Mt Buller - All you need to know

Duff_Man

Likes Dirt
Ok ppl, i guess this post has become very out of date since i created like over two years ago....seems like only yesterday....soooooooooo what i am going to do is update it so that the information is more current and what not...as i am not sure about all the details atm i will get all you need to know and post it up as soon as i can....cheers.

jack

The tracks that are OPEN at Buller include (dh tracks this is) THE ABOM, INTERNATIONAL, YELLOWPOST and OUTLAW EXPRESS. Now these are the tracks that have been certified to be open and i would like to express one thing now, BAY 13 IS CLOSED.

As most people know the ABOM is the less advanced of the two tracks, it has had a considerable amount of rock armouring done to it over the last couple of months and has been due to many long days by myself, and many other people.

The INTERNATIONAL is the hardest track on the hill and has also had a large amount of work done to it, and will also have a large amount of work done to it to ready it for the nationals, including a series of B'Lines and many other sections built up and rock armoured. The wooden obstacles, that may seem pointless to some, are not at all. I know, I am myself not a fan of them in the track but they have be there.

Such obstacles have to be there due to:

1. Mountain bike's are not allowed to ride on trees
2. All native grass that is removed has to be re-planted
3. If ONE tree is cut down TEN have to be planted.
4. Heavy penatilies, and possibly large fines and jail terms can arise from not applying to such regulations.
5. All areas of recognised braking must be heavily armoured to prevent erosion.
And the list goes on.

YELLOW POST is a tight technical track that is fun to tune the skills. The entrance to this trail is just after where the INTERNATIONAL crosses the fire rd after the top rock garden. You take the left trail until you hit a grass fire rd, cross this and enter back into the trees. This takes you to the lower fire rd which if followed will put you back onto the INTERNATIONAL near the ski jump. The bottom section of the international is rather technical, but has been made considerablly easier in the past couple of years. It is possible to get down it if you are new to the sport but i would recomend you take it easy. The other option is the switch backs that where built / cut in at the last vic state round up there. These are heaps of fun and i think they add a better flow to the course....that, however would be for you to decide.

OUTLAW EXPRESS is a new addition to the mountain as it was just cleared the other week; it involves some up hills but only little ones that then turn into down hills. This track begins just beyond the new car parking facility if you are looking at the summit (the new trail maps will indicate this). This trail then continues down to the fire rd linking up with the international just before the drop through the trees.

Accommodation can be found on the mountain at a number of places, but the best place to stay if it isn’t booked out would be SPURS, which is located at the start of the downhill tracks. This accommodation is......a night for shared living and a $10 breakfast is offered as well. You can get lunch from SPURS everyday that the lift is open and that will set you back around $10 - $15 a day. If staying at spurs you also get $5 off your lift tickets.
Spurs wasn’t offering dinner whilst I was there, but this may have changed as they are only open weekends now. But this is no problem as the Chalet is the best place to eat on the mountain. The Chalet is located just up from the centre of town and has specials on most nights with a meal and a pot for under $20. Most other meals cost around $15 - $16 for a main, with the steak being $22 (I think) and the entrees are around $10. I might add that this is a 5 star hotel, although the menu has been cut back the service is excellent. Over the past few years this has all changed, places to eat and what not have opened and stuff like that...if you want a very relaxed and mountain bike friendly environment you will be best to get urself a meal at uncle pat's...they play mt bike dvd's and have good priced food and drinks. You will find the normall stuff to eat there like pizza, parma's, steak and so on...Uncle pats is located in cow camp, which is soo close to the clock tower if you couldnt find it you would be a nuffy!!! Another good place to eat is Cattlemans, this is just above buller sports in the town centre. It is slightly more upmarket than uncle pat's but the food is pritty much priced the same. They also play mtn bike dvd's and have some good drink prices.

Buller sports is now running the bike shop up there and they also have KONA hire bikes and a large swag of gear for you to select from....

