Saas Grund opens mountain bike skills park at 2,400 meters

For the 2021 summer season, the Hohsaas mountain railroads are opening a skills park at the Kreuzboden middle station. This comprises three new mountain bike trails of varying difficulty levels, which are easily accessible for kids thanks to the conveyor belt. In addition, the almost ten-kilometre trail from Kreuzboden to Saas-Grund will be extended.

12 Bilder anzeigen

The destination of Saas-Fee/Saas Valley has one more attraction: a mountain bike skills park has been created on Kreuzboden, above Saas-Grund. The three short trails are laid out in different levels of difficulty and are located just a few meters above Lake Kreuzboden. They are fun to ride, but also help to improve riding technique. "The Kreuzboden Skills Park is an ideal place to go for an active family outing," says Bruno Ruppen, Director of the Hohsaas mountain railroads. The total of 1.5 kilometers of trails are accessible via a conveyor belt and are peppered with numerous technical challenges. BikePlan AG and Flying Metal GmbH, two renowned specialists with many years of experience, are responsible for the planning and implementation.

Finding your own personal challenge

"Mountain biking has been an issue in the Hohsaas region and also in the Saas Valley destination for many years," says Ruppen. Discussions within the valley council and the tourism service providers have shown in recent years that the Hohsaas - Kreuzboden - Trift area is an ideal axis for mountain bikers. Kreuzboden, situated at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level, now plays a central role for the Hohsaas mountain railroads and, with its existing facilities including a lake, playground and restaurant, is of particular benefit to sports-loving families.

The Skills Park is not only tailored to children, but also offers adults the opportunity to safely approach mountain biking and test their personal limits. The skills center on Kreuzboden therefore fits perfectly into the strategy launched by the destination Saas-Fee/Saas Valley in summer 2020: "We offer the opportunity to tackle personal challenges in the high alpine mountain world and appeal to an above-average sporty guest segment," says Matthias Supersaxo, Tourism Director of the destination Saas-Fee/Saas Valley.

Descent over 1,800 vertical meters

The three trails have been open to the public since July 10. But that's not all. Next fall, the Hohsaas mountain railroads will be starting another construction phase that will make the mountain bike community sit up and take notice: A good three kilometers of new trails will be built between Kreuzboden and Triftalp and a total of ten kilometers of trail will be extended for mountain bikers. The specialists at Flying Metal GmbH are designing the "Adventure Trail" with a medium level of difficulty and technical elements such as stone passages and roots. This trail leads almost seamlessly into the mountain bike trail from Triftalp to Saas-Grund. The descent to Saas-Grund will also be extended in fall 2021. This will give mountain bikers access to a route over 1,800 meters in altitude that is accessible via the gondola lifts. The section between Hohsaas and Kreuzboden is already open to mountain bikers today.

Canton contributes to the costs

The project costs for the Skills Park and the expansion of the bike trails from Kreuzboden to Saas-Grund amount to a total of CHF 521,500. Of this, the municipality of Saas-Grund and the Hohsaas mountain railroads are covering CHF 271,500. Saastal Tourismus AG (STAG) is contributing CHF 100,000 to the project. The new regional policy (NRP) of the canton of Valais is contributing 150,000 francs to the construction project. "We are delighted that the canton of Valais has accepted Saastal Tourismus AG's application for funding to promote mountain biking in the Saas Valley," concludes Tourism Director Matthias Supersaxo.