Mount Buller new EPIC trail

Markee

Markee

Likes Dirt
Just a note to everyone. I rode the Epic last weekend, and yes it was, but we planned on refuelling at TBJ but once we arrived around 4pm, maybe earlier, it was closed.
Thoroughly disappointed and very, very lucky we weren't relying on it for food!
Make sure you check before you leave Buller and not just their webpage, is where I believe I got their open times from.
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
Markee said:
Just a note to everyone. I rode the Epic last weekend, and yes it was, but we planned on refuelling at TBJ but once we arrived around 4pm, maybe earlier, it was closed.
Thoroughly disappointed and very, very lucky we weren't relying on it for food!
Make sure you check before you leave Buller and not just their webpage, is where I believe I got their open times from.
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Could you still access water there?

Did you finish under lights? I would imagine 4pm at TBJ at this time of year is getting pretty late?
 
Markee

Markee

Likes Dirt
John U said:
Could you still access water there?

Did you finish under lights? I would imagine 4pm at TBJ at this time of year is getting pretty late?
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Not sure as we didn't need too. No we didn't finish under lights but got back to Mirimbah at 5:30. My time of around 4pm @ TBJ may be a little off, could've been earlier. Would have to check Garmiin/Stra a to be exact.
 
slowmick

slowmick

38-39"
Saturday 18 April
Min 5
Max 8
Rain. Possible heavy falls.
Cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of rain, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Heavy falls exceeding 90 mm possible. Winds northwesterly 45 to 55 km/h decreasing to 30 to 40 km/h in the morning then tending westerly 20 to 30 km/h in the early afternoon.

Sunday 19 April
Min 1
Max 3
Showers or snow at times.
Partly cloudy. Medium (60%) chance of showers or snow, most likely in the morning. Winds southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h tending southerly 20 to 25 km/h during the morning then tending southeasterly during the evening.

Snorkels, wet suits and snow shoes gents?

Glad i am not the only silly one heading up this weekend. I'll the be the fat bloke on a red enduro.
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
Geez Mick, that sounds like a fuckin' lot of rain on Saturday.

Shortly after they first put the log bridges in across the Delatite there was a big down pour which took all of the bridges out. I don't think they ever recovered the logs.

If it pours be careful.
 
slowmick

slowmick

38-39"
thanks John for the heads up. will be a sensible weekend this week. mostly going to look at the downhill trails to see if i am game to race on them the following week. track 1 for the gravity enduro is international. kinda scares me a little...
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
slowmick said:
thanks John for the heads up. will be a sensible weekend this week. mostly going to look at the downhill trails to see if i am game to race on them the following week. track 1 for the gravity enduro is international. kinda scares me a little...
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I used to ride all the trails on a 160mm AM bike. Stacked a few times on international getting caught up on rocks that I thought I was going to roll over. I then bought a 3rd hand downhill bike and it is a lot easier to ride, although there is still a couple of corners I haven't made yet.

Good luck. Practice will make a big difference.
 
O

orco

Likes Bikes
gnarly_rider said:
So if you were to do the Mirimbah Cafe shuttle to TBJ, that would obviously eliminate the 'boring' 100% fire trail descent from Stonefly.

How would that stack up/rate as a ride then? Obviously still a lot of climbing, but at least it would remove the whole "I've just climbed Stonefly, now I lose all that elevation on $%^#@ firetrack!!! Fark!!!"

From what I've read thus far, my preference is still to do the 'traditional' Buller XC loop of Corn Hill/Silk Lane/Stonefly out and back (getting both Stonefly and Corn Hill descents). Then on another day shuttle to TBJ, climb/descend the 'end' of Epic, then finish with Delatite or Klingsporn runs...
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Being someone who prefers downhill than uphill, my only goal is to get to that sweet decent in the fastest and easiest way. So in saying that, could I just skip stonefly altogether and take the circuit rd up to TBJ?
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
orco said:
Being someone who prefers downhill than uphill, my only goal is to get to that sweet decent in the fastest and easiest way. So in saying that, could I just skip stonefly altogether and take the circuit rd up to TBJ?
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There's still a fair climb from TBJ. If you want to minimise the climbing and maximise the descents then the shuttle from Mirimbah to TBJ would be a good option.