Current Model Kona stinky’s -
Full Face helmets -
Current Model Kona body armour -

It is recommended that if you wish to hire some gear that you give them a call, and pre book. And to all those riders out there who do not own a full face helmet it is strongly recommended that you hire a helmet or borrow a mates. There was two people in the space of a day carted off the hill in ambulances with major head and spinal injuries due to not wearing a full face helmet, one of whom was wearing a full face helmet, lucky for him, it saved his life. As a result of one of these injuries the seesaw outside Spurs was removed.

What must be realised by all riders is that the sines are in place for a reason, and certain tracks are closed for a reason. If riders chose to disobey signs and take their own lines then Mt Buller will not be open for very much longer. Another thing to note is that you should respect the mountain as much as you can and behave in an appropriate manner. Getting drunk and starting fights is just something that does not need to happen in a relaxed mt buller summer environement....leave that stuff at home...it sure isnt welcome at mt buller...I just might add, that the guy who runs uncle pats is x SAS....he dosnt look much but i am positive that he would put many a mountain biker to shame if they were to miss behave in his pub.......

I hope that all this information can answer many of the queries.
 
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richiev

Likes Bikes
Good post Duff_Man. There is definately some helpful information here for people that haven't been to Buller yet. If you haven't been, it is definately worth the trip and the $$.
Well done to all the people that have helped out and volunteered their time to build the tracks up.
There has been talk of a jump park being built somewhere on Buller, has anyone heard any news about that?
 
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tripmitz

Likes Dirt
Excellent post Duff Man. I think your final sentiments should be re-iterated. Get out there and help build the trails, help build our sport and respect the land. If mountain bikers don't then we will have no access to facilities such as Mt. Buller. Which means less fun for us!

One quick correction the url for mt buller is:

www.mtbuller.com.au

and check out the mountain biking homepage, a little out of date but it's there:

www.mountainbikemtbuller.com.au

Cheers.
 

W2ttsy

Likes Dirt
ill have to agree with duffman on the safety gear issue.

i shreaded my right arm, walked away with 2 cracked ribs and took a couple of gouges out of my fullface.

i was wearing shinnies, pressure suit and fullface at the time, and still managed to get pwnd on several occasions.

just get the gear for safeties sake. as DM said, several people have already been carted off, and that never looks good.

also, for all the XC people that feel they want to tackle Abom, feelfree, but when one of your mates gets a puncture dont all stop in atight section of track so that no one can ride past.
while i was up there, there were a group of 5 sitting in the middle ofthe track about 3/4 down waiting for a mate whod blown out.
just get to the bottom and wait. its not hard.

Downhillers are clocking some serious kays coming down the track anddont need to come round a bend to be greeted by a bunch of XC guyssitting having a picnic on the track....

W2ttsy
 

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
W2ttsy said:
also, for all the XC people that feel they want to tackle Abom, feelfree, but when one of your mates gets a puncture dont all stop in atight section of track so that no one can ride past.
while i was up there, there were a group of 5 sitting in the middle ofthe track about 3/4 down waiting for a mate whod blown out.
just get to the bottom and wait. its not hard.

Downhillers are clocking some serious kays coming down the track anddont need to come round a bend to be greeted by a bunch of XC guyssitting having a picnic on the track....

W2ttsy

yeah, good call, a bit of trail curtisy go's along way...

It is very dangerous to just stop in the middle of the track, especially in the last bit where its very shaded and tight...
 

DJ_Robbie

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Duff_Man said:
Alberg is not a good place to eat, the service is shit and so is the food and not to mention that they dislike mountain bikers, so until their attitude changes they will not see one more cent of my money.
I'd like to challenge that point, their $5 bowls of chips were quite good, me and alex had them on several occasions and im sure Alex will back me up, apart from that i agree, expensive drinks, shit service and crap food (apart from the chips).

Good post apart from that.

Cheers
 

dromana7411

Likes Dirt
Duff_Man said:
But this is no problem as the Chalet is the best place to eat on the mountain. The Chalet is located just up from the centre of town and has specials on most nights with a meal and a pot for under $20.

haha, we went to the chalet whn we were up there both of my mates ordered the 200gram beef burger... they brought them both out, my mate lifts up the top, and goes, "cheese, bacon... waiter, i think im missing my 200gram burger" waiter replies "what, haha" has a look, and realises that my mate wassnt lying, grabs the plates and run back to the kitchen.... comes back with the beef... we got free drinks...
 
