8 Day Multi Day Tour

It was after a downhill session with my mate Rob and another regular campaigner, with beer in hand at a pub, that a cunning plan was hatched to hit some trails in New Zealand. It was around early 2008, and we were keen to see what the land of the long white cloud has to offer.

Mountain biking medias such as 'Dirt Magazine' and 'Drop In TV' have painted such awesome landscapes of the place, it seemed criminal not to make the effort and see what its all about.
We were aware that there were established outfits dedicated to multi day trips in New Zealand, however we had certain expectations of what type of riding we were wanting to do. We both had bikes that had 6+ inches of rear suspension, so freeride/ all mountain / downhill riding was what we were up for. We were looking at around 7-10 days of being in NZ, and we did not want to be wasting much time on dud trails, or hunting around for tracks scrawled on a pamphlet or magazine.

....After looking at several options, and making initial enquiries, we decided to go with Freeride NZ. We opted for an 8 day multi day trip in the south island, and concentrating around the Queenstown and Wanaka area. With plans in motion, the plane tickets were purchased, and I was about to embark on my first mountain biking holiday.

Wanaka Heli Biking With Freeride NZ

The Trails...In terms of being able to gauge the type of riding that we were up for, I would have to say that Dan was right on the money each and every time. The rides were so varied from each other each time, riding National downhill tracks at Clyde, super slippery runs in Dunedin, or brake burning descents in Alexandra. There were moments where I was riding the trails and couldn't help but think that I was riding on things that you only see in the films and magazines. It's so inspiring to see that there are so many great trails out there, and certainly makes me more keen to travel with the bike.I could write volumes about the trails that we rode over the eight days, but I fear that I would just not do it justice. Those who have ridden the south island would know what I am talking about, and those have not yet but are thinking about it, I would seriously encourage you to hook up with Dan and the crew from Freeride NZ - you would not be disappointed.

Mark trail riding in Alexandra

The People...Part of what made riding the tracks a lot better was the fact that we had a chance to ride with local riders on their home turf. As Dan explains, it gives us tourists not only a chance to be able to interact with riders who are in the area, but also so we are not just coming into someone's home turf, ripping up their tracks, and then ducking away like ships in the night. It was great to have a chance to talk to this guys about all manner of things like how the trails developed in the area, line choices, and even reliving old war stories about riding that they have done in places like Whistler. I met some great people in my travels, and would gladly show them my local trails if they ever came to Brisbane.

Rob riding in a forrest near Dunedin

The 8 day multi trip experience with Freeride NZ was all in all, quite unforgettable. I found myself being challenged, pushing my personal boundaries of my riding, as it is not often that you get that feeling of danger day in day out. A big thanks to Sarge, Tom, Quinton, Kelly, Ashton, Hunter, Naomi, Kev, Tristan, and Russ for sharing their time with us on the trails. Also a big shout out to Dan and Glenn for making the trip all that it was - can't wait to catch up with you guys again!

The land of the 'long white cloud!'

Cheers,

Mark and Rob

Wow what a day...

How do you make the travelling to pick up a friend from an out of town airport fun... down hill runs with a turn around time that is so quick and the riding so good you begin wondering just what if this plane doesn't arrive, can i stay and keep riding!? A jam on a newly built 'trick booter' and some more down hill riding with another group of friends.

It all happened this Saturday with Kevin Fife, Kelley McGazza, Jarrod Hepburn, Ben Finney, Russ Horne, Irish rob and Jamie Thompson.

Locations: Remarkables, Mini Dream track and Clyde

Here are some pics of us on a jump designed by the Queenstown boys for learning/perfecting tricks

Dan

Rockstar Energy Drink Farm Jam 08

Tom McPherson

Hi Tom McPherson here…

Just got back from Farm Jam 2008 near Winton and it was amazing! The Rockstar Energy Drink sponsored comp is for mountain bikes, BMX and moto’s. The event is put together by the ‘Southern Freeriders’.

