In our neighboring countries, people look enviously over to Switzerland. While they are discussing access on forest roads, mountain biking on single trails has established itself here in Switzerland. Mountain biking is a big thing in Switzerland, the sport has long since arrived in society, which is why Swiss television SRF has tried its hand at a new format: Helmet camera footage of various mountain bike routes. For once, no closed-off race track and no reportage about conflicts of use. Instead, it was about what we mountain bikers like to do best: ride around on single trails. SRF was with the Gehrig twins in Laax, with Nino Schurter and Thomas Frischknecht in Lugano, with me and Franziska Gobeli on the Barrhorn. And then with Alec Wohlgroth and Matthias Lüscher on the Üetliberg in Zurich. In retrospect, the latter was probably a mistake.

Nothing new - but demanding compensation

In principle, the sequence on the Üetliberg showed nothing other than what local mountain bikers have been doing every day for over two decades: riding trails. And not just the few official routes. These were routes that I, as a native of Zurich, had already ridden in the early years of biking. It was predictable that the Zurich city authorities would not be happy about this. Nothing new, really. And the fact that "Züritrails" distanced itself from the article was also the right thing to do.

But instead of leaving it at that, the Zurich trail lobby went one better by demanding money: SRF should pay 30,000 francs in the form of a donation as compensation. This would go towards the costs of building the new Höckler Trail, for which, coincidentally, a crowdfunding campaign is currently underway. A rogue who thinks evil of it.

The self-destruction of mountain bikers

What is particularly remarkable, however, is the verbal big gun used by "Züritrails" in its statement: There is talk of unbelievable, irresponsible, immeasurable disappointment, loss of credibility, unobjective reporting, immaterial damage, a correction and compensation is demanded. Nota bene for something that Zurich mountain bikers have been doing for years. The statement reflects how we mountain bikers have been treating each other for some time now. If someone disagrees, acts differently, doesn't see things the same way, then they'll get a battering. This is an unpleasant phenomenon among us mountain bikers, which has been particularly accentuated in the Zurich region for many years. What a shame, really.

The statement from "Züritrails" finally sparked the discussion about the TV program to such an extent that the tabloid newspaper "Blick" also took up the issue and SRF finally took the program off the air again with soft knees. With fatal consequences for us mountain bikers: Swiss television will not be showing beautiful trail pictures with mountain bikers again any time soon. It's too much of a powder keg. Not because of the authorities, hikers or environmental associations, but because of us mountain bikers. Because of absurd demands for money from mountain bike associations. A polemical broadside on the boiling conflicts of use is better, they will say to themselves at Leutschenbach. That will result in fewer angry reactions. Sad, actually.

More blog posts by Thomas Giger

ride.ch/blog/giger