Sölden is getting closer to its goal of up to 20 new flow trails every year. Engelberg also wants to get into the mountain biking business and has the excavators moving in on the Joch Pass. The same goes for Arosa, where a mountain bike trail is to be built from Hörnli down to the village. And the Flumserberge has been committed to mountain bikers since the time when a dedicated downhill trail was created for them.

It is a strategy that tourism experts are familiar with from winter. You build ski slopes, renovate mountain railroads, install snow cannons and then the guests come in droves. This recipe should now also lead to success with mountain bikers. But it's not that simple. Mountain bikers have a greater affinity with nature than guests on the ski slopes. They have a greater radius of action. And they are not necessarily dependent on mountain lifts.In the future, the regions that will be successful in mountain biking will not be those that have carved out the most flow trails in the mountains. It will be those who have trail maintenance under control on their entire trail network. It is an illusion to be able to fob off the ever-increasing number of mountain bikers in the mountains with built trails. And with the up-and-coming e-mountain bikers, the issue of trail maintenance is becoming even more important because their range of action is greater and their weight is around ten kilograms higher. This means that more trails with a higher load are ridden per tour. And flow trails near mountain railways are only of minor importance to them anyway.The construction of mountain bike trails may make sense as part of an overall concept for user diversification or to increase attractiveness. However, in the Alps we generally don't need more trails, but better maintained ones. Some regions are already leading the way, which will pay off in the long term. However, most people still resort to excavators and shovels in their actionism because it is a measure they are familiar with from winter. However, it is more sustainable to take care of the existing infrastructure - which is already extensive - than to constantly dig new routes out of the ground. What counts is quality, not quantity.

Ride Congress

This topic will also be discussed at the Ride Mountain Bike Congress in Chur on October 12 and 13, 2017, where the aforementioned Sölden region will be presenting its concept behind trail building alongside other high-quality speakers and will subsequently be the subject of a panel discussion. Further information and registration form at www.ridekongress.ch.

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