Building mountain bike trails has always been hard, physical work. It means hauling tools into remote places, shaping dirt by hand and navigating terrain where machines can’t go. Until now. The remote-controlled Moritz equipment carrier from Pfanzelt, is a machine purpose-built for working on steep, sensitive ground.

The Moritz is compact, versatile and, crucially, controlled entirely by radio control. That means trail builders can stay safely out of harm’s way while putting this powerful machine to work shaping trails, even on slopes up to 50 degrees.

Precision shaping with less impact

For Canadian mountain bike trail builders, the potential is obvious. The Moritz can mill fresh trail using a trail crusher attachment, mow overgrown routes and help maintain flow trails in places where traditional machines simply can’t go. With a powerful 4-cylinder engine and a lightweight footprint that minimizes ground pressure, it’s gentle on the landscape (when compared to an excavator).

“It really is amazing what this machine can do,” said Danielle Denis of Gespro Equipement Inc., the Canadian distributor. “It preserves the soil, works efficiently on forest terrain, and dramatically reduces the time and labour it takes to build trails.”

How much does it cost?

Of course, one question will be on every trail builder’s mind: how much? Denis notes that pricing is customized based on configuration, but said the Moritz starts at around $150,000  for the base model.  That doesn’t include attachments, freight or taxes.

It’s all about the attachments

The reason it’s difficult to estimate the cost on this machine is because the number of attachments you can get for them. It’s fully customizable. There are 1000metre traction winches, mowers, rock crushers, stump grinders, snowblowers and trail crushers. Some are focussed on the forestry industry others aimed directly at trail builders.

“The Trail Crusher attachment itself is relatively new,” Denis added. “We’ve only shown it publicly in North America for the first time in Vermont recently. It’s generating a lot of interest because it saves so much time compared to building trails by hand.”

A glimpse of the future for Canadian builders?

While the Moritz has made a name for itself in Europe—especially for ski resort and hiking trail maintenance—it could soon find a home with Canadian trail crews too. As more communities invest in purpose-built trails, a tool like Moritz could be a game changer: safer, more efficient, and gentler on the landscape.

A helper made for the mountains indeed—and maybe one coming soon to a trail network near you.