The advantages of trail centres are clear: neither lift facilities nor particularly high altitude metres are necessary. Permits and dedicated trail builders, on the other hand, are among the necessary ingredients for such a project. It sounds simple, but is rarely realised. It worked in Vienna. The team around Horst Marterbauer and Alexander Arpaci, the masterminds behind the Vienna Woods Trails Association (WWT)This made it possible for the second largest German-speaking city to become a paradise for trail surfers.
The Vienna Woods, the low mountain range immediately adjacent to the city, which enjoys UNESCO protected status as a biosphere park, makes it possible. The WWT association has taken over the sports facilities on the Hohe Wand meadow from the City of Vienna in order to develop them into a trail centre based on the British model. Today, the WWT association has more than 500 members. They build new trails together, watch World Cup broadcasts in the club pub and meet up for community rides. However, WWT is not a purely voluntary structure - the scale of the project is too big for that, as Marterbauer explains. "We founded a company to run the trail centre." In the meantime, 15 jobs have been created - from cook to operations manager. This is because the City of Vienna stipulates that the trail centre must also operate the summer toboggan run and the associated drag lift on the Hohe Wand meadow.
Creative ideas are being used to drive forward the expansion of the route network. For example, the new Jumpline was financed by crowdfunding. In just one month, the association raised the necessary 50,000 euros and construction work is currently underway. The entire project currently comprises 14 trails, which have been designed by the local shaper crew so that every biker can have fun. According to locals and BIKE Austria correspondent Steffen Arora, the trails have been created at an average altitude of 200 metres and are designed to make the most of the terrain and offer a fun mix of easy uphills and fast downhills - airtime included.
Interview with Horst Marterbauer, Chairman of the Wienerwald Trails Association:
What is the biggest challenge of running a trail centre in such an intensively used area?
The search for innovative solutions requires patience. After all, all forest visitors and users have to be taken into account. The biggest challenge here is certainly not to lose patience or the overview.
Who do you have to liaise with to get new trails approved?
With the authorities of the federal states of Vienna and Lower Austria, the landowners, the biosphere reserve management for the nature conservation agendas, all hunting tenants and, of course, the hiking and tourism associations
What is on your to-do list this season?
The crowd-funded jumpline is currently being built, as is the skills area with numerous training elements. We also want to expand the shared trail network.
Info and trail map: www.wienerwaldtrails.at
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
