At September I went on a trip to Slovenia. During that time I had opportunity to try different activities. One of the options that was planned by Slovenia Outdoor agency, was a full-day trip to the best enduro trails in the famous Soča Valley. The ascents were asisted by the shuttle bus, so I can focus on the fun of going down the hill. The number of interesting and well-prepared trails, that we rode this day, was a very positive surprise for me. I invite you to a relation of a day full of great riding in the beautiful Slovenian scenery.
Soca Valley Freeride
Soca Valley Freeride is the company that runs the shuttle bus. It is run by Nejc, who is also a licenced mountain bike guide. I’ve met him day before, when trying his other speciality: Canyoning, which was also amazing experience. Then I also had the opportunity to talk with Nejc about how his enduro tours look like and what I can expect. In short there are a lot of trails in the area, and to visit all off the most interesting ones, you need 3-4 days of riding, supported by a bus. We only had one day planned, but of course we’re going to get the most fun out of it. We will gather in the morning at the center of Kobarid, and thru the day we will explore the southern part of the Soča Valley. Me and Nejc will be joined by a pair of enduro riders from Switzerland.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Kobarid – Livek – Kolovrat – Volce
In the morning, I quickly reach the meeting point, using the support of Specialized Levo SL bike. Of course on shuttle bus trip, there is no need for an E-bike, but this was my bike for the whole trip. At center of Kobarid a bus is waiting for us on which we have to load the bikes. Literally “on” because it has a clever roof rack instead of a traditional bike trailer. It’s good that my E-bike is the Super Light version, so it was only a bit heavier than the rest of the equipment. On the way, we pick up the driver who was Luka Berginc. He is one of the fastest Slovenian downhill riders who also races in the World Cup, but this time he is resting behind the wheel of a shuttle bus after a long and tiring season. We go up on the first of the planned trails. To warm up, there is a very scenic singletrail that runs along the very top of the ridge of the Kolovrat mountains. The trail goes up and down for a while. This is where the support of the e-bike comes in handy at few times. We are riding exactly along the border of Slovenia and Italy, and views are stunning,
After a few short ascents and descents, we reach the Kolovrat Pass. There is a whole historical park with old fortifications from which there are beautiful views of the surrounding area. From this point on, we start our downhill trail. The beginning is a rocky walking trail. But after a while we reach a narrow path with profiled turns and some jumps. From here we’ve got pretty cool enduro trail. At times it is quite steep, and the completely dry ground is not very grippy. Plus some rocks and roots, so there’s a lot going on. From the Kolovrat Pass, it was a total of 10 minutes of a great fun and cool descent. The trail could be a bit more twisted at times, but it had faster, smooth fragments, and also more technical steep sections. Honestly speaking, it was more ambitious than I expected, but for me it is a definite plus. Through the forest, we go straight to the bus, pack up and go on to another place. In total we made approx. 9 km distance and descent of over 1000 vertical meters.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Široko – Most na Soci
The second of the planned trails I know earlier. Here was held the second day of the Trans Julius Bike Adventure, in which I participated in 2019. Back then it was my favorite trail from the whole event, so I was very happy to have another run here. The shuttle bus took us to the beautifully situated Široko Farm. From there, we took a short gravel road that lead us straight onto the trail. The beginning is mainly traversing the hill with a lot of roots and a few short technical and steep sections. Further on, the terrain flattens out a bit and allows to carry more speed. There are some interesting jumps and drops, and also nice and flowy berms. The trail is smooth and I had great fun on it. Since my last ride in 2019, a few new things have been built up. We go down through the forest and finish in the town of Most na Soci. There again get on the bus and set off on the next trail. The descent from Široko to Most na Soci is about 5 km long and with descent of 600 vertical meters.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Cerkev Marijino Celje – Park Pecno – Kanal ob Soci
