Norway: Trysil Bike Arena - how good is the bike park northern light in Norway?

When we think of bike parks in Norway, Hafjell comes to mind. We had never heard of Trysil, but the Trysil Bike Arena is the largest mountain bike destination in Norway. It was only when freeride star Brage Vestavik held his "B-Rage" session there and filmed the "Sounds of" film in Trysil that we became aware of the bike park. There are 16 kilometres of lift-assisted trails and 30 kilometres of trails that you can pedal yourself. Professional freerider Kathi Kuypers was there and reports on how she liked "the northern lights" among the bike parks.

FREERIDE: How did you find out about Trysil?
Kathi: Like you probably did, through Brage Vestavik. He invited me to his "B-Rage" session.

How did you like the park?
Very good. However, the pro line "B-Rage" gives the wrong impression. The park is family-orientated. There is something for everyone, at all levels of difficulty. But of course I was particularly excited about the "B-Rage" course.

And what was it like?
Not very family-friendly ha ha. The "B-Rage" is challenging, but superbly built. You have to work your way round it and have a good look at everything beforehand. I took on obstacle after obstacle until I was able to combine everything. You can imagine the course as a big dirt jump with 90-degree hips. You have to push really hard to keep the momentum going so that you can make it over the jumps.

Is the route open to everyone?
Yes, it is part of the bike park. Only the 10-metre drop is closed. It was only open for Brage's jump session. There were eight guys dropping next to Brage - totally crazy!

Why crazy?
Because Brage had just built the drop and had only just tried it out to see if it worked at all. Because you share the landing hill with a step-down jump from another line. That's why the landing is a bit flat. The impact was far too high because the drop stuck out too far. So you had to ride super slowly and then you went down really old school.

You've already dropped from a height of 10 metres. Have you thought about trying it too?
Just for a moment, then I saw the dudes hit it and immediately gave up the idea. Many crashed and six bikes broke on landing.

Six bikes broke? That's crazy. And the approach was also super narrow.
As wide as my forearm. A real skinny. The skinny ladder should have been shortened at the front to create a flight curve and make the impact smoother. You had to roll towards the edge at what felt like 3 km/h to even catch the landing. That's why the impact was so heavy. Brage has now shortened the drop. But it's still closed to the general public.

Did you also ride the other park routes?
Yes, they're all well built. From the flow lines to the jump trails. You are best advised to ride an enduro bike here, as there are always small climbs that you have to crank up yourself and then ride down again on jump trails. The spot has two sides, one side with a lift and classic park trails and an uphill flow trail side, where there is also the "B-Rage" trail. I find the park versatile; it's worth a visit in my eyes. Trysil is 2.5 hours from Oslo and about 2 hours from Hafjell Bike Park. You can easily combine the two.