Phoenix from the Ashes

Extensive forest fire

On 26 April 2011, a fire broke out in a commercial building in the valley bottom of Visp. Within a short time, the lower forest was fully ablaze and after a further 35 minutes the fire spread up to 1450 metres above sea level. It took four weeks for the fire to be completely extinguished. Around 30,000 cubic metres of wood fell victim to the fire over an area of 120 hectares (1.2 km2) in the Eyholzerwald. There was nothing left of the former coniferous forest with priority protection forest character. The forest was not replanted on a large scale, as natural regeneration by pioneer tree species such as birch trees took place on its own. However, it will be another five decades before the forest can once again fulfil its original protective function against mudflows and landslides.n.

Eye of a needle in the Teelwald

The final section of the popular 12-kilometre-long mountain bike route 548 ‘Giw Enduro’ used to co-exist with the well-known ‘Snake Trail’. However, as all the hiking trails coming from Giw from Hotee channel onto this section, conflicts of use became apparent due to the increasing frequency of use and the difference in speed.

Win-win situation for everyone involved

The responsible institutions, the municipality of Visp, the Visp castle community and the Visp and surrounding area forestry district, therefore decided to separate pedestrian and mountain bike traffic from ‘Hotee’ onwards. This in the knowledge that such a so-called ‘separation’ must be attractive in order for it to work in the end. As the burnt-down Eyholzwald forest was increasingly recovering due to increasing natural regeneration, the opportunity arose to reactivate the former hiking trail as a bike trail. A win-win situation for everyone involved: hikers are once again much less disturbed on the hiking trail and mountain bikers have a trail tailored to their needs. On top of this, the forestry district gets an intact access route to manage the forest in the best possible way. Mountain bike trails can also be multifunctional!

Working with and not against the mountain

The topography in the Eyholzwald is very challenging. Individual rock bands and slopes of up to 40° require a lot of care when designing the trail. You have to be able to understand and read the mountain. The trail design is therefore always adapted to the topographical conditions. For example, bends could only be placed in selected areas where the terrain is significantly flatter. Smaller jumps and side hits are only fitted into flatter slopes. On particularly steep slopes, the trail is built entirely into the existing terrain (so-called ‘full bench cut’), as valley-side embankments would not be sufficiently stable.

Speed-Management = Safety-Management

Particularly in passages with relatively steep slopes, it is important to reduce the speed of users with subliminal measures so that they do not realise it. This can be achieved through natural chicanes such as stumps, stones or dead wood or by installing stones. This increases awareness and slightly increases the technical difficulty. Individual fences have been installed at very exposed points. Although this is not the most elegant solution aesthetically, it gives a clear signal that the pace should be adjusted. 

In a short trail building documentary, we show what we thought about during construction and who was involved.

Production: Simon Ricklin Photography & Vast Trails
DOP: Simon Ricklin
Edit: Simon Ricklin
Music: Bis es .. & … Nacht wird by Obliecht (IRASCIBLE RECORDS)