A mountain-biker who tore his scrotum cycling on Queenstown's new downhill track says mountainbike trails - like skifields - need highly trained, qualified and funded emergency patrols, The Southland Times reported yesterday.
Adam Smart crashed on a steep section of Hammy's Track on Ben Lomond peak six weeks ago, tearing his testicular sac, the paper reported.
Mr Smart said volunteer patrollers were "woefully under-equipped" to deal with serious incidents. He had to wait about 40 minutes for medical treatment and had "major concerns over the general safety plan of the whole operation".
Skyline Enterprises gondola opened a service to take mountainbikers and their bikes up the peak in late January, selling 500 summer passes, worth $500 each.
The tracks are patrolled voluntarily by members of the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club, but Mr Smart said patrollers needed access to a quad bikes to enable them to reach accident scenes quickly.
Downhill mountain biking was "way more dangerous than snowboarding or skiing ... yet you don't see any skifields without a highly trained, qualified and funded ski patrol," he said.
Skyline chief executive Jeff Staniland told The Southland Times biker safety was a serious concern, but given the trial season was about halfway through, the safety plan was still a work in progress.
"For the trial season we've made it clear through signage that riders have to look after themselves and each other, and will be backed up by volunteer patrollers."
