Thredbo - all you need to know

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I saw what looked like some Santa Cruz riders around the other day, so they would be going to Cannonball.
Also the weather for the next week looks interesting. It's raining with patches of light hail/sleet at the moment around the village.
The rain prior to the event could be great for the trails as it has been extremely dry and dusty. Or it could turn into a bog.
I reckon with all this weather if it turns out as forecast then it will sort out a lot of the issues goign on down there. It was so bloody dusty on opening weekend and the finish line jump area was shithouse. The berms into the jumps didn't line up right (I hope they'll refine it for Cannonball) and if you hit the jumps in the wrong spot you just bogged into the dust. This weather could be just what the place needs.
 

sbm

Likes Bikes
A lot of the soil around Thredbo does seem to drain like a sieve - I guess it is well adapted to all the snowmelt. The first time I went there they got like 100mm of rain in a couple of days. They kept all the trails open throughout, and it looked better and dryer after that storm, then Manly Dam did after a month of sunny weather! I think it's just about impossible for it to be too wet. (Though to be fair to the Dam since they've started doing trail maintenance again in the last year or so it's a lot better).

A bigger issue is that they have been waaay more anal about closing the chairlifts once the wind picks up, ever since they had the chairs fall off Gunbarrel. Fair enough really, and they are building 2 new lifts that will be more sheltered, but in the meantime it's frustrating.
 

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
A bigger issue is that they have been waaay more anal about closing the chairlifts once the wind picks up, ever since they had the chairs fall off Gunbarrel. Fair enough really, and they are building 2 new lifts that will be more sheltered, but in the meantime it's frustrating.
It's just a big huck to flat, really.
 

coarselanguagw

Likes Dirt
The Thredbo webcams show that it is currently snowing at the top of the chairlift (falling as rain lower down).

Also the new gondola that is being built is not going to be used for MTB. It's not even for skiers or snowboarders either.

The main reason it's being built is so that tourists can go up to the restaurant on the mountain and have lunch/dinner. At the moment it's hard for big tour groups to plan in advance to come up the mountain and have dinner at the top because if it's too windy they can't run the main lift. The new gondola only goes up half way and is sheltered by the trees so they will be able to run it every day.
 

coarselanguagw

Likes Dirt
@coarselanguagw that's such a crock

And the woody is not goody.

eh, I can't blame them. Due to climate change the long term forecast for snow cover in winter is uncertain. This is one way that they can pretty much guarantee to increase their profits year round.

"Tourism Research Australia says more than 1.3 million Chinese — excluding children — visited Australia last year, accounting for more than 15 per cent of the total inbound market, and spent $11.5 billion." <--- Thredbo just wants a piece of this pie and the Chinese and not known for being mountain bikers or skiers. In the long term it's actually good for all of us as a profitable, financially healthy resort should keep the price of lift tickets down and improve the resort infrastructure.
 
eh, I can't blame them. Due to climate change the long term forecast for snow cover in winter is uncertain. This is one way that they can pretty much guarantee to increase their profits year round.

"Tourism Research Australia says more than 1.3 million Chinese — excluding children — visited Australia last year, accounting for more than 15 per cent of the total inbound market, and spent $11.5 billion." <--- Thredbo just wants a piece of this pie and the Chinese and not known for being mountain bikers or skiers. In the long term it's actually good for all of us as a profitable, financially healthy resort should keep the price of lift tickets down and improve the resort infrastructure.
curse you and your logic, there is no place for that round here !!
 

coarselanguagw

Likes Dirt
It's an 8-person - it'll take MTB's for sure.
The new gondola is replacing the very old Merritts chairlift that goes to the 'Cruiser' area. It is not replacing either of the two main lifts at Thredbo, Gunbarrel and Kosciuszko Express. Take a look at the map here. So even if they let MTB on the Gondola, this would only give you access to the bottom ~3km of the All Mountain trail. There would be no access to the Flow or Cannonball trails from the gondola. The gondola also only gives you 285m of elevation.

Top of the new gondola 1655m (285m of elevation)
Top of the Gunbarrel 1791m (421m of elevation)
Top of Kosciuszko Express 1930m (560m of elevation)

Could the gondola be used my MTB to ride that 3km of the all mountain when the other lifts are closed due to wind? Sure, why not.
But I don't think it's anything to get too excited about. Maybe in 10 years there will be other trails on that side of the resort, but at the moment there aren't even whispers.
 

climberman

Likes Dirt
The new gondola is replacing the very old Merritts chairlift that goes to the 'Cruiser' area. It is not replacing either of the two main lifts at Thredbo, Gunbarrel and Kosciuszko Express. Take a look at the map here. So even if they let MTB on the Gondola, this would only give you access to the bottom ~3km of the All Mountain trail. There would be no access to the Flow or Cannonball trails from the gondola. The gondola also only gives you 285m of elevation.

Top of the new gondola 1655m (285m of elevation)
Top of the Gunbarrel 1791m (421m of elevation)
Top of Kosciuszko Express 1930m (560m of elevation)

Could the gondola be used my MTB to ride that 3km of the all mountain when the other lifts are closed due to wind? Sure, why not.
But I don't think it's anything to get too excited about. Maybe in 10 years there will be other trails on that side of the resort, but at the moment there aren't even whispers.
Yeah, I spend about 40 days a year there over dirt and snow seasons, am across it's context for the resort.

Will be likely that they will have future summer opening of a revitalised Merrits restaurant (which they have DA approval for).

No massive improvement for MTB but not a bad thing for it.

TBH having a choice of access to different parts of the hill from the same base station area would be great.
 

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So I've just arrived home after cannonball. What a week. Arrived to Snow left with Sunburn!!!! How's everyone with their results? Happy? Bummed? I'm pretty stoked with my times despite the placings being back a bit. A 9:05 on the flow and a 6:58 on the DH felt pretty solid. Had one balls up on the flow which cost me around 3-5 seconds I'd estimate so my sub 9 min goal went out the window but I had a goal of sub 7:30 for the Cannonball which included the fire road so to lay down a 6:58 was very pleasing. I've never raced the Cannonball in a DH race and never from the tippy top so maybe my goal was a little too easy but I'm happy so I now have times to work on and beat. I had a great time again this year despite the lack of pro's (riders that is, almost left it wide open there) apart from the usual suspects. Anyway hope you all had a good time and got home safe and sound.

Cheers Scott.
 
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