The Alps can do everything better: landscape, panorama, variety, steep trail descents, lifts, mountain huts. Only in one new trend discipline does Europe's highest mountain range look really pale: Trail parks. These facilities, which attract so many bikers to the forest in Great Britain, the Czech Republic and now also in Germany, basically only need three things: trees, hills and extensive terrain. A combination that is practically impossible to find in the mostly narrow and steep Alpine valleys, but would be a huge opportunity for our low mountain ranges: an experienced trail builder can drape the path curves so skilfully into the hills that even cranking uphill is fun. Downhill, the berms lean into the terrain just enough to give you enough momentum for the next small climb. All the energy flows into the trail and is not lost through sharp braking manoeuvres on steep slopes. This also minimises soil erosion. Race bikers love such flow playgrounds just as much as families with small children.
In the UK, every third town now has one of these trail centres, which are maintained and cared for by the respective forestry authorities. And the Czech Republic is following suit. Although our neighbouring republic is only slightly larger than Bavaria, it is now opening its sixth trail park in Lipno in the Bohemian Forest this year after its successful trail parks such as Klinovec, Spicak, Pod Smrkem, Trutnov and Rychlebske Stezky. There was already a normal small bike park here with a chairlift and three downhill trails, but now the operators have hired trail designer Tomas Kvasnicka from Singltrek Pod Smrkem. The professional cornering expert is set to create even more kilometres of trails through the hilly landscape around Lake Lipno. If all goes well and the weather plays ball, the trail park could open as early as May.
In the Bavarian Forest, tour guides and bike park operators are already observing this advance by their neighbours with suspicion. There is great concern that their biking tourists could in future ride just a few kilometres further across the border to the Czech Republic and spend their holidays there. So it's high time that more happened in the German low mountain ranges in terms of trail building. But a start has already been made.
Find out where you can find trail parks, rewarding multi-day tours and iconic events in the centre of Germany in BIKE 5/17 - on newsstands from 4 April. You can also read the complete issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK shop order:
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
