Day 40: Building a bike park for all

9 Aug 2011

Day 40: Finally the sun comes out in Wagrain. At last a full day without getting totally drenched at some point. It definitely thought about chucking it down – a few dark clouds and some spots of rain, but nothing sustained. So we spent a good day on the hill getting pictures. Lukas is a local young rider and part of the Austrian Alpine-Commençal development team. Unfortunately this year he has been prevented from racing due to injury but he is just about recovered and getting back on the bike again so joined us on the trails. Here are some of the better pics from the day…

Later I had a quick chat with Christoph in the bike shop at the base of the lift. They offer great deals on rental bikes and guiding/lessons for pretty much any standard and any age – as long as a kid is big enough to fit the special Commençal Supreme 24’s then they are good to go. Just like the height line on a roller-coaster! And have you ever seen a bike/armour/lift pass AND guide package for anywhere near €25!!? They have a number of rental and guiding options and you can see them all here. Seriously good value for money if you are just starting out and are looking for an initial taster of bike park riding.

I then had a really interesting chat with Jason Roe, the head of the Wagrain Bike Park. It is clear that Wagrain is in very safe hands. Formerly of Intrawest Resorts in North America, Jason was the original founder of (wait for it…) Whistler Bike Park! Having been instrumental in establishing the largest and most advanced bike park in the world Jason obviously brings huge experience and knowledge to Wagrain. The development philosophy is targeted at introducing newbies to mountain biking and providing trail facilities that are sustainable, fun, and offer something for all. Not everyone needs a UCI grade DH course but then in reality the majority of riders couldn’t get down it in one piece anyway. So trails are built with intermediates in mind, with optional sections of really technical hard stuff for the aspiring pros. There are so many factors to consider here, from considering optimum trail gradients in order to reduce braking bumps into corners, to design that minimises trail maintenance – important for small bike parks without the budgets of the big hitters. And these are the kind of factors that only someone with significant expertise and experience in this area would appreciate. The planned future development involves expanding the trails above the mid-station of the Flying Mozart lift. This will add another 600m of vertical making just over 900m in total. 4 more trails are on the cards, including one run that will enable top to bottom riding non-stop; a 5.8km trail! And all the trails are the work of the Gravity Logic team from Whistler – the world leaders in trail design and development. So you can bank on them being good! Final approval for this big step forward should happen later this year.

A quick word on the ‘Comin’ Fast’ trail which is currently closed. The area has had a considerable amount of rain this summer and this trail has suffered as a result. It does not currently offer a fun riding experience nor indeed a particularly safe one so the park took the decision to close the trail. The good news – a total redesign and rebuild (again by the Gravity Logic guys) scheduled for this September. So not long to wait and you know it will be worth it. This is a great place for those new to mountain biking to learn the ropes, and for those with more experience to have a blast. Watch this space as Wagrain is going places.

And so are we – tomorrow it’s off to Planai-Schladming…

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