We have tested these bike parks:
- Hohe Wand meadow, Vienna (Austria)
- Greenhill Bike Park, Schmallenberg (Germany)
- Kalnica (Slovakia)
- Wexl Trails (Austria)
Click to go to the individual rating
All topics:
Bike park overview
Even though times are changing, the sport is evolving and even amateur freeriders are turning their bikes into tailwhips and their handlebars into barspins - the recipe for a successful bike park remains the same.
Bike parks should be playgrounds for recreational bikers, with a high fun factor. In other words: as many fun stunts, jumps and gimmicks as possible - the more, the better. Ideally, the park features are built according to the Whistler principle. This means that the trail sets the speed and literally flushes the biker through the trail, over jumps and stunts, without much pedalling or braking - just like the Canadian parade trails A-Line and Dirtmerchant. Only then does the park visitor get a rock star feeling and a sense of competence.
Our appeal to all park operators: Take a leaf out of the Canadians' book. Make it easy for visitors to have fun and try to minimise the potential for frustration. If I, as an advanced freerider, need half a day to finally make it through the jumpline or master the step-down without cascading, that should be an indication to rework the trail or stunt. If I can't find the ideal line even after the fifth descent, it might not be down to a lack of skill after all. Or to put it quite drastically: If helicopter missions are piling up at a certain point in the park, the park operator has a duty to defuse the danger spot instead of using the killer argument: "That's downhill! " Because what applies to Tinder dates also applies to bike parks: You never get a second chance for a first impression: Once the park visitor's favour has been lost, they rarely come back. And that would be a shame - for everyone involved.
Another sticking point: trail maintenance. Because a good trail is not always a good trail per se. If the jumps are rounded, the sharkfins shrivelled up into carp fins, the necessary jump impulse is missing and the biker is threatened with an eternal case-o-drama. Then he simply won't make it to the landing, no matter how hard he pulls on the handlebars. In this case, we wish the park operators were their own best customers and rode the trails regularly. Because then they would be able to feel which drops lack a landing gradient, which jumps just won't work or which booter always lets the biker sail menacingly close to the slope. Our appeal: Don't take criticism as an attack, but as helpful feedback.
Do's in the park
- Warm up, preferably on an easy route
- Check the bike before use. Everything tight?
- Drink enough (water!)
- Pay attention to gut feeling for stunts etc.
- Be nice to the lift users
- Take a break when tired
- Praise your buddy if you drove well
Dont's in the park
- Standing in take-off or landing
- Driving too close to the vehicle in front
- Ignore your own limits
- Farting in the gondola
- Shouting people off the trail
- Obstructing fast drivers
How good is the bike park?
What we pay attention to
Trails with fun Ideally, there should be several trails with different characters. For example: flow trail, jumptrail, DH trail. Desirable: Exciting features such as curve changes, berms, wall rides, step-ups, table jumps, wooden waves, steep descents, root passages, stone fields, boner logs - in other words, as much variety and a high density of gimmicks as possible. Tried and tested: Trails for every ability level, as ski resorts demonstrate with blue, red and black pistes. Important: Blue must not mean boring and black must not mean dangerous! The routes must be regularly maintained and well marked.
- Rhythm: The trail should be laid out in such a way that it can be ridden smoothly and rhythmically, without any annoying stop-and-go. Keyword: flow - riding flow!
- Professional construction: Bike park stunts should be fun and as safe as possible, i.e.: table jumps instead of doubles; step-ups; wide, long jumps; wide landings etc. Important: point out sources of danger and signpost well!
- Fast lift system: Fast chairlifts or gondolas are ideal for getting back to the start of the trail as quickly as possible. Annoying: long transfer routes.
FREERIDE ranking
Maximum 10 points. The assessment refers to the time of the previous tests (published in FREERIDE 3/11, 4/11, 3/13, 2/14, 2/15, 2/16, 3/19, 3/20, 3/21). Modifications made since then are not taken into account. The rating refers only to the park, not to the surrounding trails (bike arenas).
- 10 Super! Let's get there! Best to stay there right away.
- 9 Very good. A favourite
- 8 Good bike park
- 7 Solid park with weaknesses
- 6 and less: You can save yourself a visit.
1 Hohe Wand meadow, Vienna (AUT)
There is a trail centre with a lift on the outskirts of the Austrian capital. A showcase model? We say: yes!
