Thredbo's best new trails
This summer Thredbo have more lifts, fresh trails and lots of events - it's the place to be for gravity riding.
Thredbo has long been the home of gravity riding in Australia, with the iconic Cannonball Run etched into the memories of generations of Australian mountain bikers. Over the past decade, Thredbo has grown to be so much more than just one of the most demanding downhill runs in the country with chairlift access. Thredbo's 2023-2024 mountain bike season officially opened on November 17 and runs to late April 2024.
There's a lot to love about a trip to Thredbo. The drive up the Alpine Way from the shores of Lake Jindabyne edges you ever closer to the alpine village. The road twists up the valley, climbing ridges before descending again. At each high point you get a view to the main range ahead. Be it a patch of snow or a whole bank, something will always catch your eye before you descend back down. And finally, the unmistakeable Ramshead rears into view. Soon enough the resort unveils itself in the valley and everything you need is in the one place: from your accommodation, to bike shops and bike hire, the supermarket, bakery, indoor pool, the pub and of course the chairlifts, pump track and XC trails – it's all a short walk or roll from wherever you're staying.
Find out more about all Thredbo trails.
This season is set to be one of the biggest ever for Thredbo, building on last summer when they opened three new gravity trails for beginner and intermediate riders, along with a full revamp of the current network and a progressive jump and skills park. The new trails are all accessed from the Cruiser chairlift – making for 4 lifts running through summer.
Thredbo's new Paparazzi, Grasshopper and Easy Rider trail are all accessed from the Cruiser chairlift, but they link into the whole network. The trails can be accessed off the All-mountain trail, or you can take some of the new trails right into Ricochet. So while the new trails focus on having a shorter run and short uplift, you can tie them into a long descent to choose your own adventure down the mountain.
The Cruiser chairlift will have easy to use bike carriers installed, and the Gunbarrel chairlift will have the same. This will help increase the capacity on Gunbarrel, so lengthy lift lines are a thing of the past.
With the new additions to Thredbo's mountain bike trail network, Thredbo MTB Park will now have over 40 kilometres of dedicated mountain bike trails, with 4 lifts running this summer. One lift alone puts them at the front of the pack for gravity riding destinations, but with four lifts accessing a diverse trail network to suit beginner to advanced riders – Thredbo really are firming up their position as the home of gravity riding in Australia.
The best addition for Australian mountain biking is the additional beginner and intermediate trails making for an excellent addition to what's on the hill at Thredbo already. Sidewinder, Ricochet, Cannonball and the Flow trail are all lots of fun, but the three new trails open up a whole new area, and are designed to suit riders who have just got into mountain biking a little more recently. Throw in the progressive jump and skills park, and cross-country trails and the pump track – and Thredbo really have something for every mountain biker.
All about Thredbo's new trails
Easy Rider | Beginner | 2.9km
As the name suggests, this beginner flow trail is an easy gravity-fed ride from the top of the Cruiser Chair. While many beginner trails leave you down in the valley, this trail kicks off at over 1800m, but with about 215m of elevation drop it doesn't leave beginner riders exposed. While you can drop straight into Sidewinder, you can also jump back on the Cruiser chair for another lap or jump on the Merrit's chair to go down to the village for lunch.
Grasshopper | Intermediate | 2.1km
Grasshopper is a flow trail that can be what you make it. Whether you want to hit the table top for the air line, or scout out the side hits that make the trail really come alive is up to you. Alternatively, you can work the terrain for speed and keep it rubber side down. As an intermediate flow trail Grasshopper has plenty of choices – you just need to make them.
Paparazzi | Technical | 1.1km
Adding some more spice to the Cruiser area trails, Paparazzi is littered with trail features, from man-made through to natural rock features. The shorter length sees the features come thick and fast, which is part of what makes it a more technical trail. You can run this trail out into Grasshopper for a high speed flow trail finish, or into Easy Rider for a more chilled roll to the chair for another lap.
What's on at Thredbo this summer?
Thredbo have a bunch of events over the green season. From the Cannonball MTB Festival, Interschools and their own unique Gravity Series events, there's lots on to align a visit with.
