Lake Crackenback Resort
About 25 kilometres from Jindabyne on the Alpine Way, while the hills to the west are blanketed in snow in winter, Lake Crackenback Resort is rideable all year-round.
The Snowies fastemerging mecca for mountainbiking
About 25 kilometres from Jindabyne on the Alpine Way, while the hills to the west are blanketed in snow in winter, Lake Crackenback Resort is rideable all year-round.
Situated on 150 stunning acres of natural bushland, centred on a man-made lake, the resort’s custom-built 14 kilometre singletrack loop is an excellent way to warm up the legs.
But Crackenback’s real attraction lies in its central location, providing a great base to launch into other mountainbike hot-spots in Jindabyne and throughout Kosciuszko National Park.
The brand-new Thredbo Valley Trail (TVT) is a major drawcard for Crackenback – a wide, flowing, 12 kilometre multi-use track snaking through the stunning Thredbo valley and criss-crossing the Thredbo River.
Anyone is welcome to ride the resort’s facilities – no need to be a guest – and a visit to Alpine Larder for coffee or lunch is always a must.
GETTING THERE
Car is your best option for reaching the resort, and will provide you with the means to explore Jindabyne and surrounding areas. It’s a fiveand-a-half-hour drive from Sydney, and Melbourne is a sixand-a-half hour drive away.
TECHNICAL NATURE
At a relaxed pace, most of the resort trails are easily rollable, but become highly technical at speed, and the same can be said for many of the trails at Bungarra and Tyrolean Village, both near Jindabyne. The TVT is a marvel of trail design, and builder Craig Stonestreet (who is responsible for many of the trails in the area) has expertly managed to combine the needs of walkers and mountainbikers, providing good sight lines but still giving lots of twists and turns. There are plenty of fire roads in the National Park to explore, but terrain can be steep and will require a good level of fitness – plus a map and sound navigation skills.
Those looking for a gravity-fed challenge can take on Thredbo’s downhill and flow tracks, with chairlifts running between November and May.
YOU’LL NEED
No matter where you ride in the Alps, make sure you use plenty of suncream and carry some extra – there’s less ozone around and you will burn very quickly. The weather can also change extremely quickly, so carry a rain jacket and some warm gear. If you’re heading around the resort, you won’t be far from help if you need it. But no matter how far you go, be sure to carry the usual spares, plenty of water, food and a phone. If you’re taking on the longer rides into Kosciuszko National Park, take a map, and be sure to let someone know where you’re going. The relationship between National Parks and mountainbiking has a long and fraught history: carry out everything you take in.
DISTANCES
As far as you like. You can easily devise a 100km epic with countless metres of climbing, or coast around the resort trails for a quick work-out before breakfast.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Every full moon between November and March, local bike shop Sacred Ride hosts a Kosciuszko Lunacy Ride, a guided trip to the top of Australia with your bike and some goodies by moonlight. For those looking for a massive XC challenge out of Lake Crackenback try taking the TVT to Thredbo, then the Cascade Trail at Dead Horse Gap towards Tin Mines Hut, then down Tine Min Firetrail back towards Crackenback. A 140km round trip.
BEST TIME OF YEAR
The mountainbike season in the Snowys can run between November and May, but the summer months have fewer cold spells, and less risk of snow and rain. As stated though, the Crackenback trails, and those in Jindabyne, are rideable all year.
WHILE IN THE AREA
The Snowys are an immense outdoor playground. Try some other outdoor activities, especially fly-fishing, rail running, and hiking. The resort also off ers river sledding,archery, yoga, a day spa, and – wait for it – Segway tours.You will of course need to fuelup at some of the area’s great restaurants (Alpine Larder andCuisine at Crackenback off erfantastic fare), and a visit to the nearby Wildbrumby Schnappsdistillery will keep you warm on those cool alpine evenings.
LOCAL BIKE SHOPS
Sacred Ride (www.sacredride.com.au) at Jindabyne off ers hire bikes and can pass on information about where to ride and when.
LOCAL CLUB CONTACTS
Try Jindabyne Cycling Triathlon and MTB club, jindabynectmc. com.au for events and rides, and rollingground.com.au for excellent trail information and events.
| NEED TO KNOW | |
| Toilets | Yes |
| Drinking Water | Yes |
| Parking | Yes |
| Trails Signposted | Yes |
| Trailhead for the resort trails and Thredbo Valley Trail can be found at the junction of Bullocks Drive and Little Thredbo Road. | |
| Mobile Reception | Patchy |
| Shelter | Some |
| Plenty at the resort and Thredbo,but little or none if you’re heading out further. | |
| BBQ Facilities | Yes |
| Accommodation | Yes |
| Ratings Out Of Five | |
| Technicality | 3.5 |
| Fitness Level | 3 |
| Cross Country | 4 |
| Trail | 4 |
| All/Mtn | 3.5 |
| Downhill | 2 |
| Jump | 3.5 |