The spot with the funny name is called a trail centre, but in reality it is a small bike park. The Hohe Wand Wiese has a drag lift, which only runs from Friday to Sunday with a few exceptions. The anchor only drags you up 100 metres in altitude. If you want to make the most of the 190 metres of altitude difference, you have to ride for around ten minutes on an uphill trail. Four trails start here.
Our highlight: the Kenda Line, A fun, not particularly difficult jumpline with berms, small tables and gaps. Great: the high stunt density; something happens all the time. Fans of challenging jump lines choose the Kenda Airline - It is significantly larger in size and slightly shorter in overall length. Good: There are only tables here. These two trails alone are worth a visit. There is an orgy of bends on the Drah di Waderl - Here, one berm follows the next. The radii are perfect and offer ideal terrain to work on your cornering technique. There are only a few stunts on this trail.
Endurists and single trail hunters can make the most of the Hohe Wand Wiese. The park has the most routes for them. We really liked the black Hawi d'Ehre: An enduro track with steep descents, root passages, open bends and off-camber passes (!). Very fun, but nothing in the wet. All trails lead through mixed forest - the Vienna Woods!
Conclusion on the Hohe Wand meadow:
Few metres in altitude, but packed with well-built and versatile trails - and close to the city. A flagship model - definitely!
Info and rating Hohe Wand Wiese
- Number of routes: 8
- Lift: Tow
- Start of season: February to October
- Bike hire: yes
- Price: 31 Euro
STRENGTHS
- Jump tracks
- Diversity
- Vibe / Season length
- Many flowlines
WEAKNESSES
- Few metres in altitude
- Nothing for downhillers
FREERIDE rating: 7.5 out of 10 points
2 Greenhill Bike Park (GER)
The park in Schmallenberg in the Sauerland opened in 2022. Park construction pioneer Tom Pro had a hand in the course design. Is the park as good as everyone claims?
Suddenly it was there! The park in Sauerland went through the approval process at express speed. Park manager Felix Saller and his team managed to do in just one year what takes several years in many places. Saller flew in park builder Tom Pro from Whistler to design the course. Tom advised on the design and the Greenhill team took over the construction.
It's not easy to name the number of routes. However, there are six main routes that wind their way down the 190 metre slope. There is also a trail network of five jumptrails on the right-hand side of the lift. Two T-bar lifts with Easyloop system provide the ascent (great!). Two easy trails (Save Wimmons and Moon Cruise) cruise down the left-hand side of the lift down with berms and waves. Advanced riders only want to go down here once - to warm up.
But there are also the Groomer, Mamut and Canadian Tuxedo trails. All very similar: steep, in the forest, with roots, off-camber passages and terrain steps. There are only stunts far below: a 3-metre wing, two 2.5-metre drops, a table and the striking Pistenbully drop (photo above).
Our personal conclusion:
What a shame, so few gimmicks. We had the most fun on the right-hand side of the lift. The red Time Shift trail and the blue Jonas & Pablo trail (lots of bends) lead to the Poc area. Both trails were already worn down by the many visitors during our visit. In other words, many of the jumps were rounded, which required a lot of strength when jumping off and only created a moderate airtime feeling. The trails in the Poc area, on the other hand, were great. The centrepiece(s) are the two jumplines Bounce & Blow (a medium-difficulty jumptrail with lots of tables, 80m) and Jukebox (a more challenging jumptrail with doubles). Those who master this course easily can venture onto the black gap jumptrail Think Bold. If you want something even more daring, head for the Miles High Club mini-trail, where all the jumps are maxi.
Conclusion on the Greenhill bike park:
With Jukebox, Bounce & Blow and Think Bold, Greenhill has flagship jump lines. The remaining routes are solid, but not unique.
Info and rating Greenhill Bike Park
- Number of routes: 13 routes
- Lift: Tow (2)
- Start of season: April to November
- Bike hire: yes
- Price: from 22.50 euros, must be booked online because limited to 600 lift tickets
STRENGTHS
- Jumplines
- Ideal in combination with Willingen & Winterberg
WEAKNESSES
- Track condition during our visit (June)
- Limited opening hours (Thu-Sun)
- Not a genuine DH route
FREERIDE rating: 8.5 out of 10 points
3 Kalnica (SVK)
The bike park in Slovakia is a two-hour drive north-east of Vienna and is primarily aimed at experts.
