2028 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will once again be held in Saalfelden Leogang. The bike park pioneers from Salzburger Land were able to convince the UCI with their application. Third Mountain Bike World Championship in Saalfelden Leogang After an all-around successful World Championships 2020 and the World Championships 2012, the fight for the desirable rainbow jerseys will be held for the third time in the Epic Bikepark Leogang and Austria's largest mountain bike region Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. From 30 August to 3 September 2028, Saalfelden Leogang will once again become the global epicenter of mountain biking. So far, officially confirmed are races in the disciplines Downhill, XCO, XCC and E-MTB which will be held on the challenging trails in the Epic Bikepark Leogang. Whether additional disciplines will be included in the program is currently not yet confirmed. In Saalfelden Leogang, the UCI's decision is welcomed with great delight by Marco Pointner, World Championships organizer and CEO of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik: "We are thrilled that the World Champs 2028 will once again be hosted by us in Saalfelden Leogang. The World Champs 2020 was a complete success for Saalfelden Leogang and its region and the fact that we got chosen again, confirms our successful work. We are once again delighted to welcome both the mountain bike pros and the fans for these World Championships. This has great charisma for mountain biking in the region and beyond to all of Austria as well as internationally." Kornel Grundner, World Championships organizer and managing director of Leoganger Bergbahnen, is also already looking forward to 2028 with anticipation: "The UCI's decision confirms the investments and work we have been doing here for more than 20 years. We want to continue to develop our bike park together with the scene and the world's best athletes and have been able to hold two successful World Championships and countless World Cups so far. Even though there are still a few years to go, we are already looking forward to the next big mountain bike highlight at Epic Bikepark Leogang." All other UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in the coming years will take place in Scotland (2023), Vallnord (Andorra, 2024), Valais (SUI, 2025), Val di Sole (ITA, 2026), Haute Savoie (FRA, 2027). New chance for the local hero? The fact that the 2028 World Championships will once again be held in Saalfelden Leogang also offers the reigning World Champion of 2022 and local hero Valentina Höll a new opportunity to win the home World Championships: "I am incredibly pleased that Leogang has been given the 2028 World Championships. There will certainly be a lot going on again for us bikers in terms of infrastructure, and I'm already very excited about that. In six years I'll be 26 years old and at the perfect downhill age. Until then, I will hopefully manage to get down a run at home without crashing. I'm really looking forward to it."
For three days in the EPIC Bikepark Leogang there were the latest test material, numerous workshops and lots of things to do. Just in time for the start of the fourth edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang, the first snow greeted the Leoganger Asitz: But even temperatures of less than ten degrees Celsius and continuous rain could not stop the enthusiastic bikers at the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang. From Friday to Sunday, the festival site was open to browsing, astonishment and testing. Nearly 40 well-known exhibitors pitched their tents in the Expo Area to bring their test material to the man or woman. Hundreds of test bikes were tested in all weather conditions over the trails and tracks at Epic Bikepark Leogang this weekend. Always accompanied by top video material, because even the GoPro Hero 11, launched just before the start of the festival, could be borrowed and tested for the test rides. With workshops and bike professionals to perfect technology In addition to numerous renowned bike brands, many professionals in Pinzgau pitched their tents to chat at signing sessions