Queenstown Mountain Bike Club

P2 for Queenstown’s Reece Everett in Ilmenau

Queenstown’s Reece Everett has continued his impressive European season with a second-place finish in Pro U17 Men at Round 5 of the iXS Downhill Cup in Ilmenau, Germany.

Reece finished just 0.704 seconds off the win, taking two seconds off his seeding time in a seriously tight day of racing.

His final time was quick enough to have won the U19 category and placed him 8th against the Elite Men, showing just how much speed the young Queenstown rider is carrying.

Another international podium and another huge result for Reece as his European campaign continues.

Congrats from us all here in Queenstown!

Reece Everett

BRONZE FOR INDY AT WORLD CHAMPS!!!

A huge result for Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll, taking bronze in the Junior Women’s DH at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy.

It’s another milestone in what has already been an incredible international season for Indy.
She’s been consistently mixing it with the world’s best juniors on the World Series circuit and now she can add a World Championship bronze medal to the list to the ‘pool room’!!!

Standing on a World Champs podium is a huge achievement at any level, and another indication of just how far Indy has come this season.

From everyone at QMTBC, congratulations Indy. An awesome result on the biggest stage in the sport, and one Queenstown can be incredibly proud of.

Arohanui wahine toa.

Indy Deavoll

MORE TRAIL CLOSURES

Following the recent heavy rain, we’ve had to close more trails across the Fernhill and Ben Lomond trail networks to give them a chance to drain and dry out.

The following trails are now CLOSED:

• One82
• Thunder Goat
• Lower Hammy’s
• Original
• Fernhill Loop
• Salmon Run

Please respect the closures and stay off these trails until they reopen. Riding saturated trails can cause significant damage and create a lot more work for our trail crews.

We’ll keep assessing conditions and reopen trails as soon as they’re ready.

Thanks for helping us look after the trails.

FERNHILL TRAILS — DAMAGE UPDATE

Several significant issues have been reported today, 28 August. The following trails are currently marked Amber on Trailforks:

🔸 Fernhill Loop
The main creek crossing has washed away and is not safely passable until the water eases.

🔸 Wink
The creek crossing has washed away, leaving a large bank on the bike park side.

🔸 Creeky Winders
There is a narrow section near a slip at the bottom of the trail. Please take extra care through this area.

🔸 Wynyard Access Road
There is significant water running through the access road. Please use extra caution.

Please avoid Fernhill Loop’s main creek crossing and approach all other affected areas carefully. Be prepared to stop, turn around or walk your bike.

Check Trailforks for the latest trail conditions and status updates before heading out.
If you spot further damage, slips, fallen trees or other hazards, please submit a Trailforks report. Photos and accurate location details help our trail crews assess and respond to issues.

Thanks for helping keep our trail community informed and safe. Please according to the conditions.

Looking back: building the original Huck Yeah

With Huck Yeah getting a new lease of life, the rebuild has brought back a few memories of how the original trail came together 11 years ago.

For QMTBC’s Emmerson Wilken, those memories involve a small crew, a lot of volunteer hours and getting creative about how to dig a trail while on crutches.

“There were a couple handfuls of us really looking forward to seeing it come to life,” Emmerson remembers.

At the time, both Emmerson and Jordan were recovering from injuries. Emmerson had plates and screws put into his tibial plateau following a crash on Dream Track and couldn’t walk or ride.

“Fraser would drive me up in his ute and drop me above where we were working. I’d bum-slide down the bank to the trail and start shaping and slapping in takeoffs.”

For Emmerson, those days weren’t just about building Huck Yeah. Being stuck off the bike, the working bees gave him a way to get out of the house and stay connected to the MTB community.

“It was so good to get out of the house and be part of the community. Everyone was so keen to get stuck in.”

Eleven years later, Huck Yeah is being rebuilt for its next chapter. But that original trail and the volunteer hours that brought it to life are a special part of QMTBC history.

Here’s to the volunteer crew who built it the first time around. Legends. 🤘

Huck Yeah Update #4

Huck Yeah is changing and you’ll notice it from the moment you drop in.

Starting from a new hub, riders will enter via a bigger drop, setting the tone for a completely refreshed line currently being shaped by Kepler Rek and the Dirt Designs crew.

And for Kep, it’s a bit of a homecoming. He was part of the crew that built the original Huck Yeah back in 2015, putting in some massive volunteer hours to help bring Queenstown’s new jump trail to life. Eleven years later, it feels pretty fitting that he’s back on the hill leading its next evolution.

The new line mixes hips, shark fins, long-and-low jumps, step-downs and step-ups, working across the hillside and making much more of the terrain. There are some bigger hits in the mix too, including a sizeable double leading into another hip further down.

It’s still Huck Yeah, just reimagined for its next chapter.

More Huck. More Yeah. Coming soon.

Dirt | Design

Queenstown trio ready for World Champs!

Three Queenstown riders will pull on the New Zealand jersey this weekend as the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships hit Val di Sole, Italy.

Indy Deavoll, Malik Boatwright and Jess Blewitt are part of a huge 23-strong Kiwi downhill contingent taking on the legendary Black Snake.

Indy heads into the Junior Women’s race sitting fifth overall in the World Cup standings, after another strong showing at Les Gets where she qualified fourth.

Malik has been one of the standout Junior Men this season, collecting four World Cup podiums and currently sitting second overall, behind fellow Kiwi Jonty Williamson. With the top two riders in the standings both from New Zealand, the Junior Men’s race will be one to watch.

Jess lines up in Elite Women after a strong season that included fourth at La Thuile. After the mid-season break she’s been building back up to pace and heads into Worlds ready to challenge at the sharp end.

Having three Queenstown riders lining up at a World Championship is another reminder of the level of riding being produced in our little corner of the world.

Good luck Indy, Malik and Jess. Queenstown is behind you. And a massive shout out to the massive New Zealand squad taking on the world this weekend. Go the Kiwis! 🇳🇿

Malik Boatwright
Indy Deavoll
Jess Blewitt