The Craigieburn Picnic area was the ride starting point and is just off the West Coast Rd, at the next turnoff past the Broken River ski field road. It was cool and a bit damp when we arrived, and an assortment of orange Ground Effect jackets was soon on display amongst the 16 of us assembled.

We kicked off back down to the main Rd and headed 1 km North into a headwind and drizzle to the Craigieburn Ski field Rd. It was then an 8 km climb on a good gravel road to the ski field car park.. The changeable conditions - drizzle and flashes of sunshine - has many of us pausing to adjust clothing (of course it has nothing to do with the gradient!) If anyone is considering driving up, there is a solid locked gate part way up the road to discourage the use of vehicles when the ski field is closed.

Recent snow on the track from the car park to the bottom of the ski field rope tow made this short stretch very picturesque and was a reminder that we were definitely in the mountains. The signs on the access Rd said "chains needed", however numerous attempts to ride in the snow failed after just a few meters due to lack of traction. Bike chains just don't count. There were some great photo opportunities however. From the rope tow area the track crossed the stream on a small bridge and headed toward the scree slopes we had been able to see earlier from the car park. The grade was generally down from here, winding through bush and across open scree slopes, the grade making it almost possible to ride across some of the many stretches of loose scree (with right foot outrigger for balance, pushing against the slope). The track in the bush was often narrow and benched into a steep slope. I found it took a little getting used carrying the bike on the left through the awkward bits and having to free my right foot first when I needed to stop. No this didn't mean I fell off and that's not why I'm writing the ride report. The DOC map (Craigieburn forest Park: Day Walks) says that "from 1948 until the road was built in1961 this was the only access to the Craigieburn Valley Ski field. All the materials for the early huts and tows were carried by club members up this track". I'm glad we were going DOWN.

The route was mostly obvious and well marked, however trip leader Rick kept us on course by taking us on a deviation around one washout that may have had us confused. The alternative route was down a slope full of slippery tree roots at the wrong angle. Almost rideable, Rick (?). Shortly after the deviation we took the turnoff to Lyndon saddle and the last uphill for the day. The saddle is in the bush, a pleasant spot at the junction of 4 tracks, but too cold to stay long. The track to Helicopter hill takes off from here, I'll take the time to check the view next time.

The ride out to the Broken River Rd was a big down-hill blast. The surface was soft and lots of tree roots meant momentum had to be maintained to stay upright. A fewnarrow board walks and bridges also made getting the line right important, exciting stuff.

The 16km ride took about 3 hours (two hours riding time). Our finish time was perfect, it started raining just as the last bikes were being strapped to cars. Those back to the cars first had been able to wash the worst of the mud off in the stream, the rain did the rest on the way home.

We stopped at Springfield ("that S place") for coffee and scones and to review Richard's growing photo album. Thanks Richard for the action shots. I found the ride fantastic. The combination of snow, scree, bush, weather and tricky downhill through the trees combined to make it a memorable ride.

Ian McKenzie