Maribor-Pohorje

Park uses colour-graded lines on the UK/Euro system: Green (easiest), Blue, Red, Black and Double Black Diamond, with lines signed by colour from the gondola stations.

GROUP SPLIT: riders can separate by colour at the gondola/upper station - stronger riders drop the World Cup black or red lines while others take the blue Flow Line - then regroup at the base or a mid-station and re-ride the shared uplift. Runs can be shortened by exiting at intermediate access roads/mid-station.

Gondola-served access makes it well suited to mixed-ability groups: beginners lap the blue Flow Line while advanced riders take the red and black lines, all sharing the same uplift and base area.

Forested Pohorje singletrack - a mix of natural roots and rock gardens, steep chutes and loamy dirt on the tech lines, with machine-built berms and jumps on the flow line.

Black World Cup line features high-speed open sections, the legendary 'Rocks and Roll' rock garden, root-strewn forest and gap jumps; blue Flow Line is smoother and bermed. Exposure is trail-technical (features, speed, roots/rocks) rather than cliff exposure.

Well waymarked bike-park - lines are colour-signed from the upper and mid gondola stations; live cams and park maps aid orientation, so route-finding is straightforward within the network.

Popular and easily accessed from Maribor; busy on summer weekends and race events, quieter midweek and in shoulder season.

Trailforks lists a nominal Jan 1 - Dec 31 season with gondola uplift, but realistic snow-free trail riding is about April/May to October/November; in winter usually only the Red Line is opened when conditions allow.

Late spring to autumn (roughly May to October) offers the most reliable dry, snow-free riding.

Historic and current UCI Mountain Bike World Cup downhill venue: hosted its first World Cup in 1999 (awarded the UCI Rainbow Award for best DH round that season) and roughly a dozen World Cup rounds since, with a run to 2010, a return in 2019 on an updated black line, and further rounds in 2020 and 2021; also hosts European Championships/Cup and national downhill rounds. No confirmed hosting of the UCI World Championships (World Cup-level, not Worlds).

Base is the lower Pohorska vzpenjaca gondola station at Zgornje Radvanje on the edge of Maribor (a few km from the centre), with car parking near 46.5330, 15.6032; easy road and city access.

Lift-served via the Pohorska vzpenjaca gondola (uplift to Bolfenk) plus the Areh chairlift for higher lines; the park is also explicitly shuttleable by vehicle. Maribor is ~60 km from Graz, ~250 km from Vienna.

Full-face helmet and body protection strongly advised for the black/red gravity lines; rental bikes, protective gear and bike service are available at the base; mobile coverage is generally good given the city-adjacent location.

Base and mountain facilities include bike rental/shop, bike wash, cafes/restaurants at the gondola stations, and live web-cams; maintained daily by the park's build crew.

Operated as Bike Park Pohorje Maribor (bppmaribor.si), maintained by Visit Pohorje since 2016; the Maribor/Pohorje resort is the regional gravity hub.

Primary hazards are the technical rock gardens, roots, jumps and high speed of the World Cup line, slick conditions when wet, and other riders/uplift traffic - ride within ability and scout unfamiliar features.

None required - it is an open, signed public bike park; riders self-organise.

Park emergency contacts are +386 31 485 873 and the national 112; gondola/chairlift stations and intersecting forest roads serve as exit points along the descents.