Digging singletracks in The Alps

If you go down to the woods today… well there wasn’t a picnic or a teddy bear in sight, just a pick axe, some shovels and some saws.

We recently got permission from a local landowner to put in some (hopefully) top singletrack to avoid some fireroad in the woods near BikeVillage.

It has been surprising how much building a ‘legit’ trail changes your approach to digging – no hidden entrances and lots more thinking about making it both rideable for more people and resistant to erosion.

A good little learning experience!

Hopefully we’ve succeeded in resisting the temptation to make it massively technical and as it beds in we’ll see how it all holds up.

Whilst scouting out the route we found some incredible features to work with, from crumbled old mine workings to a freakish bit of forest spineology.

So far it’s mostly been Thor (our erstwhile chef) and Sam, with guest appearances from friends Annie Le and Dan Darwood – thanks guys! About two thirds of the route is cut in and riding nicely, so with a few more big days work we should be there. We’re planning a few trail days/barbecues to tempt volunteers so get in touch if you’re in the area!

Our dream is for it to appear on the local maps one day… Now that’d be a good little legacy!