A classic is suddenly closed

For Zurich's bikers, 2025 began with the closure of a classic route on the Uetliberg that has been ridden for decades: The Leiterli trail had been overgrown. Züritrails campaigned for it to be cleared, and various bikers sent emails to the city of Zurich demanding the same. Grün Stadt Zürich finally announced that nothing other than clearing the historic path had ever been planned. Whoever finally made the trail passable again remains in the Zurich community.

The first official trails in the canton of Thurgau

Thurgau is a politically difficult place for trail bikers. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the Toptrails Tannzapfenland project in Fischingen has been granted planning permission. The initiators have been fighting for this for five years. The ground-breaking ceremony took place in August, followed by several community construction days. Certain trails are already being ridden, even though the trail center is not yet officially open.

Bernese forest owners are reaching for the biking wallet

Some things have been set in motion in Bern and this seems to have given the forest owners a new idea: If they have to accept mountain bikers on their forest land, they should be compensated for it, for every single meter. Be it a newly built trail or an old path and even for gravel biking on forest roads, money should flow. All of this in an amount that would make many non-commercial trail projects unaffordable. The article on Ride was one of the most widely read of the year, and the Berner Zeitung took up the topic. Since then, not much has been heard about this project.

Hickle on the Pilatus

The situation also remains tough in the canton of Lucerne, where the government is committed to coexistence, but trail bikers keep running into resistance from forest owners. For years, Mountainbike Luzern has been working on a solution for the Pilatus north slope, among other things. The warning signs that suddenly appeared on the most popular trails showed precisely this contradiction. In the meantime, an unofficial solution that both sides can live with is reportedly being worked on. There is still a lot to be done before bikers in the canton of Central Switzerland can legally ride on unpaved, narrow trails.

Trail freedom in Nidwalden

The canton of Nidwalden has been sending out different signals for years. In October, parliament passed the new Footpath, Hiking Trail and Mountain Bike Trail Act. CHF 3.8 million is to be invested in the planning, construction and expansion of the mountain bike trail network over the next eight years. The law also stipulates that hiking trails are also open to mountain bikers. More detailed information on this can be found at Mountinbike Nidwalden. 

Canton of Solothurn averts ban on single trails

There is also joy in the canton of Solothurn, where an initial draft of the new forest law would have resulted in a de facto ban on single trails. The skilful lobbying of IG MTB Solothurn resulted in a parliamentary majority for a contemporary forest law that keeps bikers' access to narrow trails free.

Tough struggle in the canton of Aargau

There is also movement in the mountain bike-critical canton of Aargau. Cross-country veteran Beat Stirnemann is building trails with his trail crew in the Gränichen region and is fighting for single trails throughout the canton with Mountainbike Aargau. In Gränichen, this creates a puzzle of short trail sections that can be combined into fun laps. In Hägglingen, the local bike club has received approval for a small trail center after six years of fighting. Constant dripping wears away the stone is the motto in the canton of Aargau.

Canton of Zurich confirms trail freedom and wants to expand

A great Christmas present for all those who love riding single trails in the canton of Zurich. The canton's mountain bike concept makes it clear once and for all that all trails listed on the official national maps may be used. In addition, the MTB infrastructure is to be adapted to the needs of Switzerland's most populous canton, i.e. significantly expanded. Coexistence is the rule, with bike trails where necessary. That's what we would like to see throughout Switzerland.

More trails for mountain bikers

Finally, a trend that is making trails more accessible for a group that until recently hardly anyone talked about: mountain bikers with disabilities. Brigels is developing a trail so that it can also be ridden with mountain handbikes, and Flims wants to achieve the same on the Runca Trail. IMBA Switzerland is driving this development forward. Further adaptive trails are to follow.