1-Year Anniversary since Elevation Parks
How time flies! We are fast approaching the first anniversary of Elevation Mystic, so we thought it was timely that we take a look back at where we have been, and what we have planned over the coming months. First up, a big thank you to everyone who has joined us across our first year of operations- we couldn’t have done it without you! Secondly, a massive thank you to our team of staff, who have worked tirelessly all year to support our efforts to create a bigger and better bike park at Mystic.
Mystic Bike Park would not be possible without the ongoing support of land managers, HVP, and the Alpine Shire Council– we thank them for their support across our first year of operations.
LAST 12 MONTHS
What happened in 1-year?
Year one has certainly served us up some challenges, which has meant that we haven’t been able to complete a number of planned projects just yet. Despite unanticipated delays, we have still made great progress across a number of areas of the operation – read on below for a quick run through our key developments.
Operational Systems
With a very quick turn around on lease negotiations, we were required to build all the systems and processes to run an entire bike park within just a few days! Needless to say, many of our systems and processes required a little tune up here and there. We have spent the last several months refining and rebuilding our operating systems across all aspects of the park.
Bike Patrol
We are incredibly proud of our Bike Patrol team, who play an integral role in keeping people safe across the mountain (including the odd paraglider!). We built our patrol team from scratch, including a massive investment in vehicles, equipment, and staff training. Our safety management system for Mystic has been a huge body of work, building upon the system established at Maydena Bike Park. Establishing Bike Patrol and response at Mystic has also included working closely with SES and Ambulance Victoria locally.
Our bike patrol team has provided support to over 300 riders in year one, while also reducing the demand on emergency services.
Bike Patrol Team member Reilly
Uplift
With only a few days to pull together an uplift service, we’ve again initially relied on vans and trailers from Maydena to get us through the initial months of operation. Recently we have worked with Single Trail Racks to design a new shuttle trailer, and have now subsequently rolled 4 brand new trailers into our fleet.
Trail Master Plan
Before we even signed on the dotted line to operate the park, we had already developed an initial ~8km of priority trail plans to allow us to hit the ground running with new trails. This initial plan is now well underway, with just two trails left to build. We aim to have this first batch of new trails complete by the end of the year.
We have invested significant time and energy into developing an updated trail master plan for the park. The plan proposes over 50km of new trails, catering for a wide range of riding styles. We have built ~5km of new trail, another ~2.5km of trail has been formally approved and currently under construction, which includes both freeride and technical trail styles.
We have been working on plans for a further ~25km of new priority trails for the past several months, based upon the draft trail master plan released in late 2024. Detailed design work for these trails is now underway, with construction planned to kick off following completion of our current new trail works (pending final land manager approvals).
You can check out the concept plan for our first ~25km of prioritised trails below.
New Trail Development
Finally, the fun bit! Early on in our lease term, we had over 8km of priority trails approved by land managers, HVP. Following on from major trail upgrades and maintenance works, we have got these trails well and truly underway! Four of the six originally planned trails are now complete, with works about to commence on the final two trails.
Importantly, we have launched Mystic’s first ever beginner gravity trail, and have plans to further expand the beginner friendly trail network. We have already seen huge interest in this trail, which will only grow as we bring our Lower Mountain Uplift online more regularly.
So far we have launched the following new trails;
- Couch Surfer: Mystic’s first ever beginner gravity trail! This is just part one of a broader plan to make Mystic more accessible, safer, and more fun for a wider range of riders.
- Flight School: this is the first stage of a major new intermediate jump trail, that will eventually begin at Moran Road. Flight School does what it says on the box – this is a great place to learn to fly!
- Wiggles: a classic intermediate tech trail, Wiggles is classic Mystic singletrack at its best.
- Hokey Pokey: a more challenging version of Wiggles, Hokey Pokey feature more tech and steeper gradients. Hokey Pokey is old school singletrack at its finest!
- Wake Up Jeff: this is a double black diamond trail that will suit strong black diamond riders. Steep chutes and off camber are linked by amazing bermed corners – this is one fun trail!
Stay tuned as we will launch our next round of new trails soon.
Events
In year one we brought evening uplifts and a party vibe (+ beer and food!) to Mystic every week through summer with the introduction of Summer Sesh evening sessions. This was just the start for us, with lots more planned for Summer Sesh next season.