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Duff_Man

Likes Dirt
yeh well it took me a long ass time to write, Yeah well you may have had a good experience at the alberg but when u live up there and go out several nights a week to the same restraunt you dont expect to wait 1 and a half hours for food and then get attitude when you ask when is the food comming?
 

Nitrosoxide

Likes Dirt
Duff_Man said:
One thing I might add is that the Alberg is not a good place to eat, the service is shit and so is the food and not to mention that they dislike mountain bikers, so until their attitude changes they will not see one more cent of my money.
I read this post before but totally missed the bit about the Alberg, I booked my room last weekend, apparently was the last of two rooms (at a reasonable rate) and the reservations lady said that we could keep our bikes in the rooms etc etc. But point taken about the food, will probably end up taking my own :)

Thanx for this awesome post, it gives a good insight into Mt Buller for people that have never been down before, like my self.

I'll be heading down a few days before to get some practise up on the tracks, does Mt Buller work like Thredbo, as in you need to do that intro lesson about how to get on and off lifts with your bike, otherwise they don't let you on ??
 

LTR

Annoys the hell out of Grip!
DJ_Robbie said:
I'd like to challenge that point, their $5 bowls of chips were quite good, me and alex had them on several occasions and im sure Alex will back me up, apart from that i agree, expensive drinks, shit service and crap food (apart from the chips).
Mate, we thrived on the chips. For $5 we got a massive bowl of chips and sauce and it actually sort of filled me up. Had it 3 nights in a row. Yes, they are dickheads, but a $5 dinner is a killer. Also FREE water! Woo! :D

Killer post mate. :D
 

dromana7411

Likes Dirt
Nitrosoxide said:
I'll be heading down a few days before to get some practise up on the tracks, does Mt Buller work like Thredbo, as in you need to do that intro lesson about how to get on and off lifts with your bike, otherwise they don't let you on ??
no intro lesson that i know of... just stand there hold you bike, and sit when the chair comes... if you drop your bike dont jump off, my mate did, and he got yelled at... i saw another guy drop his aswell (this was both at the point where you get on) and somone else brought his bike up for him. mind you a few people lauhed at him when h go offf the life wearing all his gear and no bike...

but yeh, no lessons, just watch someone get on befoe you, or ask the lifties.. they seem nice...
 

Superman

Likes Bikes and Dirt
DJ_Robbie said:
and myself :rolleyes:

Duff_Man said:
3. If ONE tree is cut down TEN have to be planted.
well i think there's at least 10 pine trees worth of wood on international, most being in that stupid wallride, ugh. wouldnt be saving the equivalent amount of trees either.
 

Duff_Man

Likes Dirt
Yeh like the others said there is no thing like at thredbo where they make u do some sort of course and shit, that is just for rawnrg to capitalise on the market that they have, but the insurance and shit at buller hasnt allowed for lessons to be run yet, like dh instruction and that just because of the 10 million public liability required. Yeh there is alot of wooden "stunts" on the international, personally i like dirt, but if a little bit of wood hear and there means we get to ride then we get to ride. If you dont like the wood then you can help me carry tones of rock up very steep hills when we go track building. Cause all the rock on the track didnt fall from the sky it was mostly carried there, and i recall one afternoon after riding me and another mate moved a tone of rock 60m up a steep fukin hill. Not having a go, i just dont think anyone appreciates the negative comments.
 

Duff_Man

Likes Dirt
when it rains up there the track dosent get all that muddy, infact the abom becomes mad, it get's suppy grippy and you can rail the corners even harder. There was 5inches of snow up there last weekend so i would imagine a bit of rain to. The tracks normally dry out in a few hours, so just hope that it aint raining when your there because the chairlift sucks in the rain. Also the international becomes death like in the wet, but other than that the tracks will be all good if there is no rain on the day.
 

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
^ cool, im heading up on saturday - might see ya there?
 
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