Wheely Awesome Fun
Kiwis in flight Brook Sabin and Radha Engling
What do you get when you combine gocarts with a luge and race down the side of a ski mountain? It’s called mountain carting and it’s easily the most fun I’ve had. You may have heard of the Mario carting craze: dressing up as Nintendo game character Super Mario and racing through the streets of Tokyo in a go-cart. Well, this is way cooler.
I’m sitting in my buggy at the top of Cardrona – yes, the South Island ski resort. The last time I was here it was like The Blizzard of Oz, but now it’s a summer playground – the ski runs are gravel tracks. There’s only the odd patch of white, courtesy of a latespring snow-kiss from the Antarctic.
As I get ready to roll down the first track, I take a quick moment to absorb it all. We’re surrounded by snow-dusted peaks spiking the skyline in every direction. Fog shrouds most of the distant valleys below, although the odd verdant patch of hinterland glistens in the sun. It’s truly one of the most breathtaking places to be. I mentally slap myself, this is no time for poetic licence – it’s time to win a race.
I’m in a boilersuit – provided to all riders – complete with a ‘‘racing name’’ on the back. Mine happens to be Captain Awesome.
The mountain carts area work of European engineered art. Germans are responsible for some of my favourite things in life: cars, helicopters and gummy bears. We can add a fourth to the list: mountain carts.
The buggy has three grunty offroad tyres and a low metal frame with a seat on it, much like a trike.
For us geeks out there, that means a very low centre of gravity. Translation: you can go fast without worrying about flipping. There are no motors or
pedals. Just like a luge, it’s all about gravity – with a hydraulic brake on each handlebar to make sure you don’t end up back in Queenstown.
The carts have been operating at Cardrona for three summers – it’s been about testing the concept to get it right. They’ve now nailed it, and have big plans to grow carting.
With a quick countdown, our race is under way. I’ve been talking up my rally driving skills for months, and I’m already behind. Captain Awesome is now Team Tortoise. Radha, my partner, is skidding around the tight S bends (if you’re cool, they call this drifting). My mouth gapes in awe, but that’s shortlived as I swallow a clump of dirt in her wake.
I now know where the saying ‘‘eat my dust’’ comes from. It’s a little hard to take – especially because I have a 20kg weight advantage and the laws of gravity say I should be winning.
By the time we reach the long straights, I’m gaining on her. We’re going seriously fast – more than 50kmh – and a massive distraction is looming: a panoramic lookout. Radha has a soft spot for nature, this will be my chance to pounce.
I’ve got to take advice from a Captain Awesome of yesteryear, Napoleon, who said: ‘‘Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.’’
Yes, I know, I’m taking this seriously.
Small flaw in the plan: Radha didn’t slow down. She hits the next set of S bends, mercilessly blocking me. The only thing left in my arsenal is skulduggery. I try to nudge her tyre in the hope I can force a spinout (highly against the rules – please don’t try this at home). What happens next is called karma. And it’s pronounced: ha ha ha. I end up skidding-out myself, and limping to the finish a good minute behind her.
At the bottom of the track, the carts are hooked to the ski-lift, and within a few minutes we’re back at the top ready to run again. There are two other spectacular tracks: the McDougall’s – which is fast and tight – and the 2.1km Captain’s Run, which has big straights and dramatic panoramas following the mountain edge.
After a day carting, we headed to the highest hotel in the country – Cardrona’s Alpine Apartments – a one-minute walk from the ski-lifts. Some of the rooms have recently been revamped in a super-chic alpine style, with beds set against windows overlooking the mountains. The onsite restaurant has some of the best food we’ve tasted on home soil – chef Dave Gerner has cooked for Heston Blumenthal and Richard Branson, and laid out 14 of his best dishes for us to sample.
I had the perfect excuse to eat a lot: I need the weight advantage for tomorrow’s run.
The next day we had a go at mountainbiking (the resort has more than 20km of tracks), and went tubing down a snow slide. While both were lots of fun, we couldn’t wait to get our boilersuits back on to head mountain carting again.
This part of the world is all about adventure and beauty, and mountain carting is the perfect blend. Well, almost perfect, I just need to figure out how to actually become Captain Awesome and win.
I try to nudge her tyre in the hope I can force a spin-out (highly against the rules – please don’t try this at home). What happens next is called karma. And it’s pronounced: ha haha.