Mt Buller MTB festival - wash-up

[SouthYarraSage]

First run of this event over the weekend just gone... so who went? What did you think? Favourite / least favourite bits?

I went with the wife and kids. My $0.02:
- Great concept
- Love the new single track
- Beautiful region, just crying out for more MTB action
- Not totally spectator-friendly, but v good around the starts / finishes
- Real effort put on to make it good for families with kids, much appreciated.

My only niggles were the scoring format across the three races (aggregate time... so very hard to make much of an impact in the Super D section), and a little bit with the 'straight up straight down' sections of the course (Rapid Ascent trademark?). Oh, and the pricey alpine accommodation - not that the organisers can probably do much about that, but it makes for a pretty $$$-y weekend.

Still, lots of racing for your entry fee, and a cackle-inducing run down the Klingsporn track to finish rounded out a great weekend. We'll be back!

 

[murrum]

Went along and had a great time. Only raced on Sat as had to get back to NSW on sunday. My only complaint is to myself for not switching to tubeless - 1 puncture each in both sat races was a bummer.

Love the stage concept and the Super D event. I think the Super D concept really has legs and reckon a few more super D stages over the weekend would have made the super D v XC a bit more even.

Cannot beleive there were no major injuries coming down the last fire road though...

A great vibe up there and some great tracks.

 

[Red Peekay]

- Beautiful region, just crying out for more MTB action

It's coming my friend!! Am involved with ski patrol up there, and the director of patrol is driving mtbing up at Buller. Glen Jacobs contracted to expand trail network over to Stirling next summer and then who knows!!

However it all comes down to support. If Grollo inc (he owns Buller Ski Lifts) and the RMB (Resort Management Board) see mtbers are supporting the mtn, they will put more money in to development. I believe its around $300,000 at the moment with World Trail.

Upon my return to Oz next month, will talk with them re: trying to set up a trails society like we have here in Rossland, B.C. Canada to develop mtb trails in the Mansfield region, not just Buller. However with all the concerns regarding shrinking snowpacks and shorter ski seasons, Buller is looking to capitalise on other "revenue" avenues! They have been keeping a close eye on the explosion of mtbing in Whistler, Sun Peaks and the like and see themselves as aspiring to be the Australian equivalent of Whistler.

How many competitors were there?? Was it well run. I rode those tracks last summer and they were great..... however I can see how they may not be everyones cup of tea.... they are still alpine XC tracks no matter how you look at them..... what goes down must inevitably go up.... those switchbacks up to Corn hill are a real killer!!

 

[SouthYarraSage]

It's coming my friend!! Am involved with ski patrol up there, and the director of patrol is driving mtbing up at Buller. Glen Jacobs contracted to expand trail network over to Stirling next summer and then who knows!!

However it all comes down to support. If Grollo inc (he owns Buller Ski Lifts) and the RMB (Resort Management Board) see mtbers are supporting the mtn, they will put more money in to development. I believe its around $300,000 at the moment with World Trail.

Upon my return to Oz next month, will talk with them re: trying to set up a trails society like we have here in Rossland, B.C. Canada to develop mtb trails in the Mansfield region, not just Buller. However with all the concerns regarding shrinking snowpacks and shorter ski seasons, Buller is looking to capitalise on other "revenue" avenues! They have been keeping a close eye on the explosion of mtbing in Whistler, Sun Peaks and the like and see themselves as aspiring to be the Australian equivalent of Whistler.

How many competitors were there?? Was it well run. I rode those tracks last summer and they were great..... however I can see how they may not be everyones cup of tea.... they are still alpine XC tracks no matter how you look at them..... what goes down must inevitably go up.... those switchbacks up to Corn hill are a real killer!!

Mate, that's great to hear. In my view Buller is just about at the 'tipping point' of having enough variety to offer the (non-downhill) mountain biker enough to make a weekend of it.

As to competitor numbers, around 140 I think, perhaps not too bad for a first run of the event. IMO it was well run - trail marking and marshalling was excellent; they enforced the 'mandatory first aid kit' rule; plenty of race info was available well in advance; and as I said in my original post everything was pretty sweet for families / supporters also. I do wonder how they would cope with a really serious injury though, some of the 50k trail was pretty remote.

