After the Uetliberg verdict and the discussions surrounding the officially closed Harakiri Trail, a kind of live and let live has returned to the Uetliberg, between the town and the mountain bike community. The new Höcker Trail, which attracts a lot of bike traffic, has certainly contributed to this.

However, in mid-January, pictures suddenly started doing the rounds showing the popular Leiterli Trail under a series of felled trees. It is impassable for hundreds of meters. The narrow path rides steeply down over the Leiterliberg to Leimbach. In parts, it runs in a bob-sleigh track-like gully.

Mountain bikers have been riding "the Leiterli" since at least the 1990s, while fit hikers have been walking it for much longer. The topographical maps available online show the Leiterli Trail from 1940 onwards, so it can be assumed that it had already existed for a while before the federal cartographers recorded it in the middle of the Second World War. However, it is not part of the hiking trail network.

Immediately after the felling, there is uncertainty. Is the wood only there temporarily, in the steep terrain? When will it be removed? Several people try to talk to the forester in charge. He confirms that the wood will stay where it is and that the Leiterliweg will disappear from the forest floor. Grün Stadt Zürich does not officially communicate this. An inquiry from Ride remains unanswered.

"Free Leiterli" - the bikers have taken up the fight

Meanwhile, concerned citizens are constantly contacting the city to ask what has happened to the beautiful Leiterli trail. Some are sharpening their saw blades. Others are thinking about solidarity campaigns. Alec Wohlgroth, the father of the Uetliberg ruling and of Zäme Happy, spreads optimism: the path will be safely cleared by spring, the city doesn't want a riot after all.

However, there are still no signals in this direction. And in fact, the tacit closure of an ancient trail that has always been used legally is a clear sign from the city that it will not simply stand by and watch the mountain bikers go about their business. And that it ultimately has the upper hand.

What the mountain bikers have to acknowledge: The increased studded tire frequency has left its mark. In recent years, some gullies and ledges have become deeper. Until the end, adventurous pedestrians were also on the trail, going up rather than down. But the mountain bikers have clearly dominated.

The last word has not yet been spoken. If the city doesn't move, it will probably happen, as in many places where there have been blockades: Evasive lines will form. Which certainly won't work: Burying the trail quietly under trees. Zurich's mountain bikers won't just let the Leiterli die like that.