This time the shuttle bus takes us to the church, which, as it happens in all of Slovenia, is located on the top of the hill. From there, the trail begins, but is not as obvious as the previous ones. The path at sometimes is built up with berms and small jumps. At first it runs along houses and farm yards. After a while we enter the forest for good, and there are the MTB trail markings. There are some old forest roads and paths on which jumps and berms have been built. At times it is also narrow, steep and technically. Later, we enter the Pecno Park, which is an artistic place in the middle of the forest. There was not much time to admire art, because the MTB trail continued through the middle of it. Between the sculptures there were a few more jumps. Then, through specially built passages and a tunnel, we reach the Soča River itself. We follow the river to the center of the small but beautifully situated town of Kanal. We have a short lunch break planned here. We eat the best burger in town and after a while, again pack to the shuttle bus, and on to the road to discover more places. The Marijino Celje – Soča trail was over 3 km long and have a descent of 600 vertical meeters.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Avce Trails
The next place is the slopes of the mountain near town Avce. Shuttle bus takes us to a power plant water reservoir, which is located almost at the top of the hill. From there, we still have about 15 minutes of climbing to the start of the enduro trail, but Nejc claimed that it is worth it. It was here that the first downhill competition in Slovenia took place many years ago. Of course, a lot has changed since then, but it does not change the fact that this was my favorite trail of the day. The beginning is quite tight, but with very nice corners. Then there was just a little bit of everything. There were faster sections with nice jumps, but also technical and steep sections over the rocks. What I liked the most is great use of natural terrain, with a lot of ditches and small hills connected into one smooth trail. In total, almost 9 minutes of an interesting and flowy ride down the hill. The trail was in very good condition. I only regret a bit, that we missed 2 nice gaps on the trail, but I will gladly come back here someday and repeat the full ride. Especially that on the sides there were also some other variants of the descents. But that day we had still other places to visit. The main enduro trail was over 2.5 km long and had altitude difference of almost 600 meters.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Korada – Vrtace – Plave
Thru all day, we were moving south. This time the shuttle bus takes us into the area of Korada peak. We set off from straight from the road. At first there was scenic and fast path thry the field. In a moment we reach the entrance of the forest. There some rocky sections await us. It was the steepest and most technical line of the day. The rocks were mixed with totally dried soil, covered with light dust. So it got slippery on the steep slopes. Fortunately, it was not an ordinary path, but a nice trail with a lot of berms. Despite they were not very big, they allowed to catch a grip in time. The best option of braking was to put the bike sideways in the berm. In short, the fun was great! There were also some small drops and jumps on the trail again, so it was very interesting. After another 10-minute ride down, we were a bit tired, but there is still one final destination to ride, so we pack into the bus and continue on our way. The trail from Korada was 4.5 km long and we ride down over 600 vertical meters.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Sveta Gora – Nova Gorica
From some time already I follow on social media, the development of this place and the activities of the local TCS Nova Gorica team. I was very happy that we will ride their main trail. It begins below the church via the official gate. Before the start, I asked if 10 minutes of free space on the GoPro memory card is enough for the whole trail, but Nejc said that no way… The trail is indeed very long, but there is definitely no time to be bored on the way. The ground here is completely different here than before and definitely more rocky. So I’ve got even more respect for the builders, who made here partly a flow trail with high berms and nice jumps. Most of the trail, however, is a rocky path that winds nicely between trees and rocks. The first part traverses the slope of the holy mountain quite gently. But after crossing the main road, we get to steep slopes and technical descents on the rocks. Closer to the city itself, the ground changes again to more clay and the trail also changes its character again, to faster and more flow. There are jumps of different sizes and nice berms. On the sides i saw some different variants of descents, but unfortunately we don’t have more power to try them anymore. This trail is marked as medium difficulty level, but on the sides I also saw more challenging elements, where huge stones were connected by technical wooden bridges. In short, the builders here have imgaination for really cool stuff! The trail from the holy mountain (sveta gora) itself had to require a lot of work, and there are many more official trails around Nova Gorica. The “Sveta Gora” trail is almost 4 km long and have a 600 meters of elevation difference.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: Summary
