Epic by name and epic by nature, the trails in
and around Mt Buller really are a cross-country
rider’s paradise. Of course, the jewel in the crown
remains the 40km Australian Alpine Epic (to
give it its full majestic title) that comes with the
International Mountain Bike Association’s stamp
of approval.The next closest trail of such standing is
approximately 13,000km away in California which
puts into perspective how special Buller’s gem
really is. You’ll need high endurance to complete
the entire Epic, which drops 1,000m overall from
the ski village to Mirimbah - albeit with 1,245m of
climbing thrown in for good measure to make sure
you fully earn the legendary final 10km descent.If you’re experienced and pretty fit, then there’s
around four hours of awesome riding ahead of
you. But schedule up to seven hours to complete
the entire trail if you’re not quite as experienced
or want to take it all at a more leisurely pace.
As per the IMBA’s rules and regulations, more
than 80 per cent of the Epic trail is singletrack
and it features some tricky rocky sections in the
opening stages before offering plenty of flow
thanks to big banked berms, rollers and jumps as
it progresses over the top of Mount Stirling.Expect to be blown away by the scenery and the
ever-changing landscape, including some mighty
cathedrals of ferns, as much as the trail itself.The Epic turns three years old this December
but has already been hailed as one of the best
trails anywhere in the world. However, Buller are
keen to keep developing and the newest feature
is an innovative 120m-long modular pump track
featuring 88 interchangeable parts that can be
modelled and then re-modelled to create virtually
limitless course options.For downhill riders, there are three
trails - most notably International
that is full of technical terrain, rock
gardens, jumps, 75-degree berms and
1m drop-offs over its 2km distance.
Check in advance if DH is your thing
since gravity trails are only open to
riders on days when the Northside
Express Chairlift or Blue Dirt Mountain
Bike shuttles are operating.The Northside Express Chairlift will
operate from 10am-4pm daily from
December 26 to January 9, but only on
select weekends after that through to
April. Outside of the chairlift operating
period, a shuttle is operated by Blue
Dirt from the Lower Tyrol car park
to Spurs on select weekends from
9am-4pm. For Epic riders, a shuttle
operates from Mirimbah back to Mt
Buller daily in Janaury, then each
weekend until April 29.A great time to visit is during the
Shimano Bike Buller Festival which
runs from March 10-12 and features
a wide variety of races from gravity
enduro and downhill to XC and All
Mountain – and coincides with the
‘Picnic in the Park’ food, wine and
music festival to make it a long
weekend of great riding and great
entertainment.In order to help you find a great place
to stay at any time, the ‘Bike Buller
Recommends’ program has been
developed to promote accommodation
venues that have facilities for riders
such as bike washing and adequate
bike storage. Those lodgings will also
be able to give you the heads up on
where to ride, give you a spot to store
your bike, chat all things bike and make
you and your wheels welcome.mtbuller.com.au