Last Friday, 180 cyclists turned up for the opening of the second section of the bike park on the Großer Arber. It came as a complete surprise, though, as it hadn’t been announced. The bike park’s organisers had kept the date a well-kept secret. Although there were hints on social media that the big day might be approaching, even when we enquired last week, we were given no information as to exactly when the new trails and the Sonnenhang chairlift would open to cyclists.
Construction work under difficult conditions
“We deliberately chose not to make a big announcement this time,” explains Thomas Eckl, operations manager at the Großer Arber and the man behind the bike park, in a press release. The reasons: although the Austrian company Trailtech had been working intensively on the new trails for months, they had to do so under extremely difficult conditions. Remnants of snow lingered well into spring, whilst storms, thunderstorms with downpours and generally very changeable weather conditions delayed further construction work.
The six-seater chairlifts on the Sonnenbergbahn leading up to the second section also had to be retrofitted for summer operation. “During the summer season, only about half as many chairlifts are in operation as in winter,” explains Eckl. The reason for this lies in the mountain bike transport system. The bikes are secured to the chairs using special bike clips. At the top station, there must therefore be enough time to remove the bikes safely from their holders. “Many cyclists are already familiar with this system from other bike parks with chairlifts,” says Eckl.
To ensure that mountain bikers and walkers do not get in each other’s way, their paths separate as soon as they reach the valley station. Consequently, a fenced-off area has been created for cyclists next to the footpath at the end of the descents. That said, many walkers on the Großer Arber are clearly delighted with the bike park and its growing popularity:
It’s lovely to see things happening and so many young people out and about on the Großer Arber again – a quote from a hiker
Four and a half of the seven newly planned trails are currently open. Together with the six existing trails in the lower section, this means there are now ten and a half runs at the Arber Bike Park. “We’re staying true to our existing concept and want to remain focused on flow-oriented trails. At the same time, we’ve listened to feedback from our guests and have deliberately built a few more challenging and natural trails,” says Thomas Eckl. All seven new trails are due to be completed by mid-September 2026.
Incidentally, ticket prices will not be increased this summer, despite the expansion of the trails and lifts. New: The Thurnhofstüberl will no longer serve as the main hub for cyclists. Instead, the “Arberstadl” at the middle station is now open to mountain bikers and walkers. According to catering manager Otto Stadler, this is in any case the much nicer spot.
Arber Bike Park Information
- Number of trails: 10.5 (detailed information on the new trails is not yet available)
- Number of lifts: 3
- Open: Daily from 10.00 to 17.30, until 8 November
- Day ticket: 37 euros / Children: 27 euros
- Information: bikepark-arber.de
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
