Gondola whisks cyclists to mountain heights

Queenstown - New Zealand’s adventure capital - is giving mountain biking enthusiasts new thrills with a spectacular gondola ride to the top of the trails and a new bike park.

The iconic Queenstown Skyline Gondola has been fitted with custom-built bike hooks so that riders and their bikes can take in some cool alpine scenery as they’re lifted from town into the southern hemisphere’s hottest new biking destination.

Queenstownz Bike Park - which has already been compared to Whistler (Canada) and Morzine (France) - offers pro-bikers and cycling enthusiasts gnarly year-round action.

High above the resort town, the bike park features over 30km of tracks from fast bermed and groomed trails to off-camber goat tracks, rock gardens, and natural single track, with runs graded green, blue and black for beginners, intermediates and advanced riders.

High praise
Kiwi mountain biker Scarlet Hagen, who is a former junior world downhill champion, says Queenstownz Bike Park is "right up there with the best in the world".

"These trails are as good if not better than those in Whistler or Morzine," Hagen said.

"There are trails for all abilities and the environment and scenery is just stunning. The beginner track is super easy while the black runs are seriously challenging."

The bike park, which opened for a four-month trial season earlier this year, already has a number of famous fans including British mountain biking pros - Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton - who filmed for their reality TV show the Atherton Project while visiting New Zealand.

Dan Atherton said the gondola runs were a huge drawcard: "It’s so easy just to be able to bang out some runs without having to pack the truck and go out for a big expedition."

Queenstownz Bike Park
The bike park sits on a steep pine-covered hill in the Ben Lomond Recreational Reserve and overlooking a dramatic lake and mountain landscape. It is 790m above sea level, with 500 vertical metres of uplift from the bottom to the top of the Skyline Gondola.

The project, which has been 15 years in development, is a collaborative effort that has involved the local authority, mountain bike club, Skyline Queenstown and entrepreneur Michael Mayell whose Cookie Time products are a Kiwi institution.

A bike enthusiast, Mayell fell in love with the park during its trial season earlier this year and says he was hooked by the "sightseeing up and trail thrills all the way down".

He has since been helping with park launch plans, branding and a new website queenstownbikepark.co.nz which will market the bike park as "sight seeing up, heaven down-under".

Mountain biking destination
As well as the new bike park, Queenstown has a range of biking terrain from dirt jumps and cross-country trails through to a network of scenic rides.

The year-round resort, internationally renowned for its huge range of adventure activities and winter sports, is now on track to become a cycling destination.

During the bike park trial more than 40% of riders were international visitors, and it is expected that up to 100,000 rides will be completed in the park’s first season.

Cycling is a growth industry in New Zealand, with 1.2 million New Zealanders riding bikes and more than 200,000 bikes imported each year. Cycling tourism is also on the rise.

The Queenstown Bike Park is open for an eight-month season from September to April. Lift tickets are available for a half or full-day experience.