If you ride the whole epic from Buller there's about 1000m of climbing overall. It almost takes you to the top of Stirling. A fair amount of the descent from the high point on Stirling to TBJ (from what I can remember) is fire road. Good fun though.
 
T

Travis22

Likes Dirt
I rode Epic a couple weeks back for the first time. Reading about it everyone talks about the Stonefly climb thus after which i though i was as good as home free. Of course i expected lots more ups and downs after it but the climb after TBJ was soul destroying ;)

It didnt help that it was stinking hot, very dry and dusty and exposed fireroad and now that ive done it once i hope it wont be quite as tough next time round but again, ill say i found the Stonefly climb challanging but enjoyable. The climb after TBJ was sh!t.

Travis.
 
O

orco

Likes Bikes
Travis22 said:
I rode Epic a couple weeks back for the first time. Reading about it everyone talks about the Stonefly climb thus after which i though i was as good as home free. Of course i expected lots more ups and downs after it but the climb after TBJ was soul destroying ;)

It didnt help that it was stinking hot, very dry and dusty and exposed fireroad and now that ive done it once i hope it wont be quite as tough next time round but again, ill say i found the Stonefly climb challanging but enjoyable. The climb after TBJ was sh!t.

Travis.
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How long was the climb after tbj? I understand it is fireroad but not very steep, just long and boring which I am fine with given the descent is all I care for.
 
T

Travis22

Likes Dirt
According to Strava it was 12.4km from TBJ to the top of 'the' descent. Took us around an hour and a half, including a few good rests in the limited shade along the way! (Worst of it is towards the end once you get out of the trees, also a few steep pinches out there).

I guess it wouldnt be so bad if thats the start of your ride but for me it wasnt really boring as such it just hurt! Lol.

There is vehicle access beyond TBJ but i dont know the rds/tks but we did pass some guys in a 4wd ute with more DH looking bikes. I think they started riding after the 'gate' out there. Still a fair bit of the climb to do before the big descent but they might have cut 4-5km of the 12.4km out of it.

Travis.
 
O

orco

Likes Bikes
Travis22 said:
According to Strava it was 12.4km from TBJ to the top of 'the' descent. Took us around an hour and a half, including a few good rests in the limited shade along the way! (Worst of it is towards the end once you get out of the trees, also a few steep pinches out there).

I guess it wouldnt be so bad if thats the start of your ride but for me it wasnt really boring as such it just hurt! Lol.

There is vehicle access beyond TBJ but i dont know the rds/tks but we did pass some guys in a 4wd ute with more DH looking bikes. I think they started riding after the 'gate' out there. Still a fair bit of the climb to do before the big descent but they might have cut 4-5km of the 12.4km out of it.

Travis.
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Thanks for the info Travis. Yeah for me personally, I dont see the point of adding the Stonefly climb only to be rewarded with a fireroad descent, followed by another 12km of climbing. Think Ill just take the Circuit Rd to TBJ and go from there.
 
B

Big Tim

Likes Dirt
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.

The ride from TBJ to the start of the epic downhill is just a long slow grind. As you are getting to the top and cursing you start to wonder, why did I do this. Then the downhill starts and its glorious. Easily the best track I've ever ridden, fast and technical enough to scare the crap out of you in spots.

I'm back up there next weekend with some mates for a downhill weekend but I will definitely be doing the downhill part of Epic again. Its a great ride.

By the way if you cant climb and do a 50k distance like say an Otways odyssey. Don't take the whole thing on. That downhill is fast and its easy to stuff up. If your really tired at the top take a rest at least before you start down. Its a lot of fun though. Couldnt wipe the smile from my face on the way back. Well worth it.

Enjoy all of you.
 
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