3 days Ago By Mark Daffey
This story is part of the March 30 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . My thighs burn as I lean into my turns, using my legs to push off each bend as I tear downhill.
Though the ground is relatively smooth, there are still drops and obstacles that could catch me off guard. Then there’s the fact that someone is breathing down my neck. I dare not look over my shoulder in case I tumble over.
At Thredbo, the lifts and gondolas ferrying skiers up and down the mountain during winter are the same ones delivering mountain bikers up in summer. Credit: Getty Images It’s a scenario I’ve found myself in before at Thredbo, only this time I’m not on skis. Nor is it winter.
Instead, it’s midway through the “green” season, and gravity is helping me hurtle downhill on a mountain bike. It’s my first time mountain biking at Thredbo, in the NSW Snowy Mountains. And while there are similarities to other mountain biking destinations I’m more familiar with (Falls Creek in Victoria springs to mind), there’s one thing that sets this place apart: lifts.
At every other mountain bike park in Australia, riders need to either pedal uphill or fork out big bucks for shuttle services. At Thredbo, the lifts and gondolas ferrying skiers up and down the mountain during winter are the same ones delivering mountain bikers up in summer. Nowhere else in Australia does that.
Not even ski resorts like Falls, Mount Buller or Mount Baw Baw. My family and I are booked into the Thredbo YHA in an ensuite room with a queen-size bed and bunks. If you imagine hostels to be the exclusive preserve of party-loving backpackers, then this one will disappoint.
The communal kitchen allows us to minimise costs by preparing our own meals and the shared living space opens onto a balcony, where we cook a lovely barbecue dinner while gazing across the valley towards the slopes. There’s a room for storing our bikes. And the hostel has a selection of rental bikes, though they’re more suitable for handling the 37-kilometre Thredbo Valley Track or beginner trails around the village rather than any downhill challenges.
Trails traverse open ski runs beneath the lifts before disappearing into shady forests, where they weave between gnarled snow gums. MARK DAFFEY We’ve allowed ourselves two full days of riding, with our MTB Adventure Passes including all-day lift access, one Alpine Coaster ride, a round of golf, tennis court hire and entry to the Thredbo Leisure Centre. We start by hitching a ride up the mountain on the Merritts gondola, then linking up with the Cruiser chairlift for a top-to-bottom ride down beginner green runs Easy Rider and Sidewinder.
It proves to be the perfect warm-up, easing us into the day while we get a feel for the terrain. Right across the mountain, trails traverse open ski runs beneath the lifts before disappearing into shady forests, where they weave between gnarled snow gums and around granite boulders. As the slopes steepen, tight berms allow us to zigzag downhill while feathering the brakes.
.
