A slopestyle bike event where riders will drop in to a series of trick features from a 9.6m-tall tower in the Ballarat St car park has been booked as part of this April's Queenstown Bike Festival.
The inaugural Teva Slopestyle competition has been confirmed for April 5 and is thought to be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Teva team rider Kelly McGarry - one of the country's best mountain-bike dirt jumpers - and Queenstown Mountain Bike Club president Tom Hey were already on location, designing a "world-class jump line".
From the tower, riders will career through five "hits" constructed from a mix of wood and dirt, which are likely to include features such as quarter pipes, flat walls, big hits, step ups and step downs.
The duo also promise a "unique finishing feature" for the Teva Best Trick finale.
Details of the prize pool will be released shortly. A Teva spokesman said, "It will be big enough to get people putting their bodies, if not lives, on the line."
Festival organiser Geoff Hunt said alternative parking would be organised in the Man St car park.
Entry is open to both New Zealand and international competitors, and registration is available online at tevaslopestyle.com. The entry fee is $50 online and $60 for late entry.
Subject to change, the second Queenstown Bike Festival will begin on March 30, running through to April 9.