Practice day on the 27th was sick with Chris Beverland throwing down pendulums and a big session on the Super Booter. There were loads of 360 attempts and even a Backflip from Luke McCombie and Quinn Nicholls.

Jam day on the 28th was windy so only the BMX line was riden. Brett Frew and Kelly McGarry were shredding it and Luke McCombie did plenty of Tailwhips. Elmo Cotter and Phil McClean impressed with solid runs and I learnt Back flip’s to dirt.

Brett Frew

Big ups to Connor Harrison who was riding sick until he dislocated his shoulder doing one footer x-up flips into the foam pit.

All in all awesome fun bring on next year! Thanks to Shoosh Cycles for supporting me and Koarse FX for the photos.

Red Bull Rampage With Kelley McGazza

On Tuesday night we arrived in virgin Utah, after driving from Las vegas for a couple of hours. I was expecting really high temperatures as we were in the desert but we lucked out with fairly moderate weather. The landscape was amazing with huge sandstone cliffs towering above us on either side of us as we drove into Spring dale where we were staying.

The next morn I headed up to the site of the red bull rampage and was very impressed with the gnarly course and new man made features added to the event. For the next two days I practiced the course and dug lines to ride. Line selection was tricky ,I wasn’t sure ether to go for a safe line and risk getting scored low for amplitude or go for a burly line and risk crashing. I started to feel comfortable on ridge 3 so I opted to take that in my qualifying run.

We woke on the morning of qualifying to pouring rain and qualifying was postponed to Sunday . When I showed up Sunday morn we were told that we would only have one run of qualifying ,i was gutted about that because it puts a lot of pressure on you . I was happy with how I was riding in practice and excited about the comp. The pressure at the start gate was pretty intense I was nervous about crashing . I knew I had to throw some tricks on the features as a lot of people were riding my line. I rode the top of the ridge pretty good but when i did an x up on the big triple step down I got a bit blown by the wind and went down hard. My visor was smashed and I was shook up. I was super disappointed but I got back on and decided to i didn’t have much to lose so i floated a mammoth backflip over the last table, the crowd went siiiick and I was so stoked to stomp it and help make up for my crash .

I didn’t make the finals but it was cool to sit back and watch the insanity go down . Over all it was a great contest in an amazing part of the world and I hope i get a chance to ride it again.

Check me out www.kellymcgazza.blogspot.com

Freeride NZ in Napier

After spending the summer in Whistler, Canada it was time to head back home and begin operations in New Zealand. While on my journey back to Wanaka I stopped by Napier to see the other half of the Freeride NZ team, Hilton Taylor and Glenn Richards. Here is what we got up to….!

Head multi day guide for Freeride NZ Glenn was born and bred in the Hawkes Bay region along with Freeride NZ’s North Operations Manager Hilton so it was great to be in the hands of real locals!

Hilton Taylor

        Glenn Richards

We started my two day tour at the Eskdale Mountain Bike Park in the Pan Pac Tangoio Forrest, situated 15 minutes North of Napier. The riding is endless with enough variety in trails to keep any rider grinning for the day! We rode the down hill tracks but there are also over 50 kilometers of lush single track found throughout the forest! It’s a really popular spot for locals as well as out of town riders. After signing up for a pass to access the forest you then have your own play ground to play in! These passes can be purchased at any local bike shop or online at www.hawkesbaymtb.co.nz

Glenn & Dan riding in the Eskdale MTB Park

It was then off for a quick play in Glenno’s own back yard pump track before heading out to Waipatiki beach. We spent the evening at the same batch (holiday house for the overseas readers!) as where we stay for our multi day tours through the area. The batch is in the heart of native bush and alongside an amazing surf beach where you can see the Napier in the distance.

