Flow Mountain Bike acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Mt Buller, the people of Taungurung Country. We recognise their connection to lands, waters and communities and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Mt Buller; a true veteran of alpine sports. Winters filled with snow and summer months uncovering a vast network of mountain bike trails, this resort has made good use of its elevation to appeal to the adrenaline lovers of the world.
Mt Buller houses some pretty amazing cross-country and enduro-style trails across the summit and to its base which had undergone a massive revamp over the last couple of years. But we are not here today to talk about tracks which will lead you up the hill, but rather the types that send you straight down it — which have also been reworked by Trailscapes and Contour Works.
Related:
- Mount Buller By The Horns | We ride Buller’s refreshed trail network
- Flow Destination Hub | Mount Buller
‘Onwards and downwards’ was the motto of Flow’s weekend at this spectacular High Country destination and we had our sights set on ABOM, Copperhead, Outlaw and International.
After a flurry of rainstorms, blood-pumping drum and bass, and some not altogether unexpected flat tyres, a weekend away on Mt Buller’s exciting range of descents was one to remember.
Saturday | The Buller Tough Mudder
Opening weekend at Mt Buller saw the shuttle buses running, and some newly refreshed downhill trails opened, but also A LOT of rain. Any talk of hot summer-riding prior to a weekend of mountain biking should be taboo from now on, because we seemed to have jinxed ourselves with some wintery conditions.
Despite the inclement weather, we rugged up and headed to the top of ABOM for our first lap down the hill, inspired by all the young guns on the mountain continuing to ride in the rain.
ABOM | Bring on the slop
Attracting all riders who love airtime and speed, ABOM is truly a treasure of Mt Buller. Unfortunately, the dark soil had soaked up a lot of the rain, and so we experienced more of a slip n’ slide type run down the hill. Despite the lack of traction, we had a gas getting splattered with mud and pulling for gaps which we surely did not have enough speed for given the conditions.
Even through the rain, it was obvious that a lot of work had been recently done to the trail. David McCoombe, better known as ‘Danger’, is the main man behind trail maintenance and building at Mt Buller. He says that after Winter the builders spent 55 days and over 600 labour hours preparing the gravity trails for its opening on the first weekend of Summer.
ABOM has definitely been the object of a lot of this trail love. Filled with beautifully shaped jumps the whole way down the mountain, you would probably spend more time in the air than on solid ground. But even if big jumps aren’t your cup of tea (or mug of mud, in our case), ABOM can still be enjoyed as a fast ‘down flow’ (that’s the technical term) trail, with b-lines around the bigger features.
In dryer conditions, this track would have been a blast; with rollers to pump through, big berms, and jumps to send you to the moon, a bit more time under the sun to pack in would make for a trail of pure speed and style.
Sunday brought sun… and rocks
Sunday rolled around, and although it got dryer, it also seemed to get a whole heap rockier. With some rougher trails on the cards for the day, the full faces were on and body armour was clicked into place.
Outlaw kickstarted the morning with a wide and fast-paced descent. The trail had recovered well from the rain, providing ideal conditions and oodles of grip. Presenting heaps of line choices down light rock gardens and little gaps to keep you on your toes, Outlaw is a great introduction to the more technical side of Mt Buller.
Transitioning into the lower half of International at the bottom, Outlaw presents some Mach-10 flowy sections before the final jump at the end — a good feature for people like Josh, who loves to send a tabletop whenever the opportunity arises.
The one, the only, International DH
Now, for the big guns; the trail which has claimed many a rear tyre in its time: International.
To bring the energy for tackling this famous trail, the Blue Dirt shuttle driver provided some high-paced drum and bass through the minibus sound system. This did not fail to get the blood flowing early and is a technique I will be putting to use before all my future downhill runs.
Compared to the smooth features of ABOM, International is perhaps not the easiest line down the mountain, but it is definitely the most fun if you like something a bit more demanding.
The trail crew has done an amazing job on this trail, making necessary improvements to catch-berms after steep, fast sections while still leaving its prized rock gardens as rough as ever, letting International’s rugged DNA continue to shine through.
