Queenstown's Winter Wonderland
As winter descends, the snow begins to cover the mountain tops and the bikes are starting to be replaced by the snowboards and ski’s. I took the opportunity a couple of weeks back to push the Meta Power through all conditions and go and shoot a few photos above Skyline on the way up to Ben Lomond Saddle.
Over the last few years the popularity of the walk up to Ben Lomond has increased massively. The terrain up here is also incredibly well suited to bikes, specifically eBikes on the way up - unless you’re young and super fit. Queenstown Mountain Bike Clubs team of dedicated volunteer trail builders have put in the hard yards for us all to be able to enjoy on trails like Beeched As, Missing Link, Salmon Run & McNearly Gnarly.
Access via the Skyline road is a bit of a slog, but you’re rewarded with the most stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding peaks of the Remarkables, Cecil Peak and Walter Peak.
As the temperature drops, the colours all around us change too. The way we see this beautiful place changes throughout the year and winter is without a doubt truly stunning. The blues are so much more blue and the mountains take on a gorgeous purple undertone. All we have to do is put on the right clothing and employ your best go get it attitude.
Leaving the dark confines of the pine forest behind, Beeched As takes you further up the hill, allowing you to take the Ben Lomond track transporting you higher and higher above Queenstown. If you time this right in winter the sun will just be making itself seen as you make your way through the frozen landscape.
At times it’s hard to make the distinction between snow and frost. The main trail is well walked making the ascent a little technical in places, but so long as you can see the funny side, all is good. Reaching Lower Missing Link allows access to the ridge high above Bush Creek offering superb views across to Gibston Valley.
It had been a while since i’d scored first tracks through the snow on my snowboard, let alone on board my bike. With a full camera pack on my back I was a tad nervous about how it would go. There was zero reason to worry though. The snow provided the most insane amount of grip and the open section of Lower Missing Link, with it’s long straight and swooping hairpin corners were perfect to slowly drift around, inside foot hovering above the fresh snow, the hero status swelling with every second.
The track then moves into a beautiful Beech forest, the snow making its way through in patches. We are so lucky in Queenstown that we can access these beautiful forest with relative ease. They are absolutely stunning and a total pleasure to be able to ride a bike through. Even in the dead of winter the place feels alive. The greens seem to have developed a greater depth. As your eyes dart between the trees there is no shortage of beauty to soak up.
Every now and then streams cross the trail and the temperature drops even further. By now my feet are cold enough that I can’t feel the icy water splatter them. Usually these temperatures would cause a major distraction, but here, on this ride you don’t really seem to notice so much. It’s so beautiful, the sense of cold is overridden.
The trail eventually pokes out of the Beech Forest as you make your final traverse over towards Kelly’s table. The Remarkables stand in the distance looks incredibly majestic from this not often seen perspective.
Given my payload, Fernhill Loop was favoured over the slippery Salmon Run to get myself down to the start of the world famous McNearly Gnarly flow trail. When I reached the start I bumped into a couple of friends working on the trail and I felt like I’d just stumbled out of some form of amazing dream.
It’s quite hard sometimes to believe that riding bikes can be this much fun. We can transport ourselves into these different worlds, experience native flora and fauna relatively close to town. Queenstown really is a truly amazing place.
We’d love to show you around our place and create a beautiful set of images for you to treasure for decades to come. We can take you out in one of our beautiful Landrovers, either during the day or after dark to stand under the amazing Southern Hemisphere night sky. Of course, if you’d like some more adventurous shots, then we just love to shoot mountain biking adventures.
Our DOC concessions allow us incredible access to an enormous selection of jaw dropping locations all across the Deep South of Aotearoa. So if there is somewhere you really want to visit, please emailus@authenticAs.org and we can start planning your bespoke adventure.