Verbier Bike Park's new Straight Downhill Trail Announced

The first pure 3km straight line downhill track in the world.

THE story of the year and certainly a revolution in the world of mountain biking and bikeparks.

In the Verbier Bikepark you find a great range of different tracks, from the switch back track through the forest to a trail with 65 jumps in the middle of pasture. But where Verbier will revolutionise the concept of downhill tracks is with a 3km long perfectly straight track. The track will apparently be used for the Swiss National Championships and Swiss cup this year and will be open for the public a couple of weeks before.


We were as surprised as you to hear this news so interviewed its founder, Fabrice Tirefort aka Trifon, director of the Verbier bike park.

Normally the bikeparks try to build slower and more sinuous tracks to slow down erosion and reduce maintenance. With this new track you will do the opposite, why?

Since the beginning we fight against riders who cut corners. We try to act quickly by enhancing the corners and to understand why the bikers do this. But I'm sure it's a game for someone... We have to look into this issue, as the legislation requires that trails be a maximum of 1m40 wide. Therefore it's essential to be reactive when they cut between two turns, because if one MTBiker does it 200 others will follow this line.

So I said to myself that we would build a track specifically for mountain bikers who do not like the berms, a pure straight line, which will preserve the other tracks.

Tell us more about this future track?

So it will be a straight line of 3km, and you heard me correctly: without any turns! There will be some small jumps, but nothing too difficult and an above average gradient of 40%. We will install barriers on each side to prevent animals crossing the track and being hit by a biker at high speed. We will of course build wildlife crossings under the trail, like on the motorways. At the end a 700m deceleration zone will be built with 80cm of sand to slow bikers who can't brake anymore. At the end of this area an air bag will be installed in case the sand does not stop the bikers.

Ludo May: "I can't believe that I will have my dream track ever at home!"


More news on: verbierbikepark.ch or Facebook.com/verbierbikepark