Wheely Awesome

Move over luge: mountain carting down ski tracks is the coolest thing you can do this summer, writes Brook Sabin.

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 are awork of Europeanengineered 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

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