No racing this week had me getting out of the office to do some exploring in the mountains, checking out what new trails have recently been and are being built up at Thredbo. Some major works are in place for the next few years and the crew from Dirt Art is in town to help make it happen. The Dirt Art crew hails from Tassie and is one of the leaders of Australian trail building, bringing with them some serious experience building quality trails.  The most exciting of these new projects is an epic 15km all mountain descent, flowing through some of the most scenic alpine country in Australia. Accessed via the Kosciuszko express chairlift or one of the most brutal fire road climbs you could hope for. A climb I am very keen to try to smash on the bike, after struggling to comfortably walk up it this weekend.  

The new trail will split in two towards the bottom with one option taking you to the chair lift and the other linking up with the recently opened Thredbo valley trail, something I’ll be checking out in the coming weeks. This will open up around 30kms of descending trails all the way down to Crackenback resort. 

This trail is coming along quickly, already showing signs of what is sure to be a classic addition to the mountain. With an opening date set for sometime round Christmas this year, possibly the ultimate reason to get a big MTB trip on the cards for next summer. 

 So far this year they have put in an awesome new jump line on the downhill track, giving riders the option to choose between the big tabletop and a few smaller ones to help progress to the next level. Plus some added flow to existing trails round the mountain. 

Also in the works is a fresh new loop of cross-country trail, extending the network around the village and Friday flat area. Snaking through bush land and rolling across the open ski slopes these fun, flowing trails are set to make their debut in mid March when Inter-schools racing comes to town.

From what I have seen so far the crew from Dirt Art are a great addition to the development of trails in the region. Working hard to build A-grade trails for all levels of riders to enjoy. I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike soon to test out all the new additions so far.