We recently hosted our first major event, the inaugural Enduro Jam Mystic. The low-key jam format seems to be a hit with riders, with good times had across the mountain all weekend. Enduro Jam will be back in 2026 even bigger, and even better- more on that soon.
We have also just launched Winter Wellness, a new event format bringing something adventurous to base camp, with trail running, sauna, pilates and gravity uplift all tied up in one event.
Along with our own internal events we have supported multiple commercial and non-profit events being hosted in the park, including supporting multiple Alpine Cycling Club events at no cost.
NEXT CHAPTER
What’s coming next?
We have worked extremely hard over the past several months to establish systems, processes, contracts, and agreements that will ensure the long-term viability and success of Mystic Bike Park. While this approach has significantly slowed down some of our planned projects, ensuring we have the right agreements and systems in place is critical to the park’s future.
As we round the corner into year two, we have a huge pipeline of projects that are nearing commencement. With a major harvest operation scheduled for October, we are working hard on approvals for new trails to offset the impact this harvest will have on our trail network and operations – more on this very soon. Read on for a summary of our key projects planned for year two.
Membership and Access System
Last year we built and launched a membership system in a few days, and we are the first to admit that the system was not our finest work. We are currently in the midst of completely rebuilding our membership system, with better value, and a significantly simpler and more intuitive purchasing and administration experience. This new membership system is being built on a brand-new member platform and booking system that will offer a much more streamlined customer experience.
Membership and daily paid access are critical to supporting trail maintenance, trail development, and bike patrol. We are confident that the new and improved system will allow us to attract a larger membership base, which will support the development of multiple new trails and infrastructure upgrades.
Uplift
We have a few things in the works in the uplift space- you can get the details below!
- Lower Mountain Uplift: we are putting the finishing touches on a brand-new lower mountain uplift service. This service will offer a range of different pass options, accessing some of our best beginner and intermediate trails. Launch date – mid June!
- Group Bookings: through winter we will be offering group bookings available mid-week for larger groups wanting to hit the trail together. Launched on the website.
- Temporary uplift route: we have been working for several months to gain approval for a temporary uplift route during the harvesting operations scheduled for later in the year. We recently achieved this approval, and now have a new route planned that will offer slightly less elevation, but the shortest possible uplift times. Works on the new uplift road will commence in the coming weeks.
- More capacity: as we move through the winter, we will be establishing higher uplift capacity through into the next spring and summer.
New Trail Development
We are progressing through the final stages of approvals for ~25km of new trails, which have been specifically designed to offset upcoming trail closures associated with timber harvesting. These new trails will significantly diversify the trail network at Mystic, and will result in a larger, high-quality trail network for both pedalling and uplifting riders.
Our initial focus will be on completing the new blue jumps trail, which includes an extension to Hazeldine Road. We will also be working on a new intermediate tech/flow blend trail in a similar style to Old English, with less exposure and more gentle gradients. Next up we will be developing the final section of blue jumps, offering a brand-new intermediate freeride/jump trail all the way from the Moran Rd uplift drop off!
As we move further through our trail program, we will be rolling out a wide variety of new trails, including a longer format adventure descent near Wandiligong.
Upon completion of upcoming harvest operations, we will be moving back into Mystic bowl to develop a whole host of new trails. Along with new trails we also plan to reopen both Shred Kelly and Hero Trail as quickly as possible.
Events
Enduro Jam will be back bigger and better in 2026 – dates and more info announced soon!
We will also be looking to launch regular Phat Friday racing across the summer. This fun-focused, low-key evening racing format offers an epic end of day session on the bike for locals and visitors alike.
Summer Sesh at the event hub
Base Building
While our initial base hub plans have been delayed, we are getting there! We will be looking to have a new base building up and rolling as soon as possible including; retail area, bike hire, and snacks and drinks for your ride.
YOUR SUPPORT
How can I help/get involved?
The upcoming harvest operation will result in the loss of ~11km of trails. The market value of replacing these trails is in the region of ~$600k. EMO will be required to cover all costs for new trail development. Park access fees and Annual Mountain Pass sales are the primary way we can work to cover trail replacement costs, so now it is more important than ever that people support the paid access trail model. More pass sales = more new trails, built quicker!
We will soon be launching a volunteer trail development program. This program will focus on hand-built trails. Support for this program will help us accelerate the rate that we can develop new technical trails to offset trail losses associated with the harvest.
Thanks!