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Häxutrail
Year of Construction
2020
Level of Difficulty
blue - red
Total length
5.8 km
Ø-Gradient
13%
Modern trail design paired with traditional craftsmanship. Existing trails combined with new sections ensure a varied descent from Belalp to Blatten – an all-round harmonious trail mix of single, enduro and flow trail segments!
Gentle changes in direction to improve the speed management
Snaky Land
Flowy single trail at «Unner Erich»
Single Trail-Serpentine above «Steigadu»
Traverse with alot of hillside water which is collected with a trench and directed across the trail with tubes
Stone armoring to prevent from erosion and increase the riding experience
Berm
Berm built up with locally gathered stones and covered with excavated material for a smooth surface
Gentle changes in direction to improve the speed management
Snaky Land
Flowy single trail at «Unner Erich»
Single Trail-Serpentine above «Steigadu»
Traverse with alot of hillside water which is collected with a trench and directed across the trail with tubes
Stone armoring to prevent from erosion and increase the riding experience
Berm
Berm built up with locally gathered stones and covered with excavated material for a smooth surface
Connection from the mountain to the valley as the foundation for further trail development
The Häxutrail covers 760 meters in height difference of relatively steep and challenging terrain. The planning and construction work was correspondingly challenging. The Valais destination has recognized the importance of completing the connection from the top down to the valley before creating further offers on the mountain.
New trails x existing trails
The Häxutrail is a good example that it is not always necessary to build the entire trail from scratch to create a coherent offer. In the case of the Häxutrail, it was not possible to plan and build a continuous mountain bike trail with mono use for spatial planning, environmental and ownership reasons. Hence the valley descent designed as the local SchweizMobil route «Nr. 158 Häxutrail Bike» consists of:
1.9km of newly built trail sections
2.3km of existing single trail sections
1.6km of connecting roads
Vast was commissioned to build the 1.9 km of new sections. The local forestry company “Forst Massa” was responsible for optimizing the existing single trail sections. Vast was on hand to provide advice.
Philipp Bont, Project Manager & Co.Owner
Belalp is my local mountain and also the location for our very first Vast project. I love the centuries-old trails there, and I really wanted to transfer their characteristics and traditional design to the new trail section. Wherever possible, we integrated the typical large boulders and rocks and worked with the numerous stones available. To be honest, we had no other option. The result is a unique and varied trail with lots of rock rides, stone armourings, dry stone walls, stone fields, small jumps, but also flowing sections in the Rischinu forest.
Combining the traditional with the modern
When implementing the Häxutrail, we attached great importance to incorporating the typical local characteristics and conditions. A passage through an old ruin was integrated in an appealing way thanks to a typical dry stone wall. Berms and embankments on the uphill and downhill sides of the trail were built up with stone walls. Individual driving passages were repeatedly reinforced with so-called “Steibikki”. Steibikki are an old traditional Valais construction method of stone armouring and are ideal for stabilizing erosion-sensitive passages. These traditional construction methods have been combined with contemporary trail design to offer a great experience on the trail.
Varied trail mix
Due to the topography, the variety between newly built sections and existing paths as well as forest and farmland and the many stones and rocks, an exciting trail mix with single, enduro and flow trail styles was created. Natural and technical single trails alternate with newly built sections full of bumps, jumps and berms. The last section in the Rischinuwald forest near the village – flowy and low-threshold – is perfect for looping the trail with the parallel access road locally. A spacious barbecue area offers the best conditions for a great family experience to end the ride with.
Daniel Bumann, Project Engineer + Construction Manager, IBR Ingenieurbüro GmbH
The Häxutrail was built under complex conditions: steep topography, difficult subsoil and numerous landowners. The guys from Vast were able to impress with their extensive background knowledge of the challenges ahead and their outstanding design and construction skills. For me as site manager, the supervision of this project was very pleasant and carefree: the budget targets were met and my personal expectations of the trail were exceeded!
Year of Construction
2020 (June-September)
Contractor / Client
Municipality of Naters, Belalp Mountain Railways, Blatten-Belalp Tourismus
Vast Services
Trail Design, Construction, Supervision
Total length
5.8km
Height difference
760 vertical meters
Ø-Gradient
13%
Level of Difficulty
mainly red with some blue sections
Project Partner
IBR Ingenieurbüro, Forst Massa, Air Zermatt, Tscherrig Transporte
