Mission Impassable: Hunter Valley


For years, we’ve ridden past entrances to mysterious singletracks in the Pokolbin State Forest, high above the Hunter Valley. Normally we’re here as part of the Port to Port MTB race, and so heading into the forest, chasing fresh trails, isn’t an option. Not to mention that we’re usually way too buckled after climbing all the way up to the escarpment from the valley floor to even consider exploring! So we’ve always been left wondering – where do those trails go? Are they even rideable?



Well, this time we came back to find out. Our mission was to follow those trails, wherever the hell they led us. So we charged up the STEPS powered e-MTBs, loaded up on bakery treats, and headed into the hills.

What we found out there left us grinning for days; raw and wild singletracks, dusty and loose, and some jaw-dropping views over the whole Hunter Valley. Watch the vid, and start planning your own Mission Impassable!


We never expected views like this! Finding gems is what exploring is all about. We’d never have made it here without the eMTBs – the climb and challenging singletrack would’ve been a back breaker on our conventional bikes.
Humming up the steady, 12km climb to the escarpment. Anyone who has ridden Port to Port will remember this one well!
Lunch break vibes. We brought the big backpacks, and loaded them up with food and water, for a full day on the trails.
Penny, the wonder dog, came out to say g’day.
Warm weather meant these fellas were out in force.
Roosting dusty moto ruts. These kinds of trails suddenly become not just rideable, but a lot of fun, with a STEPS motor behind you.
Bombing down rock-strewn ridge lines.
Banofee Pie Point. Snack time, with a view over the whole Hunter Valley.

 

Chris was on board a Merida eOne Sixty 900, with a Shimano STEPS e8000 motor.
Mick’s bike for this ride was a carbon Focus JAM 9.7, running the extra volume TEC battery to boost the bike’s range.
The Merida took a couple of tumbles, but kept on trucking!
With the second battery pack fitted, the Focus had power to burn – Boost mode, all day long!
Now THAT was a cracking day out.

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