Good Stuff Of The Year

It has been a good year. I guess you could call these the best bits.

Best Trail: Eckham, Western Austria,

Deep in the Oetztal valley, on a small unassuming hill there is a trail. Its 400 meter height loss may seem paltry compared to the quadruple figure descents that can be found in the mountains roundabout, but this is the trail from the past year that is occupying my thoughts the most. It was 400 meters of steep, rooty challenge. For the most part right on the edge of what I can comfortably ride, in sections somewhere over that line. With my modest skill it could be cleaned, just, one glorious day, but until that day comes I can only dream. This year has been a good one for trails, both old and new and whilst the north side of Eckham is number one, honourable mentions must go to trails new and old. Achnasellach was worth waiting a year for, a whole heap of trails from the Euro adventure, plus some new lakeland passes in the mix. The Marin trail still has me coming back for more, and Nan Beild will always bring a smile to my face.

Travelling Socks: Austria

Week 3 of Supereuromegaride took us to Austria, and trails we knew. Read all about it

By the time we got this far, the sensational weather window was firmly closed. Things got slippy on the trails of Tirol

Foot Traffic

For all the trail centers and ski center singletrack that is cropping up all over, there really is nothing better than a couple f hundered years of foot traffic to create some fine riding. The Oetztal valley in the Austrian Tyrol has all the sinous singletrack you could ever need.