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Vehicles of all shapes and sizes rolled into Fourforty Mountain Bike Park in mid-February for Jamie Nicoll’s second annual Nomadic Weekend Away North.

Deane Parker, Rose Green and Rod Harrhy tackle a variation on the classic Cass-Lagoon backcountry circuit - taking the 'direct line' up Craigieburn Valley ski field.

Damian Stones, his son Zach and former Ground Effect staffer Zane Smith strike postcard-perfect weather on the 'almost complete' Paparoa Track.

Racing XCO in baggies and Enduro on his hardtail, Sam Shaw tells stories out of school from the recent NZ Nationals and Oceania Cup.

The Paparoa Track joins the Old Ghost Road and Heaphy to form a holy trinity of multi-day backcountry rides on the upper West Coast. All are bucket list worthy. Ground Effect hit the Paparoas on opening weekend for our Xmas Party.

With the highest mountains in the world, and raving reviews by everyone who had graced her soils, Nepal seemed to be a must-visit destination. So when Phoebe Coers sent us a link to the Yakru Enduro – an enduro on the roof of the world - it seemed like the best excuse to plan a trip around a 'race', and get over there.

Fresh off the plane and back in her home town of Wanaka, Mops Newell reflects on her 2019 EWS season. Shifting allegiance from Masters to Women’s Elite was a step up but still a sweet, fun ride - just with a few more (big) bumps.

During an idle Wednesday night, whisky in hand, a plan was hatched to hold a non-event cycle tour. Invite no one, don’t race but don’t take it easy and above all else, stop for beer.

Spirit of Coromandel Trust are setting up the Coromandel Bike Park, with the intention of building trails for walker and bikers, plus providing a hub for local young people. The Slush Fund was super happy to provide the $1150 cash for the purchase of a brush cutter, plus we fired a copy of IMBA’s ‘Trail Solutions’ track building guide their way.

The Hunter Mtb Association is based in the Awaba Mtb Park in the foothills of the Watagans near Newcastle. The Ground Effect Bridge on the main trail at Awaba turned 10 this year, and needed some love. The Slush Fund was super happy to contribute $1000 towards the purchase of the enviro mesh decking to keep it sweet for another 10 years.