EVEN MORE FLUIDITY IN HEMSEDAL!
- Hallingdal Rides
- July 28, 2023
- 3 min reading
OPENING: After almost two years of planning and construction, the new lift-based flow trail in Hemsedal is finally ready. The trail is 7 km long, making it one of the longest in Norway. With the opening, Hemsedal takes another big step towards becoming a leading Scandinavian cycling destination - and cyclists can look forward to one of this summer's biggest trail news in Norway, which should put Hemsedal high on the bucket list for 2023!
- "Can we ride the trail one more time - but without stopping?". It's the first official opening day of the new "Sentrumsstien" and the local cycling youngsters, who have volunteered for a film assignment today, are clearly thrilled with their new playground. That's why it's not so popular when they constantly have to stop to wait for the cameraman to set up the equipment and get ready to shoot...
Can we ride the trail one more time - but without stopping?"
The frustration is easy to understand, because the trail builders at Rekkje Stiutvikling have clearly found a magic formula in the new flow trail. The trail just screams "party laps" with the gang, in an almost endless cocktail of rhythmic dosages, rollers, narrow paths, slabs and plenty of air time. There are elements everywhere that can be ridden in different ways - not to mention the option lines that magically appear every time you take a new lap of the trail. Sentrumsstien is without a doubt the next level for cycling in Hemsedal!
"Next level" in Hemsedal
The fact that Sentrumsstien is "next level" applies on several levels: On the one hand, the news means that the number of lift-based trail kilometers in Hemsedal has doubled (!!) - and thus cyclists now have significantly more variety, which in turn means that you can stay even longer at the destination to explore cycling.
However,Sentrumsstien also requires a higher skill level than the blue graded flow trail Silverstonewhich opened in 2021. In other words, the innovation will be a progression for those cyclists who have mastered Silverstone and are ready for more challenges. For the trail builders at Rekkje Stiutvikling, this has meant greater freedom in the design of the trail - which they have taken full advantage of. Among other things, the trail has been built using indigenous materials, mountain sections have been preserved and integrated into the trail, and the possibility of air under the wheels has been built in almost from top to bottom! However, jumping skills are not compulsory and all the jumps are built so that they can be rolled at low speed.
For most of the trip, you almost forget that you're in Norway's most popular ski resort...
But it's not just the technical aspects of trail building and grading that separate the two trails. While Silverstone is located in a more developed part of the ski center, large parts of Sentrumsstien wind through wild nature. Here you can hear Sollaustbekken roaring right next to the trail and for most of the trip you almost forget that you're in Norway's most popular ski resort.
We recommend that you take a look at the picture below, in case you're not already convinced that Sentrumsstien should be on your bucket list for 2023...
Sentrumsstien summarized: 7 km of this... Photo: Lars Storheim
FACTSSENTRUMSSTIEN":
Length: 7 km
Altitude meters: 500 m
Grading: Red/difficult
Surface: Indigenous masses, stone - some natural narrow path sections
Trail builder: Rekkje Stiutvikling
Initiator/owner: Hemsedal Aktivitetsanlegg (Non-profit organization with participation from sports clubs, local businesses and Hemsedal municipality)
Official opening: July 14, 2023
This is what the cycling map in Hemsedal looks like for 2023. Source: Outdooractive
Need more inspiration for biking this summer? Explore Hallingdal's trail map and get the latest news about trail openings in our news section! The map is available free of charge from tourist offices and sports shops in Hallingdal. You can also download it via the link below.
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