The village of 1000 inhabitants has a small slope with an altitude difference of just under 200 metres. A drag lift takes you up. The entire hill is criss-crossed with trails of all kinds: tame flow trails, enduro tracks and jump trails. There are medium-sized jumps (5 metres), large jumps (10 metres) and XL jumps X (up to 20 metres) for absolute experts. You should feel your way round all the stunts.
The shape of the jumps is successful, but the sequences are not always rhythmic. This is the case with the Trails Airlines (S, M/L and XL), for example. There are also big drops, the biggest of which measures seven metres. Jump beginners prefer to choose the S-Line with table jumps. Beginner and enduro trails with a classic singletrail character start above the lift. In short: the park is well worth a visit. You should definitely bring time - and skill - for the jump trails. The character of the park is unique.
Conclusion on the Kalnica bike park:
Small, very exclusive park with a number of jump routes for advanced riders, experts and cracks. But there is also an offer for beginners.
Info and ranking Bikepark Kalnica
- Number of routes: 9
- Lift: Chairlift
- Start of season: all year round, depending on the weather
- Bike hire: yes
- Price day ticket: 25 Euro
STRENGTHS
- Great for stunt freeriders
- Number of trails
WEAKNESSES
- Few metres in altitude
- Operating hours (Sat + Sun)
FREERIDE rating: 7 out of 10 points
4 Wexl Trails (AUT)
The Wexl Trails in Lower Austria are known for their jumpline. Is the trail as magical as everyone claims, and are the other trails in the park also worthwhile? We were there.
The centrepiece of the park is the Jumpline. The wide 1.5-kilometre-long course has 22 jumps, hip jumps and sharkfins - mostly a mix of doubles and tables - over a height difference of 140 metres. In other words: you can come up short, provided you hold on tight. The speed of the course is very high, but the jumps are long and homogeneous so that the pilot can jump at high speed without any inhibitions. We say: A jumpline with such a high stunt density is quite unique. However, if you want to enjoy real airtime, you need skill and pop. Everyone else is more likely to cannonball into the landing or possibly crash.
The other routes don't have to hide either. For example, the single trail from the Almrauschhütte. Here, however, you have to pedal the last section to the trail entrance yourself. A lift for this section is being planned, but will not be built until next year at the earliest. The enduro track (3.7 km, 400 m elevation gain) leads into the valley on soft forest soil, later the route becomes more technical and is peppered with root fields and terrain steps. Very cool! Flow fans choose the flow route (4.5 km, 300 metres in altitude) from the reservoir - a curved descent with good curve radii, but only a few jump and double options. The downhill route (1.1 km, 180 m difference in altitude) starts directly from the mountain station and runs parallel to the lift at the beginning before entering the forest. An exciting descent with some double jumps at the beginning, then in the forest with softer ground, off-camber passages and steep descents - a success!
There's even an uphill flow trail (5.3 km, 400 metres in altitude) in the park for the electric group, but we didn't test it. Other single trails lead down from the Hochwechsel (1743 m). However, there is no lift here, so you have to pedal yourself.
By the way: As in the Greenhill Bike Park, tickets are limited to avoid overcrowding. Be sure to book online.
Conclusion on the Wexl Trails:
The Jumpline is an aha experience and offers a Canadian feeling, even if A-Line comparisons are overly flattering in our eyes. The other trails are also fun. But you won't find any furious downhill trails.
Info and rating Wexl Trails
STRENGTHS
- Unique jumpline
- Long season and operating hours (9 am - 6 pm)
WEAKNESSES
- Few metres in altitude
FREERIDE rating: 8 out of 10 points
Opinions
Do bike parks need tests of courage that 90 per cent of bike park visitors refuse?
Michael Marte, park operator
Of course there have to be daredevil stunts. They cater for experts, and there are plenty of them. Of course, the park needs enough alternative routes. I don't believe that those who refuse to do XXL stunts are bothered by them. On the contrary: the stunts are fascinating and show the progression in our sport.
Sandra Mertl, hobby freerider
If a park has features for every skill level, it can also include the odd test of courage. Personally, I like to challenge myself as long as I know that I have the riding skills. If I feel it, I do the stunt, otherwise I don't do it. My ego can take it.
Laurin Lehner, tester
Tests of courage are one of those things. Those who conquer them are intoxicated by them because they belong to the elite group of fearless people. Around half of them marvel at the stunts, but are not bothered by the fact that they refuse to do them themselves. And then there are those who would like to dare but don't. Then XXL gaps and drops frustrate them. I often belong to the latter group.
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