International qualifies as a hardcore downhill trail, no questions asked. It offers rocks, catch berms and fast straights all the way to the end. The two road gaps on the trail produce some thrilling air time in between bouts of rattle-your-fillings-loose roughness. International has also been used for a round of the Victorian Downhill Series for many years. So, if you are asking yourself whether it is worth bringing your downhill bike along for the ride to Mt Buller: Yes, it definitely is.
Sadly, our riding time on International was cut short as we dutifully added two more tyres to the proverbial wheel graveyard beside the track. Needless of the few mechanicals we suffered, the Flow crew made the most of being restricted to the sidelines, heckling and cheering other riders as they barrelled down the track. A wholesome moment for us all.
Copperhead
Another trail on the list of gravity descents at Mt Buller is Copperhead. Snaking its way down the resort…like, well… a Copperhead, Buller claims it to be Australia’s first “flow-down trail.” While we have great memories of summers past lapping this historic trail at Buller, on the day we visited the majority of Copperhead was unfortunately closed to all riders due to maintenance.
So I guess we will just have to return to tackle this one another day — if you’re going to twist our arm!
Sit back and relax
It is due time to give a bit of time to the essentials: coffee and food. Mt Buller has a fair supply of food and drink venues to accommodate the hungry mountain biker’s needs. We didn’t manage to fully explore all of the dining options, but we did get the full and comforting cosy-cafe experience at the Mirimbah Store.
Cosy cafes are my absolute favourite. I will always make a b-line for one when they catch my eye. This is why when I saw the Mirimbah Store, I was instantly sold on Mt Buller before even riding the trails.
Located at the bottom of the Australian Alpine Epic Trail and the Delatite River Trail, the Mirimbah Store offers all the essentials for a rejuvenating refuel.
Whether you are in need of a coffee to reboot the system, or post-ride beer to calm the senses after a big day on the trails, this cafe has it all. A range of savoury and sweet pastries and a large coffee machine welcomes customers through the door. Most of the Flow crew looked no further than a scrumptious bacon and egg roll, but the kitchen offers more than just one truly amazing item on their menu; with toasties, granola and big breakfasts, the Mirimbah Store accounts for every craving.
All I can say to this cosy cafe is: I will be back.
Buller’s added bonuses
Mt Buller has shown that it can provide riders with fast-paced gravity trails, but it also houses a village pumping with activities.
If you still have some steam left after a long day on the trails, the base area has a large pump track to keep you riding around in circles for hours on end. The village is also home to a branch of All Terrain Cycles — a bike shop for all your bike repairs, bike hire or skills sessions, and a handy bike wash to keep your bikes squeaky clean throughout your stay.
The resort was also holding its annual Summer Shred Sesh to kick off the riding season. For the event, the resort crew had brought back some snow for a final blast of Winter before the summer season settled in. A park session ensued, and we had a good time watching some stunts in the snow, wishing we could do all the tricks the snowboarders and skiers were pulling off on the mini terrain park built there.
Mt Buller’s bright future
Mt Buller already has heaps to offer from its selection of gravity trails, cafes and more, but the trail system is still on the rise.
Doubling as a ski-resort and mountain bike park, organising where and how to build trails has always been a difficulty. The trail features must be small enough to be covered by snow, or have to be knocked down before the Winter season. Situated high in the Victorian Alpine, it’s an extremely sensitive environment so the impact of the trails and this work must be taken into account. Even with all these limiting factors, the Mt Buller mountain bike scene has not been deterred.
A tonne of work is going into the resort’s trail network to keep it growing. Danger says that the trails are now formally managed as Resort assets and have solid funding towards their progression. A connection with Contour Works will also help to continue the growth of mountain biking at Mt Buller, making way for a bright future.
Watch this space for more exciting Buller news coming your way!
Photos:
- Campbell James
Riders:
- Lia Ladbrook
- Oliver Neil
- Tanner Keat
- Josh O’Connell