Nagens Trail: The world's first mountain bike trail built with 100% e-energy

For a long time, people were required to stay at home and limit outdoor sporting activities. As a result, nature has enjoyed a well-deserved break in many places over the past few months. However, with the start of the summer season and the anticipation of healthy mountain air, this should not come to an abrupt end. The Flims Laax Falera destination is thinking ahead. And so, in collaboration with Velosolutions, the idea was born to build a new bike trail powered 100% by renewable energy.

Greenstyle – protecting the environment

Only renewable energy from hydropower and solar energy is used for the entire construction. From excavators to chainsaws, all equipment is electrically powered. Even the trail builders and everyone else involved in the construction travel to the site by electric car or e-bike – green style, in other words. For Claudio Caluori of Velosolutions, it is clear that such unusual challenges are to be expected in a pioneering project like this. As the founder of the company, he and his team build trails and pump tracks all over the world and are therefore used to adapting to a wide variety of conditions: "Just transporting the machines up the mountain was the first hurdle: Since we couldn't find an electric vehicle to do this, we drove straight up the mountain with the electric excavators, and of course the battery ran out halfway up. However, we made it to the next charging station, and so our team was able to start construction two hours later," he reports.

The construction of the Nagens Trail involves much more than just the use of electronic equipment: constant communication with the regional forestry engineer, environmental authorities, and experts is just as much a part of everyday life as keeping a list of specifications. This list records all interventions in nature—flora and fauna, groundwater, landscape, and surface water.

Nagens Trail – Bike access to the Grauberg

The new Enduro Singletrail runs for 4 kilometers from Nagens to Plaun, forming the final section of the bike trail from the Grauberg mountain station to Flims. From Plaun, you can return to the valley via the two existing trails, Green Valley or TREK Runcatrail. The start can be reached from Flims via the Foppa-Naraus chairlift and then the Graubergbahn cable car. Like the existing TREK Runcatrail, the Nagens Trail is categorized as red in terms of difficulty. Advanced mountain bikers with trail experience will feel right at home here.

The connection of the Grauberg area for bikers has been sought for some time and is an important first milestone in BikeVision22 for the Flims Laax Falera destination. Not least because it will enable bikers and hikers to avoid each other more easily.

André Gisler, tourism director for the Flims Laax Falera destination, is enthusiastic about the Nagens Trail pilot project: "We are proud of this milestone and the excellent cooperation between the municipality, mountain railways, destination, and bike experts Velosolutions. On the one hand, the Nagens Trail is pioneering in terms of sustainability and, on the other hand, it ideally connects existing bike trails on the mountain, opening up completely new possibilities."

The Slow Traffic Master Plan and BikeVision22

Mountain biking is an important part of the BikeVision22 master plan for non-motorized transport. Further expansion is planned in three phases over the coming years. The municipalities, mountain railways, and other local partners are working closely together under the project management of the tourism organization. The area will be separated for hikers and bikers where necessary, and a wider range of options will be created especially for beginner bikers and families.

The heart of the ski resort in winter—Crap Sogn Gion—is also set to become a center for outdoor fun in the mountains during the warmer months, with a new skill area at 2,252 m above sea level. Extensive rail connections across the entire area, from Flims via Laax to Falera and back again, round off BikeVision22.