Saturday, March 24, 2012

New Zealand - Mountain Biking in the Queenstown & Lakes District Area - Hammy's Track, Queenstown Bike Park





Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing sports in the Queenstown & Lakes District area.  There are two main hubs - Queenstown and Wanaka - and both offer different styles of riding and trails which complement the other venue.  This means that the variety of riding here is probably unmatched in New Zealand and is certainly on a scale of continuing development with other leading venues worldwide.  The mountain bike grades in New Zealand are similar to those of the IMBA and details of the New Zealand grades can be found here http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/activity-finder/mountain-biking/mountain-bike-track-grading-system/ with the mountain bike code here http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/plan-and-prepare/care-codes/activity-minimal-impact-codes/mountain-bikers-code/   There are a number of links to national and local sources of information about mountain biking in New Zealand listed at the end of this article.

 The most obvious venue in Queenstown for mountain biking is the Queenstown Bike Park which can be accessed easily from the centre of town by a short ride to the Skyline Gondola.  Here, the rider has a choice of either riding up the Gondola access road (the 'free option') or purchasing an uplift pass at the Skyline Gondola http://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/MTB/  A personal recommendation is the half-day pass ($45 adult/$25 child) which enables the rider to enjoy the benefits of uplift and concentrate on developing skills in a shorter timeframe and a more productive way.  Bike rental is readily available in Queenstown and on the hill, with a range of passes and bike hire options for all budgets.

Hammy's Track is a great introduction to the style of riding at the Queenstown Bike Park. You can get a real feel of how quickly the adrenalin rush comes as you watch this short film made by Vertigo Bikes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRu-aflKloM&feature=player_embedded (which can be found on the Skyline Website http://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/mtblinks/ and the content is updated regularly).  Hammy's Track is a grade 3 track which offers popular and accessible riding.  It is supplemented with a range of optional and - more importantly - avoidable obstacles, these are jumps and wooden 'North Shore' style features at a suggested grade 5 if the gnarliest line is taken.  The Kennett guide Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides describes Hammy's Trail on p336 as the easiest and 'most popular track' at Queenstown Bike Park and offers suggestions on other routes.

 
The route begins at the gondola terminus.  Mountain bikers use a separate entrance to the pedestrian visitors and a water tap is available here for hydration.  The Skyline Gondola company advises riders of peak congestion times so that riders can plan when they take a break, rather than standing and waiting in a queue. Once through the control barrier, staff help riders as bikes are loaded in pairs on to the specialist racks on the outside of the gondola cabins and the gondola cabins begin their 450 metre vertical journey up to the top station. Again, at the disembarkation point, staff assist riders to unload bikes.  It is a tribute to the attitude of the company that so much effort is placed on supporting all aspects of mountain biking.  Moving outside on a metal balcony leads to the starting point, next to the heli pad, and the views from here are simply breathtaking.  The Wakatipu Basin is laid out in front.  The Remarkables, Lake Wakatipu, Cecil Peak and Walter Peak would be very significant features in any landscape; here they combine to astound.

The Vertigo bike shop is located here and offers bike rental and repair.  Useful interpretative signs are located  nearby explaining the bike trails of the Queenstown Bike Park and the walking trails of the Ben Lomond area.  The best advice is to take a few minutes to orientate yourself, then to allow the time to plan out the route and identify where Hammy's Trail goes.  One way of understanding the relationship of the routes is to see Hammy's Trail as a major artery from which the other trails leave.  Remember that it is the easiest trail, so if the difficulty level suddenly increases after passing a junction, it's not Hammy's Trail!


After leaving the station and heading around the luge track, the trail climbs a little and on the right of the trail - and entirely avoidable -  is a section of  'North Shore', before the trail crosses the gondola access road before entering the start of the signposted trails.



A few small dips and turns later, the first significant junction (Vertigo) is reached and then passed, as Hammy's Trail continues to weave and contour around the wooded hillside before emerging into the open.  Here, the forest clearance allows views of Ben Lomond and the alpine terrain above the Wakatipu Basin.



A series of switchbacks allow a loss of height before the track plunges back into the trees.  


Sections of 'North Shore', always avoidable, tempt the rider to depart the riding line whilst huge berms - banked corners - allow momentum to be retained and, always, there is that overwhelming feeling of speed with the edges of the forest blurring beside the track.  All too soon, the halfway point is reached but not before the rider succumbs to the sheer thrill and speed of the approach.  Breathless and elated, there is time to confirm the next section of the route on the useful interpretative signs which, once again, explain the demarcation of the bike trails of the Queenstown Bike Park and the walking trails of the Ben Lomond area.  

 Breathless and elated, there is time to confirm the next section of the route on the useful interpretative signs which, once again, explain the demarcation of the bike trails of the Queenstown Bike Park and the walking trails of the Ben Lomond area. 




The bike trails are all well-marked with named and graded plaques mounted on posts at the beginning of each trail.

Hammy's Trail rounds a small bermed corner and then continues to traverse the hillside, once more weaving its way around the contours.

