Christian Höflich, Germany
Bjørn Jarle Kvande, 20. July 2025Can you tell me a little about yourself?
My family and I live in the very south of Germany, close to the Austrian border, in the middle of the mountains. I'm lucky that we all enjoy being outdoors in nature and we all love biking.
The only downside is that my two children (9 and 12 years old) are now so strong that we can hardly follow them, at least uphill. But that's a luxury problem...
How do you use Trailguide before and during a bike ride?
I mostly use the Trailguide app on our trips to Norway, but I also find it very useful in the Alps.
There are two ways I use the Trailguide app before the ride.
In the first option, we drive through the area in our van and then I check the app on site to see if there is a bike route for me and my family. The Trailguide app helps me a lot here to get a better overview of the regions.
The second option is that I often sit at home on my computer or on the road on my mobile phone and look at different regions and areas, dreaming of future bike trips.
I usually look for areas where we can stay in one place for longer and don't have to travel much by car. I can use the tour descriptions and pictures in the app very well to get an overview.
During the ride, I like to use the app for navigation. The maps are so detailed that this year in Nissedal, for example, they guided us safely through the vast bike areas in unclear places.
After using it, I put the tour I've ridden in my "ridden tours" list and have a beer....
So far I haven't written any comments on the conditions or a rating in the Trailguide app, but I plan to do so in the future.
Where have you ridden so far this summer?
At the beginning of the year, we spent a lot of time biking at home in the Bavarian Alps in Germany and in Italy.
In June, we were able to travel to our favourite country, Norway, for a fortnight. We were out and about on our bikes in Nissedal, Hallingdal and the Sognefjord. We were lucky with the weather and found wonderful conditions.
We remember the Nissedal as being particularly relaxed. We got to know biking via "Sva" (rock slab) for the first time and really enjoyed it the whole time. You have to push your bike up the mountain on many tours here, but you hardly notice the effort due to the fantastic landscape.
Even our children never complained, which of course made the tours much more enjoyable.
Do you have a favorite area?
I can't really say I have a favourite area.
The last few years in Norway we've always visited the trails in Kaupanger, and we all love this region on the Sognefjord. The trails are beautiful, varied, and not too difficult. If you fall, you can start eating blueberries right in the impact zone...
My son would probably say his favourite area is Hallingdal, as it has so many long and beautifully built trails. He loves the descent from Hallingsspranget.
Otherwise, we're always open to exploring new regions and trying out biking in different conditions.
Do you have any insider tips for more efficient use of Trailguide?
What I like about Trailguide is its clarity and ease of use.
I rarely download a GPX file, since I usually study the tour beforehand and prefer to explore the terrain with my eyes open. Still, the navigation feature is very helpful to avoid getting lost.
Sometimes I use the filter, as we tend to look for moderate, red tours. It also helps that I can switch between different maps to get a better overview of the terrain and conditions.
Trailguide can certainly do much more, but for me it's a tool for finding trails and getting inspiration to explore less well-known areas.
Keep on riding