Shotover Canyon Swing's new Trike jump filmed for mountain biking movie

Queenstown’s Shotover Canyon Swing has pushed two of the world’s best pro mountain bikers to the edge, as part of a new movie set to get worldwide exposure.

The unusually named ‘Tri-scare-a-tops’ is the newest unique launch style for Shotover Canyon Swing, the world’s highest cliff jump operator. Launching by ’trike’ requires jumpers to cycle down a short aluminium slide  on a child’s tricycle to be flung into the 109metre abyss of the Shotover River Canyon.

Not surprisingly the format fits well into a mountain bike movie currently being filmed and starring a number of well-known top-level competitive riders and semi-retired pro mountain bikers including Canadian Andrew Shandro and Swiss Rene Wildhaber.

The Anthill Films production is taking in the sights and sounds of Queenstown from the perspective of the local mountain bike scene, with some extreme additions.

Shotover Canyon Swing General Manager Matt Hollyer said the last film from Anthill was viewed by 2.5m people when first released on the net.

“The exposure for Queenstown is going to be fantastic and we’re delighted to be part of it,” he said. “The reputation of the jump is already out there on the biking circuit, so this is a real coup for us.”

Shandro and Wildhaber also have huge reputations. WildHaber has won a number of international mega freeride races including the Mega Avalanche downhill mountain bike race in France, Trek Bike Attack Lenzerheide and Urge, as well won several downhill and cross country races in his native Switzerland and elsewhere.

Shandro has won the World Cup Downhill Mountain Bike twice, is four-time Canadian National Champion Downhill MTB and has been the North American Champion Downhill MTB. He has also designed courses and starred in a number of films.

Wildhaber, who ‘took the trike’, compared the experience to Mega Avalanche, where hundreds of competitors descende 2000 metres over treacherous mountain terrain. Wildhaber has won it seven times.

“The start of the Mega Avalanche is crazy,” he said.

“Fourteen hundred competitors drop down into the course at the same time and adrenaline’s seriously pumping. The Tri-scare-a-tops is the ultimate training for the craziness of the Mega Avalanche start.

“If you can handle the trike, you’re ready for the mega.”

Wildhaber also did Shotover Canyon Swing’s infamous ‘Gimpboy goes to Hollywood’ tandem with Shandro. Suspended over the Shotover River Canyon, the pair were released ‘eyeballs first’ as they freefell and then swooped toward the river bed.

Shotover Canyon Swing is renowned throughout the world as an absolute must on the adventure circuit. After ten years of operation, innovation is still key. Matt Hollyer says the new jumpstyle brings together wheels, daring, speed and  flips to make a whole lot of terrifying fun.

“Taking the ‘Tri-scare-a-tops’ is a little bit like that scary moment when you’re riding a bike solo for the first time as a kid, but dialled up to adult-sized adrenaline-fuelled action,” he said.

He commended staff on continually managing to come up with new and crazy experiences.

“The last ten years have been a blast, and here’s yet another ‘undie-staining’ way to launch off the cliff edge.”