Name: Queenstown
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Mountain Biking, Queenstown Overview

Queenstown is the perfect place for a mountain biking adventure, no matter how skilled you are or for how long you have been riding. It boasts of having the most diverse kinds of tracks which accommodate levels from beginner to advanced, and easy downhill rides to riskier, more adventurous rugged tracks. Home to the world-famous Queenstown Trail, this town has multiple other bike parks and tracks for you to get that adrenaline going! You can easily hire a bike here and go on a wide range of tours offered, ranging from relaxed half-day tours to multi-day exploration tours.

Some of the most popular bike parks include the Queenstown Bike Park, atop Bob’s Peak, and Cardrona Bike park, both of which have multiple tracks stretching out to around 30 kilometres. The nearby Coronet Peak, located at a 30 minute drive from the city, also offers the most stunning views of the mountains and the cities around it.

Rude Rock, located at Coronet Peak, is also one of the more challenging ones, though just 3 kilometres long. It offers even better views of the ridge and the rocky path gives you a rush like none other. Make sure you take adequate precautions while on the bike. Happy biking!

Places

Since Queenstown is surrounded by gently sloping hills and mountains, it is the perfect place to go for relaxed, laid-back mountain biking. Some popular places include:

Queenstown Trail – This is the perfect way to indulge in mountain biking around the area, as the 120km track takes you around the towns of Arrowtown and Glenorchy, and offers the most beautiful views, going over bridges and through forests. Here, the tracks have also been marked as beginner, intermediate and advanced level.
Queenstown Bike Park – This is located atop Bob’s Peak, and the crew attaches your bike to the Gondola when you have to go up. At the park itself, you can choose from more than 30 trails totalling over 30 kilometres and dropping 450 metres.
Cardrona Bike Park – This is the country’s highest bike park, with over 30 kilometres of trail, marked from beginner to intermediate and advanced.
Coronet Peak – Located at a 30 minute drive from Queenstown, this peak offers great views of the Alps and the cities nearby.
Rude Rock Trail – This is a more challenging ride, as it goes down Coronet Peak on a rocky and steep path. It is 3 kilometres long.

Precautions

Here are a few precautions to take care of while mountain biking:

Always wear a helmet while you’re on your bike, even if you’re riding slowly or on an easy path.
Ride within your skill level and make sure you don’t go for the tougher rides while only starting out as a rider.
Make sure you hire the right bike, meant for a certain kind of trail or surface, otherwise the bike could get damaged or you could get injured.
Slow down at corners and don’t get carried away by the speed. Make sure you put the safety of yourself and others first.
Make sure you carry supplies, i.e., water, glucose, energy bars, puncture repair kit and a medical emergency kit.

Operators

A host of passionate operators offer a wide range of tours, from half day chill adventures to multi-day adrenaline explorations around the area. Some operators are:

1. Fat Tyre Adventures

2. Around the Basin Bike Tours

3. Gibbston Valley Bike Centre

4. Arrowtown Bike Hire

5. Bikeaholic Mountain Bikes

Costs Involved

The costs involved in mountain biking involve renting out a mountain bike, and paying for entering biking parks. The rental costs depend upon the type and build of the bike, and whether you’ll be hiring it for a full day or half a day. Some rental companies also have packages which include passes to Cordona Bike Park or for Gondola access to go to Queenstown Bike Park. The several offers are:

1. Bike rental and Gondola Pass (for Queenstown Bike Park) – NZD 150 onwards

2. Bike rental and Cardrona Bike Park pass + bus ride – NZD 150 onwards

3. Electric bike hire - NZD 80 onwards

4. Trek front suspension trail bikes - NZD 40 onwards

5. Trek mountain bikes - NZD 55 onwards

6. Specialized full suspension bikes - NZD 60 onwards

7. Specialized downhill bikes - NZD 80 onwards