Spring is already starting for mountain bikers in the French Haute-Provence - with the iconic black ridglines of the Terres Noires and the iconic EVO bike park in Digne-les Bains. A real insider tip for the winter!
EVO stands for evolution and in the case of this bike park, that's no exaggeration: In 2015, three friends in the south of France discovered the biking potential of the black sandstone formations of the Terres Noires. It wasn't long before they met the owner of the land: a forester - end of story, you would think. But then it turned out that the man is a mountain biker himself and doesn't want to harvest the wood on his land for another 50 years. He would therefore be very happy about professionally created trails...
Sounds like a six in the lottery, but unfortunately without any money - which was sadly needed to build the trail. That's when the idea of a crowdfunding campaign came up, and it was so successful that sponsors joined in. Since then, the boys have been able to pursue their passion full-time in the black hills of Digne-les-Bains. They have created and continue to create a realm entirely according to their personal preferences: The park is open all year round, three shuttle vehicles with trailers run from 10:00 to 17:30 and at lunchtime, all park visitors gather for lunch and socialising in the small wooden house.
In addition, a new trail is to be created every year in future. There are already eleven lines, with a maximum depth of 235 metres. The latter doesn't sound like much at first, but balancing over the black ridgelines and the inbuilt jumps, tables and drops keeps you so busy that the descents seem much longer. Especially if you don't have the delicate riding technique for it.
In Digne-les-Bains, it quickly becomes clear why the French dominate the Downhill World Cup. What is marked here with a red level of difficulty would be more of a "double black" in our latitudes in the Eastern Alps. The iconic ridgelines alone, which always look so grippy and flowy in photos: You don't want to get off track here! But the learning curve goes steeply upwards as soon as you get used to the surface. If not, you can tackle the much less exposed, signposted trail tours around it.
EVO bike park in Provence: what you need to know
The precinct
The small town of Digne-les-Bains lies at an altitude of 600 metres in the Haute-Provence department. The mountains have the character of low mountain ranges and are criss-crossed by really exciting, varied and signposted trail tours with and without a black rock backdrop. Info and GPS tracks: dignelesbains-tourisme.com
EVO Bikepark
The park is located just under three kilometres east of the city centre. A maximum of 75 riders are permitted per day, and registration works via online booking. The day ticket costs 90 euros per person, including shuttle, lunch, bike wash and all-round support. Info: evobikepark.com
Accommodation and further information
Campsites in Provence are also open in winter: pincamp.de, camping.info
Other accommodation and information about the region can be found at dignelesbains-tourisme.com
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
