We are trail builders
Discovering new trails, building better ones and developing mountain biking in Iceland. This is the DNA of Icebike and the genesis of our operation.
As passionate riders, we strive to give back to our community. Among other projects, we created from scratch the first ever downhill race track of Iceland. We also shaped the first Icelandic bike park close to Reykjavik. Read more to dive deeper into fifteen years of exciting trail building.
The first downhill MTB track of Iceland
Vífilstaðahlíð is the first downhill track of Iceland. This is where the first ever Icelandic downhill trailbulding took place. We built it during Magne’s DH days. It is still a very fun track to ride nowadays, and a gathering point for the local riders of the capital area.
Skálafell : The first Icelandic bikepark
Skálafell is – with Bláfjöll – one of the two historic ski resorts of Reykjavik.
Sixteen years ago after a riding trip in the french Alps, Magne – the founder of Icebike – started to think about ways to mimic what he was riding in Europe. He started to meet the relevant actors around Reykjavik with one goal: using the existing lifts to create a bikepark in Iceland.
He was super stoked to get his project approved, and built the first MTB trails there.
We keep being part of the project, expanding the tracks and adding new features over the years.
Skálafell bike park is open on selected days during summer as soon as the snow has melted. Here is a link providing useful info to plan your bikepark session: https://skidasvaedi.is/skalafell/bikepark/
Also recommend following: https://www.facebook.com/skalafell.bikepark/
It is in Icelandic only, but Google translation does wonders 😉
The park now has 4 different trails – from green to black – and some dirt jumps. You can buy the passes there or online, and the facilities include a little restaurant. Access to water hoses to clean your bike is also provided.
Reykjadalur: Our self-supported trail center
Reykjadalur trailcenter is our home, our basecamp and our masterpiece! The singletracks network is 40 mins away from Reykjavik – in the beautiful village of Hveragerði.
The trails spread along forests, warm rivers and geothermal areas. They connect the three valleys of Reykjadalur, Gufudalur and Grænsdalur. A major connection with Hengill – a dormant volcano -and its enduro tracks is planned for 2023. This is a great addition for our Electric mountain bike tours!
Icebike’s trail center has intermediate XC loops in the forests around the village. Higher up in the mountains, we built various enduro singletracks. They are rideable both on analog or electric mountain bikes. Their difficulty level varies between moderately to super technical.
We strive to create trails that respect the untouched and beautiful nature of the area. We work with the town and landowners to design routes separating the flows of hikers and mountain bikers. We do our best to cooperate with all the actors of the area. For example, we redesigned our bridges in accordance with the local farmer’s needs. Slightly modified, they won’t risk to arm the ankles of the sheep that roam free in summer.
Icebike develops those trails on equity. Work is done voluntarily. Local riders sometimes fund our praised work through crowdfunding.
þórsmörk: Working with the nature reserve to create environment friendly routes
You have probably seen the signs “Stay on trails! Respect nature!” on our website. Our guides do their best to educate our customers to ride respectfully in Iceland.
We once partnered with the forestry agency managing Thor’s garden nature reserve. They reached out with a challenging environmental project. The mission: designing and building mountain bike specific trails within the reserve. The complexity of this mission was to respect nature, wildlife and hikers. The outcome was a network of super fun trails meeting those requirements.
This is a mission we take particular pride in. Keeping such reserves accessible and open to mountain bikers while protecting nature is a big challenge for Iceland. Pioneering in finding the right solutions was a real chance for us.
“Start start them young”: our fun tracks for kids and”bigger kids”
Having the right infrastructures is key to push the development of the sport we love. The ones that will allow kids to test – and hopefully love – mountain biking are even more important.
We developed some “Kids zones” in Hlíðarfjall, a bike park located near Akureyri in the North of Iceland.
Smaller communities like Þorlákshöfn in the South also contacted us with like-minded projects. They requested the creation of short trails including jumps and skill zones. The idea was to make the trail accessible to kids but still fun for grown-ups and experienced riders. We believe such areas provide a bright future to the next generation of Icelandic mountain bikers.
Trails for winter sports: grooming fat biking and XC skiing routes
In Winter we bike less, but we still work for the community! We groomed fat bike trails in Heiðmörk – the largest forest of Reykjavik – for years.
In winter, Magne’s vivid passion for the craft of perfect trails combines with his love for snow. He designed and fabricated his own tools to groom cross country skiing tracks. Any snowfall will have him snowmobiling around with his tools in search for the best lines. The local skiers acclaim his work and the number of tracks he grooms every year is growing.
Riding with us means supporting the local riders community
We share your passion for MTB. Some of you might be avid trailbuilders too. Going on a tour with us also means supporting the locals, and helping us to develop new trails in Iceland. Choosing Icebike is a way to give back to a young and growing mountain biking community. We are very grateful for your support.
Last but not least: Asta’s and Magne – Icebike founders – backyard pump track
Loving mountain biking is a way of life at Icebike. We could not finish this blog without showing the Pump-track Magne built for his lucky kids just outside their house 🙂
We hope you liked discovering our backstory and we are looking forward to welcoming you on the trails we built!
