St andreasberg

Too bad the Matthias-Schmidt-berg near St-Andreasberg isn’t a bit higher, because the mountainbike trails in the bikepark are awesome, just a bit short.

Mountainbike routes

In the bikepark there are a couple of playful blue’s and reds and two blacks that are steep, tight and twisty.
So there are trails for beginners and experienced riders. Despite the short trails they have managed to put a lot of fun into them. Either by using the natural terrain or by building northshores and jumps.
Depending on the weather it’s dusty or loamy.

It is allowed to ride on most hiking trails in the Harz, so XC and enduro riders will have a lot of options. There are 74 signposted routes, with a total of 2200km. and 59.000 meters of climbing. 20 of those routes contain a decent amount of singletrail.

Mountain biking in St Andreasberg

Pro’s

• Different types of trails for all skill levels
• Enough to do for the rest of the family
• A lot of XC trails

Cons

• The mountain is not very high
• Around the lift it can feel a bit like an amusement park 

The village

The Sankt Andreasberg village, officially it’s a city since 1537, is a couple of minutes away from the lift. There has been silver mining since at least 1487, you can still visit the museum in one of the mines, it’s called Grube Samson, for a long time it was one of the deepest mines in the world.

Around the lift it can be busy with people using the sommerrodelbahn, which uses the same lift. But there is a separate entrance for the bikers, so you do not have to wait long.

Hotels and apartments

Booking.com

Campings

There is a camping a couple of minutes outside Braunlage, in a quiet forest setting. Hot showers are included and there is wifi near the reception area.

Mountainbike trails

There are six trails in the bikepark, when you leave the lift there is a wooden castle which you can use for a roll-in to get some extra speed. Or if you don’t need the speed you can start the trail directly but keep an eye open for the faster riders.
In total there are six trails, looking from the lift towards the castle, three go to the left and three go to the right. The trails that go to the left are the easy flow trails, you can have fun on them on an xc bike.
Number 1 is the easiest, number 2 and 3 are a little bit more difficult but you can go around all the harder parts like northshores, jumps and a seesaw. When you ride them with more speed they are also fun for more experienced riders.
The trails to the right have a different character, they are more natural and steeper, with some rock roll overs and tight twisty turns.  And a nice drop in the end.

Xc routes St Andreasberg

There are 74 signposted cross-country mountain bike routes in the Harz, 5 of those start in St-Andreasberg, click this link to check them out.
Riding your bike is allowed on almost all hiking trails, except for a couple of trails that are very popular with hikers. Please respect this, that way we will keep access to all the other trails. So just look at the map and go.
Do you have any other cool XC or enduro tracks around St-Andreasberg? Please let us know in the comments below.

Books and maps

This book describes the same routes that are on the Volksbank Arena website. It can be handy if you want to take the map and the description with you, although the layout of the book isn’t great.

These maps describe mountainbike trails around St. Andreasberg.

GPS

The GPS tracks for the signposted routes can be downloaded here

Mtb trailmap

There is a map and a bit more info on the trails in the bikepark here

 

Bike shops/ guiding/ Mountainbike rental

There is a bike rental at the lift station, you can use their site to make a reservation for downhill and enduro bikes, also in children’s sizes.

Trailtech  and Harz-touren  organize lessons and guiding in this area.

Tips and tricks

To hang your bike on the lift, you need to hang your wheel on a hook if you’re not used to this have a good look how the other bikers do it. It’s not difficult. 

Other useful links

Opened daily from end of March to early November, depending on the snow conditions (or lack thereof). Check the facebook page for updates.

Adress:
Matthias-Schmidt-Berg 4
D-37444 St. Andreasberg
From the village follow the signs for the sommerrodelbahn and the skilift

Nearby

Braunlage the tracks are nice, but the is lift slow.
Schulenberg Cool tracks and an even cooler vibe and hot sausage from the grill, you don’t want to miss this.
Thale just one track and a slow lift, not very exciting.
Hahnenklee More and longer trails and suitable for beginners.

Similar

Lac Blanc Although there is a lot more altitude difference, there is a similar mix of easy flow trails and harder natural trails.
Todtnau One flow trail and one downhill trail
Beaufort Les Saisies a similar mix of easy flow trails and harder natural trails.