Sneak preview at Glenn's pump track

I didn’t have my cross country bike so I was lucky enough to get a new test bike from the generous boys at Avanti plus bike shop in Hastings. It was a four inch XC bike that was perfect for the trails we were about to encounter. Just up the road from our batch was the Waipatiki beach Trail which was a flowing single track trail that made its way through native palms,ferns, flaxes, vines and trees. It’s only an hour or so loop but is well worth the grind to the top!

At the beach side batch

Napier would make the perfect weekend to get on the bike for anyone in the North Island and for us Southerners a pretty good excuse to get a road trip happening and checking out what s on offer in the sunny Hawkes bay!

For any info on the trails in Napier contact either Freeride NZ or Hawkes Bay Mountain Bike Club.

Again a big thanks to Avanti plus bike shop in Hastings.

Cheers,

Dan

NZer Kelly McGazza at REDBULL RAMPAGE

Check out the latest from REDBULL RAMPAGE in Utah, USA at http://www.freecaster.tv/

Our own Kelly McGazza is the first Southern hampshire rider ever to compete in the notorious REDBULL event. You can see what Kelly gets up to via http://www.kellymcgazza.blogspot.com/

Helmet Cam of Dan riding in Whistler Bike Park

Keewee Road Trip To Kamloops

We have just arrived back into Whistler after a visit to Kamloops (3 ½hr drive East of Whistler). The Kiwi contingency on our road trip included myself, Rueben miller, Nathan Ryder, Hayden Mckay, Amanda Pearce and Harriet Harper.

We rode Sun Peaks mountain resort on Saturday. It was my first time here but for most of the team it was second time round. There are three mountains surrounding the small village and the town seems to be surrounded by golf courses!

So we were basically the first on the chair and the last off. After asking the lifty how many riders were expected for the day, we soon realized there was no need to rush for the chair lift. Just 17 people were expected….For a Saturday! We were stoked since all season we have been lining up in those famous Whistler bike Park queues that could last from 2 minutes to an hour!

The Riding at Sun Peaks is fast, rough and super enjoyable. There is a huge variety of trails from timber skinnies to open, quick down hill trails. I really liked the Freeride trails which had some cool features in them and a pretty cool trail that went directly under the chairlift called. There is a jump park near the bottom of the park too.

After reuniting with Ryder in the morning it was time to jump in the vans and head to kamloops to a place called Mt Harper. This is a ski field in the winter time, with a forest at the bottom of the ski runs filled with MTB trails. It was my third time here but I was excited to see any changes and new features from the last times.

The trails are easy to find and it wasn’t long till we had pumped out half a dozen runs. All our runs would include little sessions on the features we found on the trails like timber structures and dirt jumps. Our last run had to be the best with an epic flowing single track trail that weaved in and out of pine trees.

If you ever need more info on these places let me know….

Dan

Whistler Heli Biking With Jarrod Heprurn

Well finally got a heli trip organised or had it organised for me anyway!

Started off getting picked up by my friend Elly and driving out to the heli pad of Blackcomb Helicopters where we waited for the rest of our crew to turn up. Once everyone was there we took all our bikes over and got them ready for the pick up and got our safety instruction like dont jump in the rotors. By this stage i wasn't really listening as i had my camera out snapping photo's as being my first time in a heli i was pretty much kid in a candy store and had got the shotgun call.!

After our pilot had flicked a bunch of switches the blades started moving and it was go time and we slowly started to watch the ground disappear. As we got a little higher all the local mountains, lakes, glaciers and ski runs of Whistler appeared, truely a spectacular thing and everyone sat in silence for the whole trip up the mountain.

Finally we landed on a large piece of snow everyone hoped out and waited for the bikes to arrive. The heli was back up in no time with the bikes strapped to the bottom and everyone was thiniking if that rope snaps there's about $40 000 worth of bikes down the drain however all was good we got our bikes watched the heli fly away and all thought I want one.

