i really couldnt care less if i did the stonefly descent or not it really doesnt change the overall enjoyment level for me.

Shake rattle and roll, as long as the less experienced riders in your group enjoy pain and misery they will be fine that said im sure there have been many groups out there that have spent 7+ hours out there.

I think your estimates are pretty close, stonefly descent will add 10-15min and then the ride around on cct rd another 20-30min depending on the speed of the group. From Carters rd the final stretch along the river to Mirimbah is only another 10minutes or so.

Travis.

 

[Travis22]

That is, 7 hours riding time i mean

In the all of 2 times ive ridden the Stonefly climb both times we passed 'families' with a mix of kmart bikes and high end bikes and some of them looked to be really really hating life. Im sure i might look a bit the same but really inside im loving it (mentally that is, physically im struggling to survive!)

Personally i wouldnt take anyone out there who isnt a really keen mountain biker (keen as in really enjoys mtb riding and willing to give anything a go) and make sure they are well aware of what they are undertaking. And make sure they have adequate / basic spare parts etc for their bikes.

Travis.

 

[moorey]

That is, 7 hours riding time i mean

In the all of 2 times ive ridden the Stonefly climb both times we passed 'families' with a mix of kmart bikes and high end bikes and some of them looked to be really really hating life. Im sure i might look a bit the same but really inside im loving it (mentally that is, physically im struggling to survive!)

Personally i wouldnt take anyone out there who isnt a really keen mountain biker (keen as in really enjoys mtb riding and willing to give anything a go) and make sure they are well aware of what they are undertaking. And make sure they have adequate / basic spare parts etc for their bikes.

Travis.

I reckon you could push the whole trail in 7hrs. I'm far from a fast rider, with intermediate fitness, on a longer travel bike. Was closer to 4h of actual time, with mates flats and waiting for stragglers. Definitely bring along a few tubes, tools, plenty of water and a first aid kit. Would be a slow walk out if needed.

 

[shake_rattle_and_ roll]

Thanks for the heads-up. To be honest I've banked on it being a 6hr day any way we cut it. The lesser experienced in the group are our significant others (& a friend of theirs in particular) but thankfully Strommy & I have dragged them along on other lengthy/full day point-to-point rides like the Moerangi Tk in NZ, which didn't result in too many tears. The girls are all enthusiastic mtbers & given their past experience with us I'm hoping that they'll still be pumped for it by the Stonefly climb mid-point. Believe it or not doing a group run of the Epic is actually my girlfriend's brainchild as part of her 30th birthday celebrations...I mean seriously, who am I to say no to such an idea? Given the group email correspondence & how many times I've caught her on her phone scoping out the Buller trail maps this last week, I get a sense that for us 5 guys this time around we're merely mules for spares, first aid & encouraging words during the hurty points.

 

[Big JD]

Hi Shakes

It took us 5.5 hours from village to shuttle bus- including plenty of stops, photos, the odd stack, lunch at TBJ and a swim at the end. aim at 6 hours and take your time - make it fun and the challenge will be for everyone. The good thing about the Epic is that there is something for everyone - even the descent from Sterling was fun. Making some of the climbs was also rewarding.
I did it with 5 others- met lots of folks along the way. Picked up a soloist along the way. All of us were on hard tails and two On SS.
You must ride Misty Twist and Clancys Run off Corn Hill- killer trails

 

[Big Tim]

I dunno. I'm watching you.

I would rather not see it shuttled and multiple runs on DH bikes, only because it will blow the descent trail out quickly. Even on my second loop, the day after opening, it was a dust bowl with brake ruts starting. I don't think it was meant for heavy traffic. My 2c

Yep fair call. It was a once off. Not downhill bikes either. I ride an all mountain/ cross country. I dont think downhill bikes would go so well on that track.