I would venture to say that I ride my mountain bike an above-average amount. And more often than average on single trails. So right in the middle of the apparent conflict zone. The current balance of conflicts or disputes experienced in the 2017 season: a battle of words. Nothing else, on the contrary. I experience the mutual interaction on single trails as extremely relaxed. Is the conflict between hikers and mountain bikers just a hyped-up fake discussion? A study by the Swiss Hiking Trails would confirm this. This has investigated what bothers hikers. Mountain bikers came in fourth place - with the same number of mentions as dogs. Four-legged friends bother hikers just as much as two-wheelers. But have there ever been discussions about denying dogs access to hiking trails? Or an initiative to channel them and restrict them to certain areas?

It's the density that leads to disputes, not the means of transportation

However, we mountain bikers have to accept that a quarter of hikers feel disturbed by our presence. That is a considerable number. Complaint analyses have shown that conflicts primarily occur in highly frequented zones. In other words, at mountain railroads, parking lots, on riverside paths and the like. In other words, where many people are present at the same time. And in such places, people are always at loggerheads. In traffic jams, on the train, in nightclubs, in city traffic, in high-rise buildings or even on single trails. It doesn't matter whether one person is wearing hiking boots or the other is sitting on a bike saddle - wherever people get too close to each other, there will be arguments. It doesn't matter whether someone is riding a mountain bike, hiking in mountain boots, commuting to the office in a suit, taking the children to school or riding south at Easter - once a certain density of people is reached, there is bound to be a row. This is why there is no conflict between hikers and mountain bikers. It is the density that leads to disputes, not the means of transportation.

This theory is also confirmed by the Swiss Hiking Trail study mentioned above. In this study, other hikers come immediately after dogs and mountain bikers as a disruptive factor. Over ten percent of red socks are bothered by their peers.

The reason for my low conflict rate this season is probably that I avoid the stress of crowds on the mountain. I avoid riding the big classics when everyone else is already on the route. Another reason is to be friendly with others. I don't climb mountains to get angry with others, but to have a good time. And a good time starts with friendliness. Because just as you call into the forest, so it comes out again.

Download study on Swiss hiking trails

• "Hiking in Switzerland 2008"
• "Hiking in Switzerland 2014"

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