Kandersteg lies at the end of the Kandertal valley, surrounded by rock faces. This means: few hours of sunshine, cooler than elsewhere, the snow remains powdery for a long time and melts slowly. This limits the season. In addition, there is a ban on skiing in September due to the hunting season.
Admittedly: The Kandertal is not exactly around the corner. It takes just under 2 hours from Basel, and from the south you have to load your car onto the train. In return, you get the full Swiss experience with everything the cliché has to offer. It starts with the journey in the ultra-modern, red and white gondola. A customised suspension system for the bikes has been devised with Swiss ingenuity - the bikes are clamped under the gondola floor. This increases the comfort and capacity of the gondola.
The routes
The terrain is high alpine, rocky and rough, but the trail builders looked for the smoothest way down into the valley. It goes from 1936 metres down to 1216, which means a whopping 720 metres in altitude and a total length of 4.7 kilometres. With these figures, it is easy to forgive the fact that there is only one route here. A few short sections lead through scree, but the main part of the descent winds its way down into the valley over dirt. Caution: In wet conditions, it quickly becomes slippery and the earth sticks to the tyres!
According to the operator, there are 105 banked turns - which is immediately apparent if you look at the clips on YouTube: The trail resembles a slalom course. There are 25 jumps for bikers to enjoy, 10 of which are doubles - this will scare some park novices, especially as some of them are quite big and the landing is not always ideal. However, all jumps can be avoided. These "chicken lines" are clearly marked with a plastic chicken tied to an arrow.
Super: A jumpline of table jumps generates good airtime and transforms a flat section into a playground. Drops at various heights follow. Another highlight: a drop over a tree trunk. More of this, please! It's impressive how massive the stunts are, such as the huge wallride over a bridge with a wild mountain stream and safety net. In short: we enjoyed the Kandersteg trail, the bends are well built and the course is well laid out.
well laid out. The trail is varied, not a typical downhill race track, but a freeride descent with opportunities to play. Anyone expecting a complete park with different trails will be disappointed.
Info
Routes 1 downhill run (4.7 km/720 metres altitude)
Lift Gondola cable car
Start of the season Beginning of June
Opening hours 8.00 - 17.00 (every 30 minutes)
Day ticket Adult 39 CHF
Bike hire Yes
Driving technique school Yes
Info phone no
e-mail
freeridetrail@gmx.ch
Distances
Stuttgart 4.5 hours
Munich 5.5 hours
Frankfurt 5.5 hours
Berlin 10 hours
Innsbruck 5 hours
Basel 2 hours
CHARACTER
Freeride 3 out of 4 points
Slopestyle 1 out of 4 points
Downhill 3 out of 4 points
DIFFICULTY
Beginners 0 out of 4 points
Advanced 4 out of 4 points
Expert 3 out of 4 points
ConclusionThe Kandersteg freeride trail is long and varied, which makes it just as exciting for downhill boulderers as it is for park beginners. Tip: Pay attention to the weather! It quickly becomes challenging here in wet conditions.
FREERIDE judgement 6.5 out of 10 points
Web:
www.freeridetrail.ch
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