Now it was time for the real deal, the track started off and it was pretty much straight into it no time for a warm up roll over the first little knoll and into some nice steep riding.The track had been rode quite a bit and a sizeable rutt was in play but easy enough to stay out of although some of didn't think of this and we had our first ragdoll. For most of the top this was how it went over a knoll into some steep chute or a nice grassy piece of hill where once you had made it down turned round and watched everyone else have their rip down. After a few more of these the trail moved into the trees and got a bit more flowy and fun and everyone was getting their groove on with a heads up of dont get it going to fast as it drops off pretty steep and you can get yourself into a bit of trouble.

With a range of different level of riders we would always wait catch our breath and play on a few rocks that were pretty fun with a few that where pretty tech. However Smokey a whistler local took up the challenge and got it done. The rest of the trail kept with the same theme steep with a few roots a bunch of nice rock rolls and lots of fun even for a freeride jump nut, before you know it you pop out onto a local flank trail with the option of a few down hill trails of all level depending how much you have left in the gas tank.

Over all an awesome trip, a ride in a helicopter which I will jump at every time I get the chance now with some of the most beautiful mountain scenery and an excellent trail ride down with some good friends. What more could you want apart from a cold beer sitting in the sun to top it off which we just had to do.

Theresa 'cranks it up' Whistler style Helmet Cam

Wanaka's Rider Theresa McGeragle riding one of her favorite trails in Whistler this summer 'Crank It Up'.

Guides Low Down On Recent Multi Day Trip

Disillusioned by traffic, pollution, bad weather and overpopulation I like to grab my bike and hit the wilderness..Mountain biking is special - it offers an opportunity to pedal away from your familiar world, to go somewhere new, to face new challenges. It takes you to those 'lose yourself and find yourself again' places. It brings new people into your life. It helps you appreciate where you have been, and to make good decisions about where you’re headed. Riding bikes brings on a good headspace.RIDING BIKES IS FUN!

A road trip around New Zealand with like-minded bike enthusiasts, riding downhill bikes all day everyday, sounds mint eh? Well it was.

Dan Mcmullan and myself are head guides for Freeride NZ. We did a 21 day trip across NZ recently and i thought i would fill you in with what happened!

We got up at 8am most mornings, fuelled up with caffeine, toast and every cereal imaginable while watching south park episodes on the laptop. Quick bike check, then load our days gear n bikes aboard the limo. Hit the destination ride button on the auto pilot and wait in anticipation till we arrive at the start of an epic trail. We would ride hard all day stopping only to refill with subway for lunch. Then we would come back, have a few cold beers and reminisce events of the days riding.

One of my favourite trails from the trip was the Remarkables DH trail situated just north of Queenstown. The trail starts off just as narrow dusty flowy single track that just got better the further you went along it. Huge round rocky stony berms that were filled with the finest dust which exploded when you hit them. The next turn would be a flat turn that you could ride sat down, leg off, moto styles! There were rock gardens and jumps dotted from top to bottom. One jump was built up from a car engine with the carburettors as the lip! A giant fade away hip jump shot you up and away to give you max speed on landing to a tight left hand rock step down shooting you onto a tight pumpy single track next to the access road giving you a good chance to race the shuttle van back down for a 200 meters. The bottom section was a clearing of grass and sheep poo to a cheese wedge style booster which the van is waiting an amping ya to get back up to have another go.

Being based in Wanaka which means renewal of the soul, for the first five days was great! The town itself has a cool selection of bars and cafes. The weather was amazing while we were stopped over in Wanaka giving us 360° view of mountains and a crisp blue lake...breathtaking!

Waking up everyday with a huge smile on my face after a really good dream featuring my girl cat and drew barrymore, but that’s another story for a different kind of site…ok, so where was I??? Right.. waking up every day with a huge smile on my face knowing that its going to be another epic day on our bikes shredding up trail after trail.

So much to say but in a nutshell….
Countless blue sky days and phenomenal rides in the stunning N.Z country side made for a never to forget road trip!

Sighning off…

Glenno

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