TRYSIL, NORWAY
THE MTB PARADISE
TRYSIL, NORWAY – EXTREMELY KIDS FRIENDLY!
APPROX. MANY, MANY KM OF TRAILS
High expectations… Could be the headline for this review. We had read a lot about Trysil, and when we left Bike Beitostølen, we were also told that Trysil was the place to visit, if you wanted to see, how family-friendly a bike arena can be.
We were not disappointed!
After a night by a lovely lake we drove the last ten kilometres to Trysil, found a camping site (it was time for internet and a hot shower) and then drove to the bike arena. We were almost alone, since it was Monday and out of season, but it was nice, since we had the playground to ourselves. By playground I mean the entire bike arena!
We started out in “Gullia”, where the first thing we met was a huge pumptrack!
The girls had a blast – well, we all had a blast! Actually, they rode the pumptrack five days in a row and never got bored. They really just wanted to go there all the time, and for the first time we did not have to initiate the biking experience at any point.
All week we just had some nice, easy mornings, and then we headed towards the bike arena, where we started out in the pumptrack and then explored more of the area.
One of the days we took the Fjellrunden, which is a trip around the top of the mountain. It is fairly long (approx. 14 km), but the girls were ready, and then we pushed or dragged them in our towee bungy strap, if it was a longer ascent. At some point it was possible to take a blue singletrail line as a sort of short cut. This was a really fun line and actually a shame that you had to take such a long ride in order to reach it. But hey, earn your turns 😉
We ended Fjellrunden with the 7 kilometres long downhill trail “Magic Moose”. An easy blue line, which suited both the girls and the parents perfectly. Katrine had tried it on her own, Sofie and Jakob rode it the day before but now the whole family rode it down, and Lærke also had a lot of fun. She was getting tired, but this was predictable, and we gave her a ton of snacks, which lightened the mood.
Magic Moose is the main downhill trail of the area, and it was a really nice flowy trail with lots of berms and some northshore obstacles. The girls could ride it with confidence, and the parents could have a lot of fun, when giving it a bit more throttle. In the high season the lift can carry you up to the top, and when it is out of season, you can shuttle in your car to the top (there is a fee for driving up there, but it is not more expensive than taking the lift – you just need to be two or more persons). From the top you can take Fjellrunden or Magic Moose, but there is also a black trail named “Sten” (“Rocks” in Norwegian). Jakob rode it, and it was a rocky ride (surprise!) and actually not that much fun (it was also pretty wet). But midway you can also take a short ride on “Rolling Stones”, which is a fun red trail with some jumps and drops.
Back in the area at the bottom there is also a large practice area behind the Radisson Blu Resort, which the girls rode for maybe 1½ hour without getting tired.
In the Gullia area there is green, blue, red and black trails, so there is really something for everyone. The girls loved the green trails, where particularly Green Fox was great fun! (They had to find the fox’s tale during the ride.) Gullia has the highly appreciated pumptrack, jump lines for all levels, flow trails, rocky trails, northshore trails dual slalom etc… There is a spot for washing your bike and a huge parking lot next to the area. We could take a shower in the locker rooms for the cross-country skiers, and if you want to do something else with the kids, there is also a high rope climbing area. For beginners there is a lot of green and blue trails, and if you are a little bit more experienced, especially “French Moustache” and “Miss Piggy” is great fun and requires a little bit of effort to get the flow going.
Trysil has even more to offer when it comes to mountainbiking, but we did not try everything. There is a vast number of natural trails, where you definitely would have a nice experience, if you hire a local guide. There is even a bikepark at the other side of the mountain as well (you can e.g. go there when riding “Fjellrunden”).
Molly was used as transportation between the campsite and Gullia, but it is not that far. But it was nice to have all the comforts close by, if you needed a snack or some other clothing.
It is not allowed to stay overnight at the Gullia parking lot, but you can stay all day, and you can also pay the fee for driving to the top of the area and then stay there for a night. We did that the final night, and then Katrine rode “Magic Moose” down in the morning.
It is safe to say that we were impressed, almost overwhelmed by Trysil and what it has to offer. We were there for five days, and we had fun all the time! And we did not even see it all – so we will be back – hopefully soon! After all, “French Moustache” could be ridden with even more flow 😉
OUR RATINGS
Based on “fun factor”
5/5
Jakob
5/5
Katrine
5/5
Sofie
5/5
Lærke
3.5/5
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