By Maia Hart, Local Democracy Reporter
Marlborough Mountain Bike Club president Fraser Brown says the club is looking to add a new mountain biking skills area at the Wither Hills farm park. Photo: Local Democracy Reporting/ Stuff - Anthony Phelps
Mountain bikers have proposed a new series of tracks like 'ski field' zones in and around popular Marlborough walking tracks.
Derived from a similar concept to a ski field, Blenheim's Wither Hills farm park could add a new mountain biking skills area - but with a bespoke new concept.
The new addition, currently under consultation, would include a permanent cross-country track, five skills areas and a shared pathway.
Marlborough Mountain Bike Club president Fraser Brown, who was recently crowned New Zealand Mountain Biker of the Year, said the idea had been in the works for years.
"Currently we've got this fantastic trail network which is further back in the Wither Hills, and that's some great trails, but we're just looking to build a skills park which will essentially be far closer to the main Rifle Range car park, and that will have more of a skills zone," Brown said.
"We're calling it a progressive skills zone, so we will have five different zones from zone 1 to zone 5, and you will progress through them.
"They will have different levels of features that you can ride."
It's envisaged the skills areas and tracks would be developed in and around the Gentle Annie and Rotary Lookout Tracks. Photo: Local Democracy Reporting/ Stuff - Anthony Phelps
If approved, the skills areas and tracks would be developed in and around the Gentle Annie and Rotary Lookout Tracks.
"It's more of a place where you can go and get some coaching, or you can simply go along and practise a few things. You then take those skills up onto the trails which are further back in the park," he said.
"The idea came from a ski field, which has a beginner slope, and intermediate slope, and then you progress up into the advanced terrain and back country ... that's the concept behind it really."
He said the track would be suitable for everyone - from a "little kid on a toddler bike" to an e-biker.
"There will be features in there for the e-bikers who are new to mountain biking, and they can go in there and say, practise riding a cattle stop.
"Then also there will be some jumps for the kids and the adults if they want it.
"There are not many places in New Zealand that have actually got what we are proposing, there are loads of little skills parks around, but they don't really have the progression that we've got in mind for this one, so it will be really unique."
Marlborough District Council parks and open spaces manager Jane Tito said the public consultation was necessary as the area was primarily used by walkers.
The Wither Hills Farm Park Management Plan also did not identify mountain biking in this area as a "permitted activity", Tito said.
Meanwhile, a review of the management plan was due to begin, but could take "some time", so it was proposed a specific consultation be undertaken on the mountain bike proposal.
"The outcome of that would then inform the appropriateness or not of providing for mountain biking in this part of the farm park," she said.
Consultation on the proposed mountain bike skills area and tracks closes on 11 November. To make a submission visit: www.marlborough.govt.nz/your-council/have-your-say-consultations .
Fraser said if anyone had any questions they could contact the Mountain Bike Club on marlboroughmbc@gmail.com , or on their social media.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air