News from the Steinbruch Trail
New sections 2024
We launched a pilot project in spring 2024 to further develop our bike network in our municipality in the long term and keep it in good shape in the future. New trail builders have been settling in our village for 2 years. After many inspections and preliminary discussions, we were quickly able to convince Alex and Martin from F-Tech to optimise the bike trail network on our doorstep with completely new sections. The first section has now been completed and approved!
How it all began:
After our Parcines Tourist Association was one of the first areas in South Tyrol to lay the foundation stone for a signposted bike trail network 10 years ago, including official trail maintenance and the associated maintenance obligations, we succeeded for the first time in 2020 in setting an important milestone in the official trail offer with the construction of 3 built sections.
Boris was able to determine the route of the flow trail together with the trail builder at the time by commissioning the tourism association. However, the tourism association's financial resources were not sufficient at the time, but all those involved, including the landowner, forestry and hunting association, agreed to the construction... and so we had to seize the moment and our neighbours from the Hotel Waldhof, Klaus' local “Etzis Bikeshop” and we from the Design Hotel Tyrol co-financed the construction costs and each took on a sponsorship for the 3 sections in total. The new sections were opened in September 2023.
The latest sections from June 2024:
Last summer, TV Partschins, as the trail owner, decided to completely redesign the trail in the now very washed-out and dangerous areas with the consent of the landowners.
In order to ensure a sustainable and well-functioning route, the new trail builders in our municipality around Alex and Martin were commissioned by the company ‘F-Tech’ (the Italian branch of ‘velosolutions’). After all, a complete new build has to be planned extensively and go through approval procedures with the forestry authorities and the local council. However, work could only begin once the hunters had also given their OK. Impassable terrain, stubborn amounts of snow and adverse weather conditions made construction difficult. Nevertheless, in May 2024, the first 800m-long section was completed as the new entrance to the quarry trail to the complete satisfaction of the forestry authorities, landowners and TV Partschins as the client. To ensure that everything solidified properly, the trail was only opened 4 weeks later, at the end of June.
The next sections will then begin in the summer. Private sponsorships can be taken on for all these sections, thus contributing to the financing of the trails, which can be used free of charge.
The ‘Tricky Riders’ MTB club based in the neighbouring municipality of Algund will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the trail network and more straightforward optimisation of the natural trail section. This work will be carried out in the traditional way with an ice axe and shovel (so no heavy construction machinery or official permits are required) and will be done on a voluntary basis by its members, some of whom have already worked as shapers in well-known, nearby bike parks and bring a wealth of expertise with them. In this way, we actively involve the local youth in the design of the trail network. The municipality of Algund, as the owner of the Aschbach cable car, supports the association financially with a sponsorship.
After our Parcines Tourist Association was one of the first areas in South Tyrol to lay the foundation stone for a signposted bike trail network 10 years ago, including official trail maintenance and the associated maintenance obligations, we succeeded for the first time in 2020 in setting an important milestone in the official trail offer with the construction of 3 built sections.
Boris was able to determine the route of the flow trail together with the trail builder at the time by commissioning the tourism association. However, the tourism association's financial resources were not sufficient at the time, but all those involved, including the landowner, forestry and hunting association, agreed to the construction... and so we had to seize the moment and our neighbours from the Hotel Waldhof, Klaus' local “Etzis Bikeshop” and we from the Design Hotel Tyrol co-financed the construction costs and each took on a sponsorship for the 3 sections in total. The new sections were opened in September 2023.
The latest sections from June 2024:
Last summer, TV Partschins, as the trail owner, decided to completely redesign the trail in the now very washed-out and dangerous areas with the consent of the landowners.
In order to ensure a sustainable and well-functioning route, the new trail builders in our municipality around Alex and Martin were commissioned by the company ‘F-Tech’ (the Italian branch of ‘velosolutions’). After all, a complete new build has to be planned extensively and go through approval procedures with the forestry authorities and the local council. However, work could only begin once the hunters had also given their OK. Impassable terrain, stubborn amounts of snow and adverse weather conditions made construction difficult. Nevertheless, in May 2024, the first 800m-long section was completed as the new entrance to the quarry trail to the complete satisfaction of the forestry authorities, landowners and TV Partschins as the client. To ensure that everything solidified properly, the trail was only opened 4 weeks later, at the end of June.
The next sections will then begin in the summer. Private sponsorships can be taken on for all these sections, thus contributing to the financing of the trails, which can be used free of charge.
The ‘Tricky Riders’ MTB club based in the neighbouring municipality of Algund will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the trail network and more straightforward optimisation of the natural trail section. This work will be carried out in the traditional way with an ice axe and shovel (so no heavy construction machinery or official permits are required) and will be done on a voluntary basis by its members, some of whom have already worked as shapers in well-known, nearby bike parks and bring a wealth of expertise with them. In this way, we actively involve the local youth in the design of the trail network. The municipality of Algund, as the owner of the Aschbach cable car, supports the association financially with a sponsorship.
In all the work, it is important to the trail keepers to create a natural route without artificial structures that takes into account the protection of animals living in the forest. The aim is to design the quarry trail as a whole in such a way that new, technically easier flow trails alternate with technically trickier natural trails on the existing trail and complement each other perfectly. For the latter, a small diversion via short sections of forest road is planned. Instead of standardising the technical classification of the entire trail, in future the difficulty of the individual sections will be indicated at the start, along with any easier alternative routes and the sponsorship.
The entire revised quarry trail was opened at the end of June. Now nothing stands in the way of your enjoyment here! I hope you like the result and that we manage to ride the trail together on one of my tours on Wednesday.
The entire revised quarry trail was opened at the end of June. Now nothing stands in the way of your enjoyment here! I hope you like the result and that we manage to ride the trail together on one of my tours on Wednesday.