Why Trail Restoration Matters. Fours Day in Sweden with the Kilian Jornet Foundation.

As trail runners, we spend countless hours exploring some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. We celebrate the mountains, forests and wild places that challenge and inspire us, yet it’s easy to forget that the trails beneath our feet don’t simply look after themselves.

Behind every well-maintained route is a team of people working to protect and preserve the places we love to run.

Earlier this month, our SportsShoes Trail Ambassador, Ben Mounsey, travelled to Åre, Sweden, to join the Kilian Jornet Foundation’s Restore the Trails Work Camp, supported by NNormal — a project focused on restoring damaged trails and protecting fragile mountain environments.

What followed wasn’t a product launch or a typical brand event. There were no presentations about the latest shoes, no structured training sessions and no pressure to create the perfect photograph.

Instead, fifteen volunteers from across Europe arrived carrying walking boots, waterproofs and work gloves, ready to spend four days together with one shared purpose: to help protect the trails that thousands of runners and hikers enjoy each year during Fjällmaraton and beyond.

Giving Back to the Mountains

The work itself was refreshingly simple, yet incredibly rewarding.

There were no shortcuts or quick fixes. Trail restoration was about patience, teamwork and attention to detail.

Much of our time was spent carrying and installing spång — traditional Swedish wooden boardwalks carefully positioned across boggy ground, wetlands and fragile mountain terrain to help protect these sensitive areas.

Each plank had to be measured, cut, positioned and secured by hand before gradually connecting sections of trail together. What looks simple when walking across a finished route requires careful planning, effort and cooperation behind the scenes.

It’s physically demanding work. Every piece of timber has to be carried into remote locations before the real job even begins. Yet as each section of boardwalk took shape, the impact became immediately clear.

These structures don’t simply make trails easier to navigate. They protect delicate ecosystems by keeping walkers and runners on a defined route, preventing paths from widening as people naturally try to avoid deep mud and standing water.

Without them, erosion can quickly alter mountain landscapes, damaging habitats that may take decades to recover.

Standing back and seeing a completed section of trail felt surprisingly satisfying. Knowing it would continue helping visitors cross these mountains safely for years to come made every splinter and aching shoulder worthwhile.

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Why Trail Restoration Matters

Mountain trails face increasing pressure across the world.

As more people discover hiking and trail running, many routes are experiencing levels of footfall they were never designed to accommodate. Heavy use gradually wears away vegetation, exposes soil and accelerates erosion, creating damage that can spread far beyond the trail itself.

The Kilian Jornet Foundation was created to help tackle these challenges through practical conservation work. Through its Restore the Trails initiative, the Foundation works with local organisations, volunteers and outdoor communities to restore degraded paths, improve route marking and preserve mountain environments for future generations.

For Kilian Jornet, whose life and career have been shaped by the mountains, the Foundation represents a belief that protecting these landscapes starts with communities taking small but meaningful steps together.

“While this vision should be carried on a global scale, we believe that community strength and small steps lead towards bigger transitions. That’s the aim this Foundation was born for: to work on preserving one of the biggest natural spaces towards a better future for all the inhabitants of Earth.”

Protecting mountain environments is rarely the work of one organisation alone. By partnering with local trail associations, race organisers and volunteers, every project can leave a lasting impact long after the final plank has been laid.

More Than Just Hard Work

Although restoring trails was at the heart of the week, the experience was about far more than manual labour.

We also spent time hiking and running sections of the Fjällmaraton course, experiencing first-hand the landscapes we were helping to protect. Moving through the Swedish mountains offered a reminder of why these places are worth preserving in the first place.

On the final morning, we were guided through the local environment by native expert Madeleine Larsson, learning about the unique flora and fauna of the region and the delicate relationship between wildlife, the landscape and the people who have lived here for generations.

It was a fascinating reminder that every trail exists within a much larger ecosystem. Every decision we make as outdoor users has an impact, from the routes we choose to the way we interact with the landscapes around us.

Community Through Shared Purpose

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the week wasn’t simply the trail restoration itself, but the people involved.

Volunteers travelled from different countries and backgrounds, yet everyone arrived with the same desire: to spend time outdoors and make a positive contribution.

It didn’t take long before conversations flowed as easily as the mountain streams crossing the trails we were repairing.

Whether we were working together, sharing meals or heading out for evening runs, there was a genuine sense of community that is often difficult to find in everyday life.

That feeling extended beyond the volunteer group.

Our home for the week was Hållfjället, a mountain hotel overlooking the surrounding landscape above Ottsjö. After long days on the trails, we were treated to exceptional seasonal local food, spectacular mountain views and evenings spent unwinding in traditional wood-fired saunas.

The simplicity of the experience became part of its appeal. Good food with good company, surrounded by beautiful mountains.

Sometimes that’s all you really need.

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Protecting the Places We Love

Projects like Restore the Trails demonstrate that conservation isn’t just the responsibility of governments or environmental organisations. Everyone who enjoys spending time in the mountains has an opportunity to become part of the solution.

Trail restoration helps protect biodiversity, reduce erosion, improve safety and preserve routes that allow future generations to experience these landscapes.

Perhaps more importantly, it encourages us to develop a deeper appreciation for the environments we enjoy and reminds us that these places deserve our care as much as our admiration.

It’s easy to take trails for granted. Experiences like this remind you that every well-maintained path exists because someone chose to look after it.

Ben’s Reflection on the Experience

“This was a very different brand experience to the ones I’m normally invited to. The focus wasn’t on products or performance — it was on people, community and the environment.

It gave everyone the opportunity to step away from busy daily lives, reconnect with nature and spend time with like-minded people who genuinely care about protecting the outdoors.

Trail running has given me so much over the past 30 years, so being able to give something back felt incredibly meaningful. Rather than simply enjoying these trails, we became part of preserving them.

Knowing that the work we completed will improve the experience for future runners and hikers, help prevent further erosion and protect these mountains for many years to come made every hour worthwhile.

It’s a reminder that if we all contribute in small ways, together we can make a lasting difference.”

Inspired to Find Out More?

To learn more about the Kilian Jornet Foundation’s conservation projects and the Restore the Trails initiative, follow their journey and discover how communities are working together to protect mountain environments.

If Sweden has sparked your sense of adventure, explore the Fjällmaraton community and discover the spectacular trails around Åre.

For more stories from the world of trail running, hiking and the outdoors, including race reports, community adventures and environmental projects, follow SportsShoes Outdoors as we continue celebrating the people and places that make our sport so special.


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Kilian Jornet Foundation Instagram

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