Miss Downhill in NZ

The Austrian Pro Downhill racer, Helene Fruhwirth came to New Zealand for an off season and describes her trip…

I have travelled to New Zealand twice now to compete in the National Downhill Series, firstly during the 2005/06 summer and more recently the 2007/08 season. The racers are a great fun and an awesome way to see the fabulous country and meet riders alike. The Nationals begin in December and finishes in February. These races send you from one end of the country to the other. I decide to race in NZ because here in Austria where I come there is just nowhere to ride in winter time. Everything is covered with snow and it’s cold and wet. It’s great off season training.

Yes and so no wonder that I came back. It took 2 years because I had to finish my studies. But this time I knew many people, knew places where to go and more. But I was even more nervous to come back to NZ than I was at my first trip. I didn’t know if it could ever be better than two years ago!

Now I can say this trip was so different that I can’t compare it at all. It was great to see all my friends, who I took to my heart. It was also really good riding new tracks I hadn’t riding before (e.g. Dirt Park NZ).

The whole trip nearly fell through because I managed to twist my ankle in trampoline training (suspected of a broken Talus) and got a plaster 10 days before I was to fly out. It was nightmare I couldn’t believe it. I put all the eggs in the basket- cut the plaster 24 hrs before my flight and got a special brace with crutches for the plane. The flight was a nightmare to my foot as it got swollen and put me trough pain during the whole flight. When I arrived it was okay I just thought about riding to get over the pain. I hardly could walk the first to weeks but I could ride my brand new Morewood bike!

I raced all the national races, took it easy got good results and good feedback from my sponsors. I loved the atmosphere to race in NZ. Nobody cares about my time, my results, who I was or what I should be. I could just be 100% me. In Europe I have to ride with a little more pressure, in that I need to always be in the top 10. Of course I used NZ as my training ground to get ready and prepared for the World cup season but I also enjoyed other things like wakeboarding, mini motocross riding with Dan McMullan, fishing, Jet ski riding, cliff jumping, pump track riding, the barbeques!, partying with the my friends, dancing with Chris and so many other things. I was having to much fun to miss Austria.

The down hill tracks in Europe compared to NZ are so different. I would say we have less jumps and not so many crazy lines. It’s not really surprising to me that different riders appear in the top 10 of the world from one day to the other. I loved to see how motivated the kiwi riders are. I didn’t have days where I didn’t get a ride with someone somewhere…. So great!

Now its time to head back home to Austria for racing DH and 4X in the Northern Hemisphere. I plan to race our Nationals, World Cup races, World Champs, Crankworx in Canada, European Champs in Italy and more!

If somebody is keen to follow my race life check out my blog on www.miss-downhill.com

I wanna thank: Kai Crow, Dan McMullan, Dave and Gail Judson, Chris Vanderkolk, Hadley Boyce, Hamish Kay and his flat mates and of course all my sponsors.

Photo by James Allan

Freeride NZ 3 week NZ multi day tour

Heading North!

We set off north from Dunedin on our way up to Christchurch, its a good 5-6 hour drive up there so on the way we stopped off in a small town called Timaru where we had heard there was a really cool little dirt jump park.

As we rounded the corner we saw what could in no way be called a small dirt jump park, with lines ranging from small tables on the right to massive stepped up doubles on the left and everything in between. It was definitely a spot for hard tail bikes over bigger bikes but the great thing about my Reign X is its versatility and after stiffening up the suspension it was as good as a hardtail over any of the jumps. It was a really fun place to hang out for a couple of hours and ride with the locals while at the same time breaking up the long drive up to Christchurch.

Local Timaru rider showing us how it is

We awoke in Methven. Today Andy from a local guiding company (dhnz) would be taking us on what he promised would be a day of riding we would never forget. We were heading for a secrete locals spot where we were told we would be riding some scree runs. There were no shuttle roads for this type of riding so it was packs on and away we went….Real New Zealand wilderness riding! After a 20 minute ride up a relatively wide track we got off the bikes and preceded in single file out onto the side of the mountain and before long the bikes were on our shoulders and we were once again hike-a-biking up to the saddle between two peaks.

Once at the top though we were confronted by a steep scree slope stretching away for 300m plus in front of us! After a quick snack we hiked out into the middle of the slope until we had a straight run of scree in front of us. Andy pointed out the single track we were aiming for at the bottom and said “its just like powder skiing”, then he was off half carving like a skier. He flew down until he hit the single track and stopped to wait for us to Man-Up and show our skills on this alien terrain! We exchanged ‘it can’t be that hard’ looks and set off on our own little freeride adventure. Once you set your mind to it, it was great. Just using the front wheel as kind of plow to slow you down as brakes were almost useless. I laughed the whole way down.

