http://www.ambmag.com.au 59VANLIFEyou’re dealing with in Tasmania. The fact that
this is a place that that happens regularly is what
makes it one of the sickest places to ride. You
don’t get this type of terrain and climate and feel
without that happening. It’s part of the Maydena
experience. Going to one of the wildest places to
build a bike park makes it what it is – it’s such a
special place.”
And Ellis isn’t over-selling it. This is a wild
corner of Tasmania. On the drive towards
Maydena you’re aware that you’re in an alpine
scale environment. You are surrounded by big
hills, high alpine lakes, fast flowing rivers and old
growth forest. If you haven’t visited before, every
twist and turn on the drive from Hobart will have a
new vista to take in. I live in Queensland and grew
up in Sydney, it’s a totally different feel coming to
such a different climate, especially when you’re
high in the sub-alpine areas at the top of the park.
Getting onto a shuttle with your bike loaded
onto the trailer is like strapping in for a theme
park ride. I’ve said before that heading into the
shuttle road feels a little like the scene from
Jurassic Park, wondering what has been created
beyond the gates. There is nervous excitement
sitting in the shuttle bus. What are the conditions
going to be like? Am I riding well enough? Have I
brought the right bike? How come no one else has
an open face helmet?
The reality is that there are a whole lot of ways
down the mountain. And we saw riders gingerly
making their way down the Wilderness Trail on
a Canyon hire bike, to riders getting their high
speed fix before heading to Derby to race the
EWS.
Given the temperatures were more suitable
for Tasmanians than a Queenslander like me, we
caught up with West and Korum around the fire.
They were visiting from Western Australia, and
also needed to warm up. Covered in mud and
huge smiles, they stripped off their jackets by the
fire at the base of the park. It’s the first time they
had visited, and they were really impressed.
“We’d heard about Maydena, read about it and
seen the videos and photos,” said West “the lure
of the elevation really got us here though. There
is 20-25 minutes of pure descent. You have to
stop at Midline because your hands and your
arms are burning. We don’t get that back home,
where we ride two or three minute descents with
the occasional four or five minute run. This is 20
minutes of pure downhill.”
There are long runs available in Australia,
like at Thredbo on the Cannonball Run or the
All-Mountain Trail. But they pale in comparison
to Maydena Bike Park, as there are so many
different trails with different features and grades.
“The mountain is just insane,” adds Korum.
“There are so many trails up there and a lot
of really cool man-made features and natural
stuff. The amount of hours that have gone into
it is phenomenal. For us to have this in our own
country, with no need for international travel, orcurrency exchange, long flights, huge time zone
differences or the like makes it so much more
accessible.”
And that’s the sort of space Maydena Bike Park
is playing in. If you haven’t been, you might not
fully grasp how big the area is, and the range of
the riding available within the park.
“It really is world-class. We go on one or
two mountain bike trips a year, we’ve been to
Queenstown and Whistler and other places in
Canada, Indonesia... all sorts of places!” Korum
added. “If they have been going for a Whistler sort
of vibe here then they have nailed it.”
Maydena isn’t as busy as Whistler, not yet, but
riders feel you can have a similar experience after
only being open just over a year – but it’s unique.
Maydena Bike Park marches to the beat of its
own drum.
“We had to figure out who we were as a bike
park, and having all the facilities was part of it.”
Says Rhys Ellis, who was hand-picked by Simon
French of Dirt Art to manage Maydena Bike Park.
“It sort of happened out of necessity too. If we
didn’t have a bike shop or food available, we might
not exist. We had to build it. But it’s now become
the feel of the place. The same guy who is signing
you up for your uplift might rebuild your wheel,
sell you a beer or show you around the bike park.
And that’s the feel that we want, we want you to
feel like you’re part of the bike park, not another
person just being churned through.”VANLIFE