 At a sharp u-shaped corner junction, a bench provides a place to enjoy the views while a track descends from here to the Wynyard Freestyle Terrain Park.


Again Hammy's Trail contours into berms before emerging into an open area and another corner. 'North Shore' sections seem to abound as the trees thin again.



The terrain changes into an open hillside dominated by scrub and the trail becomes taut with tight little bermed corners demanding careful attention, rollers to pump through, 'North Shore' sections to twist and follow, and finally into the open to meet the junction with the Original route.

A rider takes the steeper descent of the Original trail.

However, Hammy's Trail takes the route of least resistance, a contouring descent to a hairpin berm, and then a straight run.

Always a contouring descent, until the access road is crossed again.  Then it's down again, back into the trees, around berms and through yet more trees.  Then, the Tour-de-Force, a short sweet descent and dogleg switchback to the gondola terminus.











Why do I love riding Hammy's Trail?  It is the sort of riding that always engages your attention.  There is always a new line to take, another obstacle to overcome, and a different experience each time.  The track has features to challenge most riders:- bumps, dips, berms, tight corners, switchbacks, jumps, 'North Shore', fast rolling terrain, small drop-offs and intricate more technical riding.  Nearly every mountain bike skill can be introduced and practised here...for use on more technical terrain later.  More importantly, Hammy's Trail is the sort of track that lets you get into 'The Zone' easily; you know, that place in the mind where everything becomes effortless and the riding flows...  Add in the stunning scenery and, well, it's an awesome combination!

 Hammy's Trail lends itself to being ridden on hardtails and the full range of full suspension bikes; the only questions concern the skills and experience of the riders.  It has to be said that Hammy's Trail is not suitable for absolute beginners with little or no experience of mountain biking.  There are more suitable routes in the Queenstown area where it is possible to learn how to control a bike in a safer environment, rather than being scared senseless and totally out-of-control on a trail littered with real objective dangers.  A better alternative is to invest in riding skills and tuition; there are a number of local mountain bike guiding companies who offer instruction and guiding products to enable the rider to develop the riding skills and judgement to tackle routes at Queenstown Bike Park in relative safety. Kennett's makes very valuable points and it's worth heeding their advice about Hammy's Trail, 'Lots of grade 3 riders are pushing their luck and breaking bones' (Kennett p336) and 'More riders are being carried out of Ben Lomond Forest than any other area in the country.  Just take it easy, and you'll still be riding at the end of your holiday.' (Kennett p338).




Highly recommended for riding in the Queenstown area, and quite useful for riding at the Queenstown Bike Park is the local trail map which is widely available in the local bike shops.  It has just been updated http://www.queenstownmtb.co.nz/?s=trail+maps Good general advice for riding outside of the Queenstown Bike Park is to carry a copy of the NZTopo map for the area being ridden too.  A topographical map for this area can be downloaded at http://www.nztopo.com/topography/topo-maps/map-chooser/singleview.php?xPos=2866&yPos=19974&scale=2&extent=4-CC11 or the paper copy is widely available locally  Topo50 map CC11 - Queenstown


The Department of Conservation office, 38 Shotover St in Queenstown, sells maps and the staff are well-informed about the prevailing local conditions, weather and routes. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/otago/queenstown-wakatipu/queenstown-area/

What sort of personal protective equipment do you need to ride Hammy's Trail?  A conversation with an older rider last year started me thinking.  I was riding a selection of the graded trails that day and was wearing elbow pads and knee pads when I met this 'guru of riding'.  Dismissively, in front of a mixed group of riders that he was trying to impress, he commented that there was no need for such protection because "you don't ride to fall off".  His attitude astounded me because he was wearing a modern cycling helmet, a piece of protection now widely accepted as essential for safer biking, which obviously he didn't need...because, self-evidently, he wasn't going to fall off and hurt his head!  The contradictions of his own argument escaped him.


Let's look at the issues.  Essentially the sport of mountain biking involves personal judgement, control of a bike on a variety of changeable surfaces and the hazard of collision at speed with hard objects.  The faster you ride, the greater the impact forces and, as a result, a higher skill level is required to mitigate the hazards.  An injury to an elbow or a knee can be classed as a significant injury - for example, a fractured elbow offers the serious potential for shattered bone fragments to damage blood vessels.  What steps can be taken to reduce the risk?  Ride more slowly.  Develop skills and expertise.  Take a course of instruction. Purchasing and using protective armour appears, by comparison, to be the easiest and most widely-accepted option.  Does it work?  Well, to return to my riding guru, he is right in one small respect:- nobody intends to fall off.  A helmet, elbow pads and knee pads offer a reasonable level of protection to the head, elbows and knees if, and when, a rider falls off.  So what else?  Gloves.  Glasses or goggles to keep the dirt out of your eyes, either clear lenses or a lens which deals with poor light situations - it's a heavily-forested area, remember. A first aid kit, but more importantly, the skill to deal with the injuries which arise - a first aider's brain is the most-important piece of kit at a mountain bike trauma incident.



