It’s shoulder season in the Alps which means it’s pretty quiet around town. Most business are closed except for the grocery stores, our favorite cafe and a few pizza restaurants. 

While it’s sleepy in the valley, things are very busy on the mountain where Chris is working. He and the rest of the trail crew are busy getting ready for the bike park grand opening in a few weeks. I spent some time with him on the job site recently, adding to my photo and video catalogue for a long-term personal project. As boring as it sounds, I’ve been documenting the process of trail building through various projects. It started when I was working for IMBA and was asked to take some photos during construction of the Bear River Bike Park in Steamboat. At first I thought it was the most boring thing ever. I eventually got into it and discovered that I could capture a lot more than machines, tools and dirt. I took that experience and have been documenting builds ever since. Being an artist, I had to give the project a name – Art of the Rideable.

The project Chris is managing on the slopes of the mega ski resort at Sölden is a perfect subject for Art of the Rideable. There’s lots of dirt flying and interesting scenarios for building. I’ve also added my favorite new equipment to the mix – a DJI Mavic drone. Of course it’s very nerdy, but a very useful tool for capturing unique perspectives.

The crew has been here since the beginning of May and are working hard to put the finishing touches on the expanded bike park, opening June 15th. Bike Republic Sölden, as it’s known here, is envisioned to be much more than just a ski resort with trails. It will definitely be a unique situation for Europe. The area will have a huge amount of lift accessed “lines” (trails) that are more sculpted than many of the rugged routes found in other bike parks. Don’t misunderstand, there are still plenty of the spicy “old school” trails around (believe me, I’ve been riding plenty of spice!) to go with the new progressive trails. Here in the Bike Republic they have embraced gravity-fed, flow-style trails that bring a lot more “play” to the riding experience. When added to the existing singletrack across the mountain and throughout the valley, it’s inevitable that Sölden will become as a major mountain bike destination in Europe.

I feel pretty lucky to be here with Chris watching the project develop. After the grand opening, the team will keep moving, with plenty more to build. I’m excited to follow them as they work and look forward to sharing their progress!