Riding and Hanging out at Mt Hutt near Methven

Once we all met up on the single track beating each other on choice of line and style. It was going to be hard to maintain that high but the single-track to the bottom was equally inspiring. It shot along the contours of the mountain through forest at the perfect gradient that you could choose to pedal or not.

ahh just more amazing single track!!

By the time we got to the bottom we were shagged but so pumped with adrenaline that we chatted at about mack ten, and anyone who knows me knows how fast I talk when I’m excited, for about an hour before we drove onto Christchurch ready to shred the local trails the next day.

Thanks again to Andy for an amazing day.

Take it easy

Cal

Freeride NZ 3 week NZ multi day tour

Heli-Heaven!

Heli bike day dawns with a bluebird sky and some serious anticipation on my part as it was going to be my first time (in a Helicopter)! Aussie Dan and me got dropped off at Wanaka’s airport and met our pilot. Once sat in the Heli we were all amped and ready to go after the pilot spent 2 min’s hitting the oil gauge on the control panel to get it to register we were off. It’s a unforgettable feeling leaving off terre-ferma vertically but funnily enough I found it far less unnerving than flying in a plane. Flying above the ridge we would soon be riding was a very different experience; you could see the various single track sheep track which would make up our route along the ridge.

how is the serenity?!

As we stood straddling our respective two wheeled steads a top the 1600m plus mountain looking over jagged mountain ranges and down to Lake Wanaka it was a pure moment as we began this epic ride! It took the first decent to get used to the exposure on the ridgeline. When Dan said he had chosen a very special trail for us, I now realise he wasn’t actually joking! …A wicked trail that suited all our riding styles and abilities.

After a couple of minutes riding we began to really let loose, all choosing different lines along the mountain. Just as we settled into the flow we were hit by what seemed to be a mountain on top of a mountain so it was bikes on shoulders time ready for a bit of a Hike-A-Biking. We had to negotiate exposed goat paths, steep rocky faces and a good bout of vertigo but we made it too the top and it was as they say all downhill from there. So begun an hour long decent consisting of virgin single track, open freeriding and high speed 4 wheel drive track to finish.

It was one of the most amazing days of riding so far and was followed by one of the best night’s sleep of my life. I guess I deserved it!

Over and out Cal..

Freeride NZ 3 week NZ multi day tour

My name is Callum Jelley I’m a member of the MBUK Wrecking Crew and I’m going to chase summer around the world with my bike in tow. My bike is a Giant Reign X frame, the perfect tool for both fast DH, big hitting freeride runs and all day single track. Component-wise DT Swiss hooked me up with the new E2200 all mountain Wheel set, Fox 36 vans backed up with a DHX 5 rear shock, Formula The One brakes, Funn bar and stem, Hope ceramic bottom bracket and Sram gear assembly and Ride On cables. Hitting up New Zealand from 5th to the 25th of April with www.freeridenz.com and then on to Whistler for a whole season of shred all the Whistler and British Columbia has to offer.

The view from the van trip from Queenstown to Wanaka

For the New Zealand part of the trip I’m going to be travelling with Freeride NZ, started by Dan McMullan in summer 06 the company specialises in Freeride and Downhill tours ranging from 1 day to 3 weeks on both north and south islands. As well as Freeride and Downhill they offer single day cross country tours, heli biking days and loads more. The two guides, Dan and Glenn are super friendly and accommodating so if you want to do a trip that they don’t advertise they will do there best to sort you out.

Cool, calm and collected.....Glenno

Dan and Glenn picked me up in their van with a big sprayed painted trailer with 3 Commencal’s on it and the ability to carry up to 12 bikes and more! We pick up Dan B from Oz who is going to be with us for the whole of the south island section of the trip. Then we headed off to the trails! Our first trail we rode was virgin single track snaking its way down a valley just outside Queenstown. The trail was amazing it just flowed so well and the dust billowed behind us as we shredded down the mountain. The road back up was one of the scariest shuttling roads I’ve ever been on, it’s an old access road to the gold mines that used to exist around Queenstown. We spent the rest of that day riding the trail and warming up to the 20 days of riding ahead.

Dan invited some of his friends along today so there were bikes aplenty!

The second day began early with a plan to hit some local downhill tracks around Queenstown and then session the Mini Dream Track baby brother to the infamous Dream Track build by Nathan Greenwood and shown in both New World Disorder 5 and Drop In NZ. The great thing about the trails is how close they are to Queenstown itself. We start off on a track called Wynyard’s, it’s a pretty fast steep dh track with lots of berms and a couple of wooden features dotted through it, it also run’s straight through Mini Dream Track so we stop off here and ditch the bags and don the pads and get ready to get our dirt jump on! Every jump there is so well maintained and with plenty of backing from the council and the locals. A great training ground for every rider to get in the air, beginners to advanced riders.

Local Wanaka ripper Theresa McGeragle showing the boys how its done

Callum Jelley signing off