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Watch Swede Shreds 1 Episode 1: Explore some of Jämtland’s best trails
Discover the Enduro paradise that is Frösön and watch two riders take on one of Sweden’s coolest freeride lines in Kall.
Welcome to the brand new series Swede Shreds - a four-part video series that explores some of the best riding spots in Sweden together with local athletes and trail builders who make up the scene. From the stunning mountains in the north to the rolling hills of the south, tag along withHanna Jonssonas she checks out seven different locations together with over fourteen riders. From fast and fun trail riding to gnarly downhill and big jumps, there will be something for every taste!
Hit play and watch episode 1 now.
15 min
Swede Shreds S1E1: Riding some of Jämtland’s best trails
Watch all episodes here:
What better way to kickstart Swede Shreds than by visiting one of the most popular Enduro spots in the country. Host to multiple enduro races and with so much flow you’ll leave the place floating, we are of course talking about Frösön. Together with media squid (aka. bike photographer and filmer) Niklas Wallner and Åre local Josefine Ahlström, Hanna checks out some of the best trails on the hill. And local trail builder Andreas "Ante" Björk explains the key behind finding flow when building trails.
Marcus Ahlström, Niklas Wallner & Josefine Ahlström enjoying Frösön.
© Hanna Jonsson
But the fun doesn’t stop there. After a full day of shredding Enduro trails, it is time for something bigger and gnarlier. Kall, on the backside of Åreskutan, has in recent years developed into a free-riding hotspot and Niklas, together with his brother and Enduro professional Robin Wallner, decides to check out its biggest line - the Connection Line. Envisioned, built and ridden bySimon Johansson, this is not for your average rider. Watch as nerves run high, as the bothers hit it for the very first time.
LOCATION 1: FRÖSÖN
Frösön, with it’s flowy, challenging and insanely fun trails, is the first location in this 4-part series. Located on the outskirts of Östersund the small hill called Gustavsbergsbacken could be one of the best trail riding spots in the country. Six trails - from easy blue to challenging black trails - meanders down the hill. Characterised by flow, fun and tech, these trails provide endless hours of fun for both intermediate and advanced riders. The cool thing about this place is how well the trial builders have managed to mix tech and flow and utilise the natural terrain for features. Off-camber roots, small natural jumps and high-speed sections are all integrated into the hillside like they've always been there.
It's all easily accessed by a short pedal on tarmac to the top or during certain weeks a T-bar lift. This is a trail biking paradise that can keep you entertained for hours.
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Ante is the king of building with flow.
© Hanna Jonsson
The main man behind most of the trails is Andreas “Ante” Björk who’s spent many hours scouting and building the trails over the past couple of years. Building has become an art form for him and a way to get new trails to ride and enjoy. Ante’s trails are renowned for being well-built and thanks to some help from the local municipality, he’s even been able to get a digger in to expand the trail network on the small hill. Despite only being 150 meters high, the trails seem to go on for much longer and it’s safe to say that Ante, and his trail building buddies, have gotten as much speed and flow out of the hill as possible.
Two riders who spend a lot of time at Frösön, especially in spring and autumn, are Niklas Wallner and Josefine Ahlström.
Niklas Wallner: rider, racer, photographer and filmer.
© Hanna Jonsson
Niklas, a previous Frösö local now residing in Åre, has spent plenty of hours riding the small hill and still finds it equally exciting every time he comes back. Not only a media squid (i.e. someone who works in the bike media world), he is also one of Sweden’s fastest riders and an ex-World Cup Downhill racer. He currently works on the Enduro World Series circuit, filming and taking photos.
Josefine Ahlström has gone from XC to Enduro.
© Hanna Jonsson
Josefine’s work keeps her more close to home as she keeps a daytime job in the Peak Performance store in Åre, but whenever she is free she can be found outside in nature. Coming from an XC racing background, Josefine switched from lycra to baggier clothes when she moved up to Åre from Småland. Now she is completely hooked on Enduro riding and absolutely smashes it down the trails.
Behind the scenes of Swede Shreds.
© Hanna Jonsson
Joe Bowman lending a helping hand behind camera number 2.
© Hanna Jonsson
LOCATION 2: KALL
The second location in this episode is Kall. Located on what most people would call “the backside” of Åreskutan, Kall is a tiny village with a cold name. With the most stunning view over snowcapped mountains, the local ski hill has, thanks to a bunch of riders, been transformed into a jump line mecca.
Robin Wallner flying high.
© Marcus Ahlström
It was the Lightning Thunder boys and gals who discovered it back in 2018 and started digging when filming for the yearly video challenge at Åre Bike Festival. Plenty of hard work, and together with the local excavator hero Ratte, they quickly transformed the hillside into a freeride paradise. It’s a place where airtime and bike control skills definitely are needed - this is not for your average rider.
Kall has the most stunning backdrop.
© Marcus Ahlström
The Connection line is the biggest line of them all. It was built by and for Simon Johansson to be part of Niklas Wallner’s MTB-film “Connection” (watch here). Simon, Niklas and Ratte made this line happen in a record-breaking four days. That is, building it AND filming it.
Now, about a year later, Niklas is back to conquer the line himself. Never having ridden it (and being slightly nervous to do so), he brings his brother Robin Wallner along for the ride. Robin is a professional Enduro rider, racing the Enduro World Series full-time since 2015 after putting his Downhill World Cup career on the shelf around the same time. He is known as one of the best Enduro riders in the world and was ranked 13th overall in 2019.
Watch the brothers drop into the huge line in the adrenaline-packed finale of the first episode.
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