Slovenia as a MTB location does not need much introduction, it has a beautiful landscape offering glorious mountains, access to the sea, beautiful views and largely untouched nature. What many people don’t know, however, is that the EWS (Enduro World Series) has taken place here in several locations, and the whole thing is going to happen again next year. Come with us to ride the trails that will be part of the world’s most prestigious Enduro competition – Črna na Koroskem trails, Petzen Bike Park and Jamnica Trail Park. These “second” Slovenian Alps stand in the shadow of the better known Julian Alps and therefore are quite unknown to most. If you want to enjoy empty trails without riders or tourists and have the best experience of the ride, the Alps above Črna will delight you.
Črna na Koroskem above all offers stunningly beautiful views in almost fairytale-like nature – blossoming blueberries, all sorts of wild flowers, crisscrossed by narrow alpine-style trails where you will truly feel like being part of nature. Views of all the mountains around make this a perfect experience by itself, but it is only the start. The trails here are top notch and hence some of them have been selected as part of the EWS already for the 2nd time. The trails are the definition of what an all natural mountain bike trail should look like and is as almost all of our trips idealf or lovers of natural technical riding coupled with being in the middle of a beautiful forest.
Petzen Bike Park on the border of Austria and Slovenia is most famous for its probably still longest flow trail in Europe with over 11km as well as the EWS happening here in 2018 and now soon in 2022. Since its a stone throw away from Črna you can expect the same kind of terrain, however aside of the flow trail the others are definitely among the most challenging in Europe. Thriller as the name suggests is quite the thrill to ride with everything and more an enduro riders heart longs for – steep rooty rocky sections on extremely long trails with 6km and 4,6km, you can expect loads of downhill fun without spending that much time in the lift.
If a sufficiently large group of crazy riders will come together, there is an opportunity to go inside the Petzen mountain and ride the Black Hole trail built in the former mine. It is the perfect one-of-a-kind bike experience, but only for advanced riders, as the ride is in complete darkness with only bike lights with only rocks surrounding you deep in the bowels of Petzen. We will decide whether to go here together on the trip itself.
We will take care of everything. The trip includes accommodation in a modern apartment, the services of a slovak/english speaking delegate / guide in one and the price for the shuttle / cable car for each day. Of course, we will be guided by a local guide where needed, who will not only ensure the transport between locations and shuttle up the hill, but most importantly, he will guide us us along all trails, alert us of obstacles, show us the best lines and tell us all about the trails, nature and culture.
Difficulty
Both destinations are difficult in terms of technique, though Črna being a little less so than Petzen. Therefore if you want to join you need to be comfortable and experienced enough with riding difficult technical trails with profficiency. Of course you don’t need to be an expert, as we’re all learning constantly and there’s no shame to push the bike down on features that are above your level of comfort from time to time. However we will be doing checks on every participant to ensure safety for themselves and the whole group, as well as have a relatively balanced group of riders to maintain a healthy pace throughout the trip without having to wait for stragglers.
Discount
If you buy for 3 or more riders we are able to provide a group discount. We can also arrange a private trip for you and your group. Please reach out to us if you want to book for multiple riders and we will give you a custom price as each trip has a different pricing structure.
Minimum: 4 riders for trip to happen
Gear
Mandatory gear (you can’t ride with us without it):
Full-face helmet
Knee pads
Spare brake pads
Spare tube
Recommended gear (up to you to take, but recommended):
Enduro/XC helmet
Elbow pads
Back protection
Light – helmet
Light – bike
Rain clothing
Bike
As this is an Enduro MTB trip, please make sure your bike fits the category, a full suspension bike with at least 130mm front and back, ideally more.
Warning – Make sure its in very good riding condition – brakes, tires, derailleur etc. If we find a serious problem at the bike check, you will have to have it fixed before you can join us riding.
E-bikes are welcome, though lifts will take care of the uphill for us. If you have a hardtail and still want to go, let us know and we will agree individually. If not sure let us know.
Guide/s
In Črna we will be guided and shuttled by Jani from Ridgeline trails and his crew, who is the main driving force behind the trails here and is very active in the Slovenian MTB scene. As na option Jani can take us on trails in the Podpeca or Jamnica region on the last day of the trip.
Richard will guide the group through Petzen Bike Park as the place is well-marked and with only a couple of trails there’s little chance to get lost here.
Itinerary
Day 1
On Thursday evening will meet in our apartment in Črna na Koroškem in Slovenia. Transportation can be arranged by van if there’s enough interest (reach out to us), or we can connect participants ahead of time to share their cars and get to the destination together.
Day 2
On Friday our first riding morning promises a rich day ahead. A hearty breakfast is mandatory. We will embark on our shuttle bus and set out to explore the ridges above Črna na Koroškem. You can expect picturesque views, narrow single trails in-between blueberry bushes and tons of fun on the way down. Two of the trails we will ride were part of the 2018 EWS and will again be in the 2022 competition.
Day 3
On Saturday we will move across the border to Austria where we will ride the longest flow trail in Europe with over 11 kilometers. However the most exciting part in Petzen are the two great and very long Enduro trails, the highly technical Thriller and the even steeper EWS trail where the 2018 race has been hosted.
Day 4
On Sunday, if we still have enough strength, Jani our local guide will take us to one of the local trail parks in Podpeca, Jamnica or if we are up for it the inside of the Petzen mountain to ride the infamous Black Hole trail. If we no longer feel like it, we can exchange the last day for a shuttle above Črna and tak the Zipline (extra charge), which is one of the longest and fastest in Slovenia and Central Europe.
Cancellation
Traildeer cancels
In case we need to cancel the trip for any reason we will refund the whole fee in full. We’re fully insured and financially covered so whatever happens, if we need to cancel a trip from our end, you will receive your money back.
Rider cancels long trip (4-7 days)
Please contact as ASAP in case you need to cancel the trip for any reason. The following terms apply:
- up to 2 weeks before 80% of your fee is refunded, we keep the reservation fee to cover costs.
- up to 1 week before 50% of your fee is refunded to cover the costs of a vacant seat and potentially not finding a replacement.
- less then a week before a trip we cannot refund any fees, as we already have costs with accommodation, guides etc. and we will not be able to find a replacement.
We will try our best to find a replacement and try to refund the most we can if you have to cancel, but please keep the above conditions in mind if we do not succeed.