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

New Zealand:- Popular day walks in Queenstown & Lakes District - #1 The Rob Roy Valley


This is the first in a series of descriptions of popular day walks in the Queenstown & Lakes District area of the South Island of New Zealand.  I've chosen the walk up to the Rob Roy Valley as it is an excellent introduction to the Mt Aspiring National Park and to walking in the alpine environment in New Zealand. The New Zealand Department of Conservation  describes the Mt Aspiring National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area, as 'a walker's paradise and a must for mountaineers'.  The highest peak is Tititea/Mt Aspiring at 3033m.

The nearest international airport is in Queenstown, with Wanaka just over an hour's drive away.  A visit should always begin at the Wanaka Department of Conservation Office where the latest information on the conditions of the road and track will be readily available.  The 54 kilometre route from Wanaka winds around Lake Wanaka past Glendhu Bay until it turns into the Matukituki Valley before finally reaching the Raspberry Flat roadend.  The last 33 kilometres of road is unsealed and, of that, the final 10 kilometres is classed as a 'backcountry road' and is suitable for travel under fine weather.  However, road users need to be aware of flooded creeks and washed out sections of road if bad weather has occurred or is forecast.



It's worth highlighting the expertise available at the DoC offices in New Zealand - their staff maintain and oversee the tracks in the National Parks - and they have access to the most invaluable of all resources:- local knowledge about conditions and the impact of the prevailing weather.  Topographic maps and walk leaflets can be purchased at the office, personal locator beacons hired and huts booked for overnight stays - if required.  The DoC website is an excellent source of information about New Zealand and I'd highly recommend it to overseas visitors.  Leaflets outlining walks are available as downloads free of charge and enable visitors to plan their excursions prior to arrival.




For this walk to the Rob Roy Valley viewpoint and other useful information from DoC
http://doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/otago/wanaka-makarora/rob-roy-track/

New Zealand topographic maps are also avalailable online and for this walk
http://www.nztopo.com/topography/topo-maps/map-chooser/singleview.php?xPos=2866&yPos=18809&scale=2&extent=7-CA11

Alternatively purchase the NZTopo50-CA11 Aspiring Flat map.



The New Zealand Department of Conservation separates the areas of the Mt Aspiring Park into four zones:-
  1. Front Country
  2. Back Country
  3. Remote
  4. Wilderness.
Front Country areas are the most-accessible for day visitors to the park using 2WD vehicles and the walking tracks will be graded as 'easy' and allow access to viewpoints such as that at the Rob Roy Valley viewpoint.  There are toilets, a picnic shelter, interpretation panels and a car park at the Raspberry Flat roadhead prior to departing on the walking track.  Raspberry Flat is a stunning location and is worthy of a visit just to admire the stupendous views of the high peaks which dominate the valley.


Leaving Raspberry Flat, the route follows the West Matukituki Track through pasture meadows for about 15 minutes until a wire bridge crossing the Matukituki River is reached.  Distant views of the Barrier Range and glaciers complement the exposure above the river until the opposite bank is reached.


The path traverses above the river and then, turning towards the Rob Roy Glacier, begins to climb through beech forest into the hillside above a narrow gorge.This ascent through beech forest (red, silver and mountain beech are present) is a highlight for any lover of temperate rainforests with ferns, flowers and other alpine plants appearing wherever the forest canopy has been pierced.  It is this perpetual change which is a continual reminder to apply caution in the New Zealand alpine environment.  Snow can fall at any time of the year and visitors should be adequately equipped if cold weather is forecast.  Equally, the higher UV index in New Zealand and the thinner alpine air mean that care should be taken to avoid damaging sunburn by using sunscreen, eye protection and clothing for coverage (a broad-brimmed hat is advised to provide protection for ears).  The track is subject to avalanche hazard during winter and spring (June-November) and landslips are not uncommon following heavy rainfall.  During a recent visit, three separate areas of the track were subject to warnings and required careful attention to negotiate safely.

The track continues to ascend, always contouring where possible, until it emerges into the head of the valley just above the treeline. Here, the reward is all too evident as the visitor emerges into herbfields.  The previous glimpses of high alpine country are now completed with snowfields, hanging glaciers, icefalls, rock walls and waterfalls.  The interpretation panels describe how this amazing landscape emerged as schist mountains from the compressed folded debris of Antarctica.  The fauna of the New Zealand alpine environment is also mentioned - the Kea - New Zealand's alpine parrot.  Cheeky, inquisitive and destructive, the kea is a protected species and visitors are warned not to feed them.


Other bird species are evident too - the Rock Wren/Tuke, Rifleman/Titipounamu, Bellbird/Korimako and Fantail/Piwakawaka amongst them.


Linger awhile here and the visitor will be treated to the sounds of a changing mountain environment as rock, ice and water begin their inevitable descent down to the distant sea.  All-too-soon, it is time to descend...taking memories and photographs... and leaving only footprints behind.