Our definition of Bike Park and alpine biking
A bike park is an area on a mountain where a number of paths, trails and other challenges have been adapted or built specifically to be used for downhill bicycling. The driving force on these paths and trails is primarily gravitation and the purpose of the activity is quite simply to have fun; riding downhill on your mountain bike just for the fun of it. To make it up on the peak, ski lifts are preferred since it’s the ride downhill that is the sensation and challenge in a bike park.
Alpine biking is a mirror of alpine skiing. In alpine biking circles there are concepts such as downhill, freeride, North Shore, 4X, but also dirt lines, slopestyle etc. The common feature is that gravitation is the driving force and this force is adapted and used by the rider to his or her level of challenge and fun.
In Åre we have a bike park.
We call it Åre Bike Park.
In Åre Bike Park we are doing Alpine Biking.
Åre Bike Park
Åre is synonymous with alpine skiing and has been so for a very long time. Still somewhat less known is the possibility to ride downhill in Åre also after the snow has melted. The sensation of the wind on your face, the g force in your muscles and the dizzy feeling in your stomach attract not only the skiing guests now when the summer season tempts with much the same kind of sensations and challenges.
The difference is that skis and boards have been replaced by bicycles. Over the years we have built a criss-cross of trails on Mount Åreskutan, completely designed for mountain biking or, as we call it, alpine biking.
Åre Bike Park is the name of the biking area on Mount Åreskutan. The 30 trails form a network of about 40 km of downhill biking runs with a vertical of almost 900 metres. The lifts Kabinbanan (cable car), the chairlifts VM6:an and Hummelliften together with the funicular Bergbanan make the ascent easy and stay open from Midsummer until the end of September.
The biking trails are graded using the same scale as alpine skiing where the green symbol mean easy trails, blue trails are intermediate, red are advanced whilst the black ones are reserved for the experts.
The bike patrol is working in the park promoting safety and developing new trails while the bike school helps new riders getting started and skilled bikers finding their way around the park.
The bicycles suitable for use in alpine biking are the so-called downhill or freeride bikes. Unless you have your own bike which suits the purpose, there are various local bike rentals offering this type of bikes.
Åre is an active place also during the summer. Most of the restaurants, hotels and shops are open all year round and the number of visitors finding their way here also during the summer is steadily growing.
We are on the right track towards Destination Åre’s joint vision of becoming Europe’s most attractive all-year destination.