For mountain bikers, the panoramic trail near Nagens, the high trail near the Segneshütte, the Kretenweg Mutta Höhe in the direction of Conn and the Rhine Gorge between Castrisch and Versam Station are affected. Marc Woodtli, "Product Manager Summer" at Destination Flims, is in charge of the new regulations. According to Woodtli, the partial closure is necessary because the four trails are very sensitive and frequently used. This measure is in the interests of peaceful coexistence between hikers and bikers. The destination of Flims, which was previously considered to be very mountain bike-friendly, is thus taking a very drastic measure. Samuel Hubschmid from Trailnet.ch also considers the measure to be rather excessive: "Such a closure is too radical an approach. Shared use of the trails must work, because creating separate trails for all needs would put too much strain on nature."

Decision without facts
The six-hour closure is almost tantamount to a complete bike ban. This makes it all the more surprising how this decision came about: "This finding is based on our discussions with various user groups. We haven't launched a study, but we can sense this from the mood in Flims. We want to act proactively and prevent user conflicts before they arise," says Marc Wootli. The annual complaints analysis carried out in the canton of Graubünden does not support the theory of user conflicts either. Only twenty complaints were received in the entire canton of Graubünden in 2013, a negligible number in relation to the mass of mountain bikers and hikers who visit the canton every year.

Hikers are worth protecting
When asked whether hikers need more protection than mountain bikers, Woodtli replies: "Yes, you should always protect the vulnerable. Just like in road traffic. The biker is simply traveling faster than the hiker, which poses dangers." It is obvious that the Flims mountains are also extremely popular with hiking tourists and that the local tourism experts have to look after everyone's well-being. But whether the hiking public is bothered by mountain bike traffic has so far only been heard from the tourism professionals themselves. The Flims mountain bike guide, Dario Linder, has a completely different view of the situation on the trails: "I've never had any problems on these trails".
According to Woodtli, there will be no repressive measures for mountain bikers who do not comply with the new regulations. They are relying on understanding and assuming that mountain bikers are also interested in peaceful coexistence.

Prohibited in the future: High trail Segneshütte-Naraus

Only before ten o'clock or after four: Kretenweg Mutta Conn

No more fun either: Panoramaweg Nagens

One of the most beautiful trails in Graubünden, unfortunately without bikers: Rhine Gorge Castrisch Versam Station