And yes, while I might bleat about some of the gradients, I accept that it 'goes with the territory' to some degree. I just got all the 'hike a bike' out of my system on the Otway Odyssey

 

[retroenduro]

Just spoke to a couple of mates here at work who raced and they enjoyed it too so hopefully first of many eh?

Anyway do any of you guys know which route they ran for the 50km? i was thinking of going back up in May whens its cooler and wetter for an all day epic ride with a few mates. I want a passble MTBing in Wales experience

 

[SouthYarraSage]

Just spoke to a couple of mates here at work who raced and they enjoyed it too so hopefully first of many eh?

Anyway do any of you guys know which route they ran for the 50km? i was thinking of going back up in May whens its cooler and wetter for an all day epic ride with a few mates. I want a passble MTBing in Wales experience

The course map is up on the Rapid Ascent website - http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/RacingFormatBikeBuller.aspx?e=19

 

[Red Peekay]

Just spoke to a couple of mates here at work who raced and they enjoyed it too so hopefully first of many eh?

Anyway do any of you guys know which route they ran for the 50km? i was thinking of going back up in May whens its cooler and wetter for an all day epic ride with a few mates. I want a passble MTBing in Wales experience

I was riding there well into June last year (below Buller, they close the road Queens Birthday Weekend, only open to resort traffic). Really depends on the weather, and given past experiences, we had a bumper ski season last year, so this year should be crap So you may miss out on the "Welsh" experience.... I assume this means vertical rain, hail, sleet and fog!!

that's great to hear. In my view Buller is just about at the 'tipping point' of having enough variety to offer the (non-downhill) mountain biker enough to make a weekend of it.

We have been putting trails in below Buller, and did some clean up on the Klingsporn earlier. Trying to put together a lobby group to liaise with the various parks bodies to put in trails in the surrounding areas.

 

[retroenduro]

I was riding there well into June last year (below Buller, they close the road Queens Birthday Weekend, only open to resort traffic). Really depends on the weather, and given past experiences, we had a bumper ski season last year, so this year should be crap So you may miss out on the "Welsh" experience.... I assume this means vertical rain, hail, sleet and fog!!.

Not vertical...horizontal ha ha

 

[retroenduro]

Just checked out the route looks like a real epic! cheers guys

 

[Mark Jenkins]

Great racing at Mt Buller

-Hi All,

Just want to say I travelled from Helensburgh NSW to do all 3 races... all I can say is that it was the best racing I've had after Orimbah 8 1/4 hr (done 24hrs x 3 & 8hrs series etc.club race...).

The tracks were great... even if I had never ridden before... 25k was a bit short...but great.. Super D was hang on balistic ... first time at the format loved it..and the 50k was spectacular... shame I did not have time to take in the view. I kept thinking what goes up must go down... at some point and when it went down the loamy soil made for excellent desents.

Plenty of other stuff to do..

We went down a few days early.. checked out Craigs hut 4wd and the area.. meet some great people.. wife loved that she could chill out.. she was even cheering on people we had met down there.

ABOM on Saturday night was great $16 for a buffet that the food was towering on and fantastic.

All in all a great long weekend, great racing and met some great people

I'll be back next year .. Cheers Mark

 

[mirimbah]

hi guys,
everyone we spoke to seemed to have a great weekend, we ran the shuttles getting you guys up buller after the super d so we did have a few people to chat with, the guys that caught up with us friday night and joined in our staff ride hope you all enjoyed your race weekend, hopefully we will see you next year for another 18 person klingsbourne ride. although we had a run off sterling the other night... yep dragged that shuttle trailer up top of stirling was a great ride till in got dark with nearly 8 km in total darkness from there on.. hopefully next year is better and bigger than this year.
we are on are our next summer planning thoughts now and extra shuttle is in our thoughts for weekends 9.30 and hopefully a once a month stirling summit shuttle.. your thoughts?
www.mirimbah.com.au