Skyline MTB Park sits just outside of the bustling downtown section of popular Queenstown, New Zealand. As in: just walk up the stairs (from downtown) to get there, and hop on the gondola to spin a quick lap- or preferably many quick laps.
During peak season Skyline spins their gondola until 7PM most days, even going until 8PM several days each week. This allows locals to enjoy after-work laps, and visitors to explore all that Queenstown has to offer with time to spare for catching laps early or late in the day.
We were able to squeeze in 3 days of lift-accessed shredding at Skyline, which gave us almost enough time to explore the ever-evolving bike park. There are tons of trails to ride and we were able to sample as much of what the park has to offer as we could fit in. Here are some of our favorites:
Hammy’s Track: looking to warm up on a green machine-built cruiser? Head over to Hammy’s and start blasting through smooth berms and rollers. This was our perfect intro trail after flying across the world, building up our bikes, and trying to shake off the Northern Hemisphere mid-winter cobwebs.
Vertigo: Vertigo is another machine-built trail full of fast berms, rollers, and jumps. Pick up the pace and starting doubling or tripling rollers here and there as you fancy, or simply hold on an enjoy the flowy ride at any speed. Tip: this trail is possibly best enjoyed as part of a tight train with all your friends while everyone tries to take different lines. Throw in some hooting, hollering, and heckling for bonus points.
Huck Yea: Huck Yea is for the jumpers out there. Get stoked for big and small tabletops rolling from start to finish, complete with a near-perfect ski-style hip at the bottom. I’m pretty sure we rode this trail more than anything else: once you figure it out it’s almost a mandatory part of any lap through the park.
Armageddon: Looking for roots and rocks? Drop into Armageddon and pin it through some steeper, more natural terrain. Riders can look forward to twisting, rooty corners followed by strategic berms and rock gardens thrown in for more action.
What’s the best part of riding Skyline Queenstown? Hard to say! Trail crew is always out buttering in certain sections of trails or building new trails entirely. If you’re hungry, head into the summit café for a quick Meat Pie or cold beer before resuming endless laps. For those jumpers looking to get extra sendy, cut off of lower Hammy’s and head over to Wynyard Jump Park- home of the infamous Dream Track and more assorted jumps/features than you can shake a stick at.
What can riders expect in the future from Skyline? Heaps of new trails, including manmade and natural options. The park is also installing a new gondola to increase uphill capacity for even more laps. Thanks so much for taking care of us Skyline Queenstown; we are already planning our return trip! For more information, visit https://www.skyline.co.nz/en/queenstown/things-to-do/queenstown-mountain-biking/ .
