Little Switzerland Puts the Brakes on Bike Park

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SAM Magazine—Slinger, Wis., April 6, 2023—Little Switzerland will permanently close its summer bike park because of increased insurance costs.

In a statement posted to its social media accounts, the company stated, “Our insurance company has dropped coverage of the bike park, and alternative insurance options would not make the park economically viable moving forward.”

In an interview with SAM, Little Switzerland co-owner Rick Schmitz explained that the area has a great relationship with its insurance company but starting this summer, the carrier was requiring a significantly higher premium that “would offset the small profit the bike park makes.”

“We had zero bike-related claims since its inception, and bike parks are certainly not uninsurable; we had options, just not ones that made economic sense for us,” Schmitz said.

A handful of Little Switzerland’s social media followers expressed their disappointment and also their support upon reading the news.

“Gravity bikers are great customers, they are passionate and loyal, hence the strong reaction to our announcement,” Schmitz said. “While it’s certainly a growing segment, there was not enough demand to operate our bike park every weekend.”

He said that while the bike park ultimately did not make sense for Little Switzerland, he still believes they make sense for the right Midwest operation.

“We want to thank all of our loyal bike park customers that have made it a special place,” the social media post said. “We also want to offer our sincere gratitude to the dedicated build crew that made the bike park one of the best in the Midwest, none of it would have been possible without their time, dedication, passion, and effort.”

Schmitz said NSAA has made mountain biking a priority with great risk management and operational resources, and as the sport continues to grow, insurance companies will better understand the risk and become more comfortable with them, just as they have with terrain parks.

“As our release stated, this was a very difficult, and sad announcement for us. We will certainly miss it, but are looking forward to what's next for our resorts,” Schmitz said.

Last year, Mt. Hood Skibowl in Oregon closed its lift-served downhill mountain bike park indefinitely after a jury decided in favor of an Oregon man who was paralyzed after a 2016 crash on the resort’s bike park. He was awarded $11.7 million (settled for $10.5 million) after his lawyers argued that a sign post installed by the resort contributed to him losing control of his bike.