Tour
Total tour distance: 100 miles
Daily tour distance: 33 miles
Difficulty: 40 / 100
Description
The A2O Alpine Adventure is designed for the mountain biker who wants to ride the alpine half of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail but stay off sealed roads. We run this adventure on-demand, we just need a minimum of only 4 people and maximum of 8.
The A2O Alpine Adventure is a 4 day/3 night, fully supported and inclusive mountain bike ride that takes you along the stunning Alpine section (Mt Cook to Omarama) of the new Alps 2 Ocean Cycleway. We’ve designed this trip specifically for mountain bikers so we avoid the sealed roads where ever possible.
We leave Queenstown by 10am to allow us time for lunch at a local winery and to experience Mt Cook Village with a guided walk to a glacier lake. The next morning we start the trail by riding to the airport for a helicopter flight across the Tasman river to the wilderness of Chop Creek (Tasman Point). Ride down the side of Lake Pukaki on a mix of mountain bike trail, unsealed road and purpose built cycle trail. Then head away from the lake to ride down the Pukaki Flats to Twizel. To avoid the Twizel canal roads we’ve thrown in our Grand Greta Helibike to replace the Twizel to Ohau canal section of the trail. On the Grand Greta, you fly by helicopter to near the summit of Ben Ohau and ride the single track and farm trails down to Lake Ohau to join the cycle trail on the other side. (This helibike experience is suitable for anyone confident riding a mountain bike off road on a variety of surfaces and gradients, to a maximum of grade 3, and gives you amazing views not found down on the trail below.) From Ohau, ride across the base of the mountains down to Omarama past the stunning Clay Cliffs to end the adventure soaking in the Omarama Hot Tubs.
Prepare yourself for one of the great mountain bike cycle trail adventures in New Zealand. This trip is suitable for all abilities, you just need a sense of adventure…