Born in 2010 thanks to the commitment of a group of mountain bike enthusiasts who, with the support of the cableways, got to work, the Plan de Corones Bike Park is today recognized as one of the most complete and challenging in the Alps. Located in South Tyrol and immersed in the Dolomites, between Val Pusteria and Val Badia, it is in one of the most beautiful and evocative areas of the region. The Bike Park it is part of the Plan de Corones areaone of the most popular places for winter sports lovers and which in summer turns into a paradise for bikers looking for adrenaline and fun, thanks to the wide range of high quality routes and trails, designed to meet needs and expectations of every enthusiast of the sector.
If you love mountain biking you must try the Plan de Corones Bike Park
The offer of the Bike Park Plan de Corones includes today nine different trails (18 with variations), for a total of over 35 km of slopes. There are three slopes of Plan del Corones dedicated to mountain bike trails: to the north towards Riscone and Brunico; to the east on Valdaora; to the west, the most scenic, on the Furcia Passupstream of the characteristic village of San Vigilio di Marebbe from which you can easily reach the Piz de Plaies area.
The uniqueness of the Plan de Corones Bike Park lies in the careful planning and construction of the paths, designed with the aim of making the most of the area. Each trail has its own precise soul, imagining the slope as a canvas on which the most suitable brushes and colors have been used. From flow to freeride, from forest dotted with roots to wider open spaces where parabolic curves and jumps dominate, each track has a strong and unique character.
I trail of the Bike Park Plan de Corones
The most famous trail is theHerrnsteigthe first of the area, born in 2010: starts from the top of Plan del Corones and reaches Riscone after 8 km and 1,350 m of negative altitude difference, with a varied and tortuous trend. The Herrnsteig today represents one of the most popular and appreciated trails in all the Alps, thanks also to its continuous evolution guided by the expert hands of the local Trail Builder team. Another popular route is the Furcia Traila 5 km track that starts from Plan de Corones and descends on the southern slope towards Passo Furcia, characterized by jumps, curves – no less than 124 – and walkways.
The east side is instead characterized by succession of the Dragon and Gassl Trail. The first, 2 km long, starts from the characteristic dragon’s mouth located near the top and reaches the line of the forest, with artificial structures that make the experience more attractive for both beginners and more experienced bikers. The second, a descent of over 6 km and 900 m in altitude, extends from the intermediate station down to the valley, along the woods that line the ski slopes in winter. It’s definitely more challenging but guarantees everyone a lot of fun in complete safety. Currently we are also working on the creation of a completely new variant of the Gassl which will soon be ready and will make this slope even more interesting. In the village of San Vigilio, however, you can take the cable car up to the starting point of the Piz de Plaies Traila 4 km path that starts from the top station of the cable car and reaches the valley floor, with natural and artificial obstacles between parabolic curves and jumps.
Skills Park Cir, where you can hone your driving skills
At the top of the mountain Piz de Plaies is also placed Skills Park Cir, where beginners can fine-tune their bike balance and riding technique on jumps, banked turns and passages over tree trunks. The more capable and expert bikers can instead take advantage of the facilities to warm up and improve their skills. Summer 2023 will also see the birth of a second Skills Area located on top of the Plan de Corones mountain. A strategic move that especially meets the needs of those who have recently approached mountain biking, pursuing the goal of having fun in safety.
5 lifts open from May to November
The Bike Park has five lifts open in the summer (from the end of May to the beginning of November), which lead to the starting points of the trails. The ski lifts are located in Riscone, Perca, Valdaora, San Vigilio di Marebbe and on the Furcia Pass.
Nothing is left to chance within the Bike Area. The Bike Park Plan de Corones also offers bike shuttle services, bike and e-bike rental, mountain bike school, restaurants and bike hotels. Furthermore, every year it hosts events such as the Kronplatz King Marathon, a mountain bike competition that takes place along the trails of the area.
Paths for all tastes and abilities
In the last 10 years, the Gravity offer has constantly developed, focusing more and more on the quality of the trail network and on the services dedicated to clawed wheel lovers, with a view to high-level experiential tourism. At the same time it has expanded and further structured towards medium and high level users who want to spend one or more days on different trails: from fast and flowing ones to more technical, slow and challenging ones. The objective of the district is to expand its catchment area towards a less expert and familiar clientele. The Skills Park Cir, the Dragon Trail and the Skills Area on the top are the first steps forward in this direction and others will follow, together with the growth of the entire infrastructure of services, such as guides, rentals and bike hotels.
How to reach the Plan de Corones Bike Park
The Plan de Corones Bike Park is easily accessible by car, train or bus. For those arriving by car, the motorway exit is the Bressanone-Val Pusteria exit. From there, take the state road which continues up to Brunico. For those arriving by train or bus, the closest stations are those of Brunico, Perca, San Lorenzo and Valdaora. From these depart the buses that take you to the Bike Park locations: Riscone, Valdaora, San Vigilio and Passo Furcia.
The Perca railway station, on the other hand, has an integrated ski lift; this allows those arriving – by train or by bike – to be able to load the bike directly and climb up to the top of the mountain with the lift.
Book your holiday at the Plan de Corones Bike Park
All the information you need to plan your mountain bike holiday in the Plan de Corones Bike Park is here accessible on the official website. Here you can also find the opening times and prices of the ski lifts, the special offers of the bike hotels, the mountain bike courses and the scheduled events.
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