At the second virtual meeting of the IAKS Expert Circle on Nature Activity Areas on 21 June 2021, the participants received practical first-hand information. Taking the example of the Vienna Woods trails west of the Austrian capital, Dipl.-Ing. Patrick Huber, CEO of the company operating the HoheWandWiese trail centre, explained how the former ski resort has changed into a popular destination for cyclists.

Due to their proximity to the city, the Vienna Woods are heavily frequented as a recreation area; cyclists use it for cross-country, downhill and enduro. This strong demand has necessitated controlled access in order to satisfy users and forest owners alike. A certain degree of infrastructure was already in place at the former ski resort that, owing to climate change, was seeking to offer new activities.

In 2014, the "Wienerwaldtrails" MTB club was founded, an initiative dedicated to the development and maintenance of a dynamic MTB trail network in the Vienna Woods. It cooperates with all stakeholders, including local communities, nature conservationists, tourism, landowners and forest owners. This has resulted in benefits all round from an early stage. Illegal activities have been discouraged and new MTB trails have been collectively created. In 2017, the HoheWandWiese MTB trail centre was opened.

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