Thredbo All Mountain Trail (full trail)  

Notes:

The full Thredbo All Mountain Trail opened Easter 2017 completing what is arguably Australia's best gravity descent.   

I'd rate it as a high intermediate trail, not only for the technical nature of the trail but also the length.  Going super hard (near race pace) it's a good 20+ minute ride, first runs for an intermediate could be closer to 1 hour - yes 1 hour - and a lot of pedaling as momentum is heavily rewarded on this trail.

Unless you're an experienced technical gravity rider I would recommend first riding the Kosciuszko Flow Trail to assess your suitability for the ride.  The All Mountain Trail is far more technical than the Kosciuszko Flow Trail and not only in the tech level, but the frequency of them.  It's tighter, faster, has less visibility and requires a significantly higher level of bike control to ride safely (cornering, braking, technical, steeps - and all four at the same time).  An inexperienced gravity rider may only be capable of 1 run a day.

For people who enjoy this kind of riding then YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THE THREDBO ALL MOUNTAIN TRAIL!

The Trail has 7 distinct sections

1. Gentle pedal from the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift to the top (shared with the Kosciuszko Flow Trail) 
2. Across the top to the intersection where the Thredbo All Mountain Trail separates from the Kosciuszko Flow Trail) 
3. From the intersection across the Sponars T-Bar to the Antons T-Bar
4. Antons to the Gunbarrel Chair
5. Gunbarrel Chair to the Merrits T-Bar
6. Below Merrits
7. Merrits Mid Station to Friday Flat  

Stage 1 - is an easy pedal up the hill from the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift, follow the path around behind the Eagles Nest restaurant.  A chance for some photos and to get yourself set for an epic descent.  It's not uncommon for a lot of walkers on this climb, some signage would certainly help stop people from continuing along the MTB Trail.

Stage 2 - This section starts with a technical section dropping blind down a rocky roller.  On your first run it's worth checking out first.  Expect to see people get off and walk as there's no real b-line option.  From the first roller to the intersection there are a number of rock gardens, a couple of short pinch climbs, bridges and some great flow if you can hold your pace.  As this section is shared with the Kosciuszko Flow Trail expect to see a lot of inexperienced riders in this section stopping in the most inconvenient locations.  WARNING:  if you had to get off and walk at any time during this section you should not ride the All Mountain Trail,  please take the right hand turn down the Flow Trail for your own safety.

Stage 3 - From the intersection of the Kosciuszko Flow Trail across the mountain to the Antons T-Bar is a mix of technical flow and rock garden tough pinches.  This section is a real lung burner and a test of nerves as the fast descending sections have zero room for error as the track often drops away into an abyss of sharp granite boulders.  If you can hold a fast line and power up the climbs your momentum will be well rewarded.  

Stage 4 - From the Antons T-Bar to the Gunbarrel Chairlift was the last section to be opened and they left some of the best until last.  Some epic rock gardens, rock armoring, narrow gaps, fast flow, big berms running in close succession and tech sections - sometimes all at once make this section of trail some of the best trail I've ridden.  All rollable but a great section of trail to really throw your big travel bike around.

Stage 5 - This is the start of the original section of trail from the top of the Gunbarrel Express Chairlift down to the Merrits T-Bar.  Traverses with the odd section of pedaling flowing onto small berms is the general state of play for this section.  A few rock tech sections and an A-Line gap jump add some flavour to the mid section of the full trail.

Stage 6 - From the Merrits T-Bar down to the Merrits Mid Station is some of the fastest riding on the trail.  While there are a few short lung busting pedals for the most part this section is significantly faster and harder work on the brakes.   Long flowy traverses into tight berms, a few fast shoots through the trees and some open sections where you're body is calling for more brake than you want to give.  A section to really get wild - not so different from sections of Rotorua's Eagle vs Shark.

Stage 7 - Merrits Mid Station to Friday Flat is much slower.  Some flat XC sections through the trees lead onto the ski run down to the base of Friday Flat, but be warned the open zig zagging section has a number of loose, flat and off camber corners that can catch out an exhausted rider looking for a lazy exit from a 20+ minute epic descent.  Be warned!

From just below the Merrits Mid Station you can ride back to the main centre along the All Mountain Trail however I'd been warned that it's a punish of a climb so I've never done it.  The easiest route is to follow the signs toward Friday Flat and ride back by the road (watch for pedestrians and drivers with the attention not on the road).

Blog articles that mention this trail

• 6/9/2018 - Silver Mountain Bike Park - is there a better descent in the world?
• 25/10/2017 - Conquering Whistler's Top of the World Trail
• 17/9/2016 - Is the Thredbo AM Trail the best descent in Australia?
• 25/7/2016 - MTB Trail Videos - Trail Centre Upgrade Program

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