As part of the Lower Silesian MTB Skill Parks project, 18 skill parks were built across the entire voivodeship in the last 2 years. Some of them are great places to learn technique for riders at various levels, but several others are just wasted money. Where is it worth going and where not, who built them, and how much did it cost?
The facilities were financed by municipalities with co-funding from the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. Obtaining the funding required ensuring that the skill park would be built according to established standards and meet the Program’s assumptions. You can read about them here: umwd.dolnyslask.pl/sport/dolnoslaskie-rowerowe-parki-umiejetnosci/. Among other things, there are guidelines on what obstacles should be in a bicycle skill park, the minimum number of obstacles, etc.
A few weeks ago, I sent requests for public information to all municipalities where a Lower Silesian MTB Skill Park (polish shortcut DRPU) was built to find out the cost of creating their facility and which companies were involved. Below, you’ll learn who rose to the occasion and who just wasted taxpayers’ money.
The order is geographical – from south to north.
- Bardo
- Srebrna Góra
- Ząbkowice Śląskie
- Bielawa
- Świdnica
- Szczawno-Zdrój
- Jelenia Góra
- Sobótka
- Jaworzyna Śląska
- Strzegom
- Siechnice
- Lubań
- Bolesławiec
- Brzeg Dolny
- Oborniki Śląskie
- Twardogóra
- Milicz
- Pęcław
Bardo
The MTB Skill Park in Bardo is a spot for beginner mountain bikers. Gentle berms and wide wooden bridges are obstacles that even a several-year-old child can handle. For those with some skills, there’s only one interesting obstacle – a kicker that allows for a jump of several meters.
Building this skill park cost 734,426 PLN.
The design was handled by Doktor Architekci Andrzej Doktor, execution by ARES Daniel Łopatyński, and supervision by Pracownia Projektowo Inżynierska Marcin Nowicki.
Location: www.trailforks.com/skillpark/rowerowy-park-umiej-tno-ci-w-bardzie/
Srebrna Góra
The Srebrna Góra MTB Skill Park is one of the worst, or perhaps the worst, facility in this Program. I think even beginners won’t have much fun there. There are no proper berms, just flat turns; the obstacle called “mini dirt jump” is a short gentle whoop, not a tabletop; and the landing from the drop is covered with small pebbles, on which it’s easy to slip, especially since there’s a turn right after landing.
The Stoszowice Municipality spent 721,800 PLN on this skill park – almost the same as Bardo, yet the facility is significantly smaller. Interestingly, the same company designed it – Doktor Architekci. I don’t know why they did it properly in Bardo but messed it up here. Or maybe the design was good, and the construction company failed – Zakład Usług Budowlanych Drogowych i Projektowych Ryszard Kędzior – and the one that supervised it – Pracownia projektowo-inżynierska Nowicki.
Location: www.trailforks.com/skillpark/srebrnogorski-rowerowy-park-umiej-tno-ci/
Ząbkowice Śląskie
In contrast, not far from Srebrna Góra is one of the best Lower Silesian MTB Skill Parks. The facility built as part of the Solar Loop (pl. Pętla Słoneczna) is a place where you can spend several hours without getting bored. It’s probably the largest skill park in this Program. Only Świdnica has a similarly large one.
You’ll find perfect berms, several drops including one really big one, a wallride, a dirt jump section, a steep descent over a rock garden, and many other obstacles. It’s a place where both beginners and more advanced riders will find something for themselves.
Applause to the company that designed this facility – Bike Expert Piotr Kurczab – and the one that built it – Arkadiusz Perin Arek Bike Camp(1). Investor supervision was handled by Budowa i utrzymanie dróg, Projektowanie, nadzory Maciej Haczkowski, and the investment cost was 643,219 PLN.
Location: www.trailforks.com/skillpark/rowerowy-park-umiej-tno-ci-w-z-bkowicach–l-skich/
Bielawa
Bielawa is one of those municipalities that wasted taxpayers’ money. As part of the DRPU Program, they created only a small area with a few obstacles, on which probably only young children have fun, and no one else.
And the worst part is that creating this facility cost as much as 1,415,738 PLN! Over twice as much as the skill park in Ząbkowice Śląskie, which is dozens of times larger!
The technical documentation and investor supervision were handled by Doktor Architekci, and execution by two companies: Quoos Sp. z o.o. and Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Drogowo Ziemnych i Transportowych „TOM-TRANS” Tomasz Mucha.
Location: www.trailforks.com/skillpark/rowerowy-park-umiej-tno-ci-w-bielawie/
Świdnica
Other municipalities could take an example from Świdnica! In Harcerski Park, a really good skill park was created. It’s large and contains a lot of diverse obstacles – drops of various sizes, rock gardens, narrow bridges, tabletops, berms… It’s a great place for beginners. More advanced riders will learn the most on the tabletops. There are several, the first smaller, and the last quite large.
The skill park was created thanks to the same companies that worked in Ząbkowice. Design and bicycle supervision by Bike Expert Piotr Kurczab, and construction by Arek Bike Camp Arkadiusz Perin. Investor supervision was by Tomasz Drożdż, and the investment cost was 838,497 PLN.
Location: www.trailforks.com/skillpark/dolno-l-ski-park-umiej-tno-ci-w–widnicy/
Szczawno-Zdrój
Szczawno-Zdrój didn’t shine. On Słoneczna Glade, they created an MTB XC trail that elicits laughter or embarrassment from anyone who knows anything about mountain biking. The “best” is the pumptrack. High steep whoops, described on the legend as pump jump, meaning you’re supposed to take off on one and land behind the other :) Plus a drop right after a steep climb and a 90-degree turn, whoops that pop up and are dangerous for beginners… I don’t recommend it. Moreover, only part of the trail is covered with aggregate. Part is simply led through forest litter. It looks like they wanted to make the longest possible trail but spend as little money as possible on it. But they didn’t spend little at all!
