Oscar Härnström is one of Sweden's top mountain bikers and he's competed in some of the most hardcore downhill mountain bike races around like Red Bull Hardline and Red Bull Valparaiso, as well as on the DH World Cup circuit. Oscar is not afraid of sending it big whether on his bike or following his dreams.
One of the most ambitious dreams for the former downhill racer turned freerider was to build his very own bike park, and in the fall/autumn of 2020, he bought an old ski hill in the southeast of Sweden and set the wheels in motion to achieve his dream.
The Hill Project is a film dedicated to Oscar's father, that follows Oscar on his journey, through the highs and lows, life and death and to the final result – the Kisa MTB Park.
Together with his partner Beatrice Johansson and his brother Hampus, they planned to start building the trails straight away over winter but the elements had other ideas, it turned out to be one of the coldest Swedish winters ever, which meant postponing any digging opportunities until spring. With the opening of Kisa MTB Park set for the beginning of summer, the trio worked from sunrise to sunset, sleeping at the bottom of the hill, to make it happen, and in July the doors opened and the old ski lift started running again for mountain bikers.
Kisa MTB Park has trails ranging from green to black and is nestled into the green hills of Östergötaland in Kisa, and it's a true mountain bikers paradise. Although it currently “only” has six trails, the many different features the team have built make it feel so much more. There are huge and steep rock rolls, shark fins out of corners, step-ups and step-downs and all kinds of fun features for riders to play on. Also, most trails weave in and out of each other making it easy to create your own lines on every lap.
All the trails in the park start from the top of the lift where a green trail, named SX Transport, takes you down to the start of the blue and red flow and jump trails Goldmine and Intense, as well as the black adventure trail Squamish. Or you dive straight into the woods from the top into the red natural single tracks Old Guy's Rules and Dirty Pamela.
Kisa MTB Park has a much bigger focus on hardcore riders than most bike parks but it also suits families and beginners packed with fun and challenging features like big jumps, steep rock rolls and a ton of fun side hits making it a huge playground for mountain bikers of all levels. But don't just take our word for it, watch the beautiful film below and make up your own mind, and follow their continued journey at Kisamtbpark.com.
