Public asked to help find site for new Dual Slalom Course for Crankworx Rotorua

Crankworx Rotorua will be creating a Dual Slalom course for 2018 similar to this one at Crankworx Whistler. Photo/Supplied

The Crankworx 2018 team is looking for a site to construct a world-class dual slalom mountain biking course which it says would become a permanent asset for the Rotorua community.

The $30,000 dual slalom course will be built by internationally renowned trail builders Empire of Dirt. There will be no cost to the community or ratepayers, but the course will be left in place for the public to use if an appropriate public area can be found.

Crankworx Rotorua event director Ariki Tibble said his team was accepting proposals from the public until January 5 for suggested sites.

"Our 10-year licence to run Crankworx Rotorua kicks off in 2018, and we are keen to find as many opportunities as possible to create community benefits from the event each year," he said.

"We try to make decisions that benefit as many groups as possible within our community, so this is just an extension of that philosophy.

"We're really excited to see what ideas the public come up with for suggested sites for the Dual Slalom course."

Tibble said Empire of Dirt's Adam King and Chris Martin grew up riding Rotorua's former dual slalom course in the Rotorua Centennial Park Reserve in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"Fast forward almost two decades and the pair now run a thriving trail-building business based in Rotorua – they are the lead trail builders for Crankworx Rotorua and are building trails as far afield as Europe and North America."

This year the pair approached the Crankworx management team to express their desire to rebuild a dual slalom on the relics of the old trail at Centennial Park Reserve, so a new generation of riders could share the experience that led them to their current vocation and passion for the sport of mountain biking.

King said they had a lot of good memories of riding there and were looking for great sites across the city where a new track could be created.

"With the way mountain biking has grown, we are really keen to apply our craft to share the love with the wider community for the next generation of rippers."

The Crankworx and Empire of Dirt team met with an initial group of residents from Tihiotonga this monthto discuss the original Centennial Park Reserve plans and to take on feedback.

Tibble said although there was support from residents unable to attend the meeting, the residents who did attend expressed concerns over a potential rebuild for a variety of reasons.

"We want to build a trail that the community will really love, so we have taken on board their feedback and we are considering alternate sites."

To submit ideas for potential sites for a new dual slalom course email rotoruafeedback@gmail.com.

Dual slalom

• Dual slalom trails do not include structures or large jumps and are friendly for both elite and novice riding abilities, consisting of a series of berms and rollers.

•The course will be dug into the site rather than additional dirt being brought in.

•The amount of earthworks required would not require a resource consent under the Rotorua District Plan.

•The outer berms will be grass seeded to stabilise and beautify the track.

•There are bunch of criteria that a proposed site will need to meet (gradient, accessibility, significance of site etc). The Crankworx Management team reserves the right to make the final decision on the location which will be made early in the new year.