Enduro in the Soča Valley could not have ended otherwise than a short swimming session in the Soča River and a cold beer. All in all, it was a great enduro trip which surprised me with a few things very positively. Most of all, I was expecting to ride more of the ordinary hiking trails and natural terrain. Meanwhile, except for the first scenic and warm-up section, all these lines were prepared bike trails. Of course, there were no big bike park stuff like table jumps or high berms. But really a lot of elements were built to improve the smoothness of riding. In my opinion, it is a perfect mix of natural paths with built up features. I also loved the great use of the potential of the terrain and its natural depressions or hills. Another surprise for me was the number of bike trails and their spread over a large area. It seems that every city here, even a small one, has at least one cool enduro trail. What’s more, each of them was kept in good condition and we didn’t had a single moment to get off the bike, because of a fallen tree or a damaged element. The next topic is the lengths of the trails and distances traveled. In total, we covered almost 30 km of the downhill sections, and made about 4000 (!) vertical meters. Thanks to the assistance of a shuttle bus and various locations, the nature of each trail was different. The ride was much more varied than in any bike park, or trail center. Also we got to know some interesting places. Even with a strong e-bike and a full set of batteries, it would not be possible to cover so many trails in one day. Maybe it wasn’t the most scenic trip, as we spent most of our time in the woods. But when it comes to riding, then it was definitely one of those days that I will remember for a long time!
Soca Valley Enduro trip: For who?
This trip was intended for intermediate and advanced riders. There were some technical elements, but nothing very difficult. If you decide to go on such a trip, you must realise that whole ride is “On Sight”, and without repeating sections. Personally, I really like discovering new trails and I am good at the assessment of obstacles that I encounter. It was easier when following the guide closely, obey the instructions and observe his line. This is not a race, we don’t always have to go as fast as possible. What matters the most is the smoothness of the ride and, of course, good fun for every participant. By gathering your group, you can adapt such a trip to your preferences. To have a go on such a ride, participants must already have some experience in riding singletrails. Even though 95% of the time riding is downhill, being in good shape is also important. The downhill sections can also make you tired. If you come without your bike, you can rent the appropriate equipment on site. I was riding an e-bike, but of course it is not required for the shuttle bus trip. Overall, this tour is perfect for enduro and all mountain riders who want to explore more of the area and ride down nice, more natural type of trails. On the other hand, if you came to visit Slovenian bike parks, I think that you will also have a great time on the trip like this.
Soca Valley Enduro trip: How to sign up for the trip?
To sign up for such an enduro trip, You need to contact directly to the Soca Valley Freeride. Nejc is a licensed MTB guide that offers the Enduro and All Mountain tours asisted by shuttle bus. The price depends on the number of riders. The minimum is group of 2 and then the cost is EUR 140 per person. With a larger team of 6-7 people, it drops to EUR 50 per participant. Of course it includes the entire organization, guidance and all transfers by shuttle bus. The difficulty level of the tour will be adjusted to the group. The choice of available trails is large, from the Enduro options that I had the opportunity to ride, through the more All Mountain option in a high-mountain area, to the best trails of Nova Gorica and Ajdovscina. The trip also may include many trails on the Italian side of the border. Of course, you can also arrange a multiday trip and check what the whole area has to offer. A comfortable accommodation is then located in the small mountain village of Magozd. I highly recommend this option, especially that You can also include in it another specialty of Nejc, the Canyoning. Going thru the canyon, with drops and slides into the river is a little bit like an enduro, only without the bike. For me personally, this is another place in Slovenia that I would love to come back to for a longer time.
About Soca Valley Freeride
Soca Valley Freeride is a company which is organising different activities in the famous region of Soca Valley in Slovenia. The owner, Nejc, is a licenced Mountain Bike Guide. At their offer You will find Enduro and All Mountain bike tours with possibility of Shuttle Bus asist. Other activities at the offer are canyoning and rock climbing.
Official website: https://www.soca-valley-freeride.com/
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