Mountain biking in the Bike Circus Saalbach Hinterglemm - the bike paradise in the Salzburg mountains
X-Line, Pro-Line, Hackelberg Trail, Bikes & Beats Festival, World Games of Mountain Biking, Big 5 Challenge - ever heard of it? These are all well-known names from the international mountain bike scene and all names belong inseparably to Saalbach Hinterglemm, the bike circus in the Salzburger Land.
For more than a decade, Saalbach Hinterglemm has been setting the tone when it comes to Austria's mountain bike scene. For a long time not only in the area of touring and marathon competitions.
Freeride Circus
The Freeride Circus consists of an extensive and constantly growing network of trails, lines and courses. New routes are added every year. Five mountain railways in the valley transport bikers and bikes up the mountains all summer long. Trails are shaped, obstacles are shoveled, north shores are built. Everything so that the Freeride Circus Saalbach Hinterglemm keeps turning - and that's what it does.
All mountain and enduro
While the pros race down the freeride routes with their big bikes, all-mountain pilots and endurists can look forward to a wealth of more or less natural trails that wind their way over the mountain slopes of the Bike Circus. Sounding names like Hackelberg Trail, Hochalm Trail, Panorama Trail or Bergstadl Trail are probably familiar to every scene guru.
Grab your bikes and come to the Bike Mecca in the Salzburg Alps. The next biking paradise is often closer than you think - in our case in Saalbach Hinterglemm. Ride on.
Mountain bike tours
For all bike enthusiasts: The Bike Hotel Unterellmau offers its bike guests a variety of guided mountain bike tours in the coolest bike region in Europe with bike legend Reini Woisetschläger in cooperation with the Penhab bike school. From beginners to bike pros, our guests will find their ideal mountain bike tour.
For years, the entire European mountain bike freeride scene has been meeting in Saalbach Hinterglemm to rock trails, ride lines and push runs. But let's take a closer look at the possibilities in the Bike Circus Saalbach Hinterglemm.
Overview tours
1 Talschluß Round
15,3 Km, 508 Hm
Along the bike path, we ride fairly flat along the Saalach towards the end of the valley. In the area of the Zwölfer-Nordbahn some hills prepare us for the ascent at the end of the valley. From Lengau the relatively flat ascent to the Lindlingalm begins. From here you are witness to a natural spectacle, small waterfalls come down from all sides, from which the river Saalach arises. Small creek crossings are also included. At the highest point, after about 400 m of altitude gain, beautiful mountain pastures, the Saalalm and Ossmannalm, invite you to take a break. If you still want to climb more meters, you can turn off after a short, rough gravel path descent to the natural path to the Forsthofalm, where a short carrying section awaits you. Otherwise you end the round comfortably on gravel roads towards Lengau.
2 Tirol Leogang circuit
approx. 1600 Hm (bzw 1100Hm oder 600Hm) approx. 60 Km
We drive from Saalbach up a gravel road to Spielberghaus and then along the forest road down towards Tyrol to the Eiserne Hand inn. From there it is hilly uphill to Hochfilzen and further downhill on a beautiful, brisk cycle path to Leogang. Here you have the option of either boarding the gondola, climbing the 500m up to the middle station or even pedaling the whole 1000m up to the Asitz. The meeting place for everyone is the Alte Schmiede where we can have a good time and enjoy the fantastic view of the Steinernes Meer. With new energy we continue to the Kohlmais and down to Saalbach via the flowing Milka-Line.
3 Schreiende Brunnen, Hennerleiter
30,1 Km, 1153 Höhenmeter
We drive from Saalbach up a gravel road to Spielberghaus and then along the forest road down towards Tyrol to the Eiserne Hand inn. Along the creek we drive uphill to the natural spectacle, the Schreienden Brunnen waterfall. Shortly after the "Schreiende Brunnen" (Screaming Fountain) it goes left over narrow serpentines, the "Hennerleiter" through the forest jagged uphill to the Wetterkreuz. As a reward, a beautiful trail follows to the Reiteralm, where we can fill up our storage tanks again. Then drive back down the valley to Hinterglemm via the Blue Line. Another variant is the tour in the opposite direction.
4 Schwalbenwand
65km, 1400hm
On the new bike path, we cycle steadily downhill from the Glemmtal to Maishofen. From Schloss Kammer it starts on beautiful wooded hiking trails, later on asphalt to Gasthof Mitterberg. From now on it goes steadily and evenly on forest roads over a total of almost 1000 hm to just below the summit of the Schwalbenwand. We almost always have the fantastic view of Lake Zell and the snow-capped Kitzsteinhorn. Now follows a fantastic and technically quite demanding trail back to the Gasthof Mitterberg where we deserve a rest. From Maishofen it's back to the Glemmtal on the bike path.
5 Schattberg circuit, Bärnbach tour
28,1Km, 1305Hm
One of our steepest tours on the Schattberg starts leisurely out of the valley. Slightly downhill on the bike path to Jausern to roll up before the Schattberg calls. Now it's uphill to the right along the Löhnerbach stream for the first few meters up to the Rammernalm. From now on it gets steeper and steeper. Serpentine after serpentine meander up the Schattberg. The last meters of altitude to the east summit are tough again. You will now be rewarded with a fantastic view of the Hohe Tauern. We haven't quite made it yet, if you don't have to push the last 150 m to the west summit, you can be really proud of yourself. Otherwise it's no shame. At 30km you also need a bit of luck! The legendary Hacklbergtrail and then the Bucheggtrail to Hinterglemm await as a reward.
The Bärrnbach circuit is an easier option. This ascent starts at the fish pond in Saalbach and leads on a relatively flat forest path to the Schattbergexpress middle station. From here you can take the train to the east summit. From here the round continues like the Schattberg round.
6 Hochalm Tour
22,4 Km, 1000Hm bzw. 550Hm
We drive up a serpentine path past the Pfefferalm to the middle station of the Reiterkogelbahn. (For all those who want to take it easy: You can easily cover the first 450 meters in altitude with the Reiterkogelbahn). From the middle station we drive up a gravel path about 500m up to the Reichkendlkopf or to the mountain station of the Hochalm chairlift. Then you ride along the ridge path past the top station of the Spieleck chairlift to the top station of the Spieleck drag lift. Let your gaze swing left and right on the ridge path, a fantastic panorama is offered up here, be it north to Tyrol or south to the Zwölfer and in the background the Hohe Tauern. Once you have mastered this ascent, the crowning reward awaits you from here. An almost endless descent through a picturesque landscape of the Pinzgauer Grasberge. With small berms, creek crossings, hairpin bends, light root and stone fields, this descent has everything that makes a trail biker's heart beat faster. At the end, the single trail leads back to a forest road. This ends at the end of the valley in the district of Lengau, from where you can comfortably cycle back to Saalbach Hinterglemm.
7 Wetterkreuz round
18,9 Km, 828 Hm
The path initially leads uphill through the village center of Saalbach and soon turns into a hilly gravel path along the Spielbergbach in the direction of the Spielberghaus. Turn left just before the Spielberghaus, past the barrier and continue to the mountain station of the Bernkogelbahn. We are not quite at the top yet and continue uphill on the right on the forest path. The entire ascent is not too steep and you can therefore enjoy the view of the Spielberghorn and the Tyrolean region much more. After a short downhill passage, the path leads along the shore of the turquoise-blue Wetterkreuz reservoir. A flowing trail starts on the other side of the lake to the Reiteralm and then a short forest path that leads to the Blue Line.
8 Kohlmais Asitz rounds
45km, 1400hm
At the sign for Saalbach, we drive up the Kohlmais on a path that is asphalted at the beginning and later gravelled. At the Thurneralm, turn right towards Schönleiten. At the top of the Schönleiten you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Steinere Mehr. At the Seidlalm it's a beautiful trail with 2 technical hairpin bends to the Asitz to stop off at the old forge. After a short trail ascent to the Hecherhütte in Viehofen and on the cycle path back to Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
9 Roman saddle
80km 2300hm
This tour is an extension of the Tirol-Leogang round and is driven to Fieberbrunn the same. In Hochfilzen we branch north into the military training area where it is a steady 200hm uphill. Despite the beauty of the landscape, we are not allowed to be photographed here - and we are not allowed to leave the main path. Now follows one of the highlights in our tour plan, the Römersattel. It goes partly through rocky gorges, natural stairs and narrow forest paths to the Vorderkaserklamm gorge, where we might even find time to admire this natural spectacle during our lunch break. Then it's a few km flat on a beautiful bike path to Leogang, where only the best trained can climb the Asitz on foot and not with the gondola. Then it's back via the Würzelweg to the Kohlmais and follow the Panorama Milka Line.
10 Kitzbühl rounds
76km 1800hm
One of our most demanding tours, as there is no possibility to use the Jokercard and take a lift from Kitzbühel back to the Glemmtal. This tour also starts via the Spielberghaus to Fieberbrunn-Eiserne Hand, where we already have the first 300 meters in altitude behind us. A long, flat to hilly section follows, partly on the road and mostly on cycle paths via St. Johann to Kitzbühel. A short lunch break in the town of the Hahnenkamm race gives us the strength for the steep ascent via Aurach and the Zügetner Hochalm back to the end of the valley in the Glemmtal. You have to cover the last 200 hm on foot. Every time you look back, you are rewarded with the view of the Hahnenkamm town and the Wilder Kaiser, which get smaller and smaller from hm to hm. The descent that follows, starting below the Tristkogel, is quite rough and steep, but can easily be mastered with a hardtail. When we reach the end of the valley, we cycle back to Hinterglemm on the cycle path. For the absolute pros, the Kitzbühler Horn is also built in from time to time on the way from Fieberbrunn to Kitzbühel, but then the tour has around 3000 meters in altitude
11 Wildenkar round
20,5Km, 1206Hm
On this tour, the ascent also begins in Jausern. Now, however, we climb the south side up Schönleiten to the Wildenkarhütte. Almost 1000 relatively steep Hm on forest roads through pastures and forest await us. It gets really steep at the very end from the Seidelalm to the Wildenkarkogel, where one or the other will probably have to get off their bikes. At the summit, a sparkling blue reservoir awaits us, where the Leoganger Steinberge are almost kitschy reflected in the sunshine. Now follows the technical root path to the Kohlmais, panorama trail and from there either Milka-line to Saalbach or to the Spielberghaus for a well-deserved rest.
12 Huberalm round
16.6Km, 925Hm
This tour is particularly suitable when the weather is bad, as we are sure not to get cold with the steadily steep ascent and subsequent action-packed Hackelberg Trail. From the beginning it is mostly uphill in the forest via Huberalm to the Hüber hochalm. Now follows a beautiful hilly forest trail to the Hacklbergalm. The Hacklbergtrail Part2 follows to the Bergstadl - the favorite alpine pasture of many. The Bucheggtrail takes us back into the valley to Hinterglemm.
13 Big Five
Five cable cars on five different mountains are available for this XXL freeride tour to experience the absolute maximum of freeride fun in one day. The round already secures you the first almost 5,000 meters of altitude, of which only 500 meters of altitude have to be overcome on your own, the rest is covered with the cable cars.
14 Alpine races
Fun uphill race with obstacle station and possible penalty loop to Bergstadl. Then another tour to the Hacklberg trail and award ceremony for the fun race.