Building a dream destination for trail cyclists in Hallingdal

- We meet trail building legend Glen Jacobs at Høgevarde in Hallingdal. Here, some of the world's leading trail builders are constructing what will become one of Europe's largest trail centers for mountain biking. We wonder what the secret is to creating a world-leading cycling destination, and whether the new trails can live up to sky-high expectations.

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In the second episode of the Rides Vlog, we visit Høgevarde, located in Flå municipality in the far east of Hallingdal.

Flå may be best known for its furry adventures in Bjørneparken, but in the forests of Høgevarde, a group of trail builders are working flat out to make mountain biking the new attraction in the Bjørne municipality. The plans are massive. Over a period of ml. 5-7 years, almost 100 km of cycling-optimized trails will be built for a budget of NOK 107 million. With an investment on this scale, Høgevarde will join the European super league of cycling destinations.

It's not just fun - it's also beautiful. Photo: Lars Storheim

Such an ambitious project requires a trail builder, and when it came to choosing a partner, the initiators didn't just pick from the top shelf - but also from the other side of the globe. Australia's World Trail has a long and impressive track record from several of the world's leading cycling destinations and as a trail designer in the Olympics, World Cup and World Mountain Bike Championships. Now the team is in Norway to transform Høgevarde into an Eldorado for trail cyclists.

In a period of ml. 5-7 years, almost 100 km of bicycle-optimized paths will be built for a budget of NOK 107 million.

Glen Jacobs is the founder of World Trail, and as the only Australian in the MTB Hall of Fame, he is a living mountain bike legend. We meet him and the trail builders in the forest at Høgevarde, where the excavators are in full swing.

Mountain biking legend and trail building guru Glen Jacobs. Photo: Lars Storheim

"This place is beautiful. That's why we chose to get involved in the project. The type of trails you can build here is endless - and the waterfalls and rivers... People are going to fall in love with this place." Glen Jacobs has seen it all, and his verdict is clear: Høgevarde in Hallingdal has everything it takes to become a dream destination for trail cyclists.

People will fall in love with this place.

But the development hasn't happened overnight, and both Australian and local trail builders are now working hard to get the new trails ready for opening. The small construction machines do an impressive job of digging the trail, but raw muscle power is also used when large stones need to be placed in the right place, and when the surface needs to be raked and the nature around the trail returned to its original appearance.

Trail building is not just a machine job. Photo: Lars Storheim

According to Jacobs, trail builders must follow 3 principles when building new trails:

• Safety: Trails must always remain within the grading, and if more challenging elements are to be created, they must be adjacent to the trail.

• Drainage: Paths must be able to get rid of water as quickly as possible so that the surface remains dry and firm and erosion is avoided.

• Predictability: Most people talk about flow, but according to Jacobs, flow is about being able to anticipate what's going to happen on the trail. Unexpected surprises aren't good - even on the hairiest EWS and downhill trails.

Høgevarde has already facilitated the trail Sauvallsvingenwhich was built by local trail builders in 2019 and winds its way through the majestic terrain above the tree line. The first trail built by World Trail recently opened. The lava path is a green-graded, family-friendly trail with manageable technical elements and an unsurpassed finish. In the run-up to the autumn holidays, we're working flat out to get another kilometer ready. This is a blue-graded trail with room for significantly more progression and speed. We were lucky enough to get an exclusive run-through with the trail builders. You can see what the new trails looked like behind the handlebars in the movie above...

The blue trail at Høgevarde is still not open to guests, but with the trail builders on the team, we were allowed to test the dew-free trail. Photo: Lars Storheim

"Building a Dream Destination" through the lens of RIDES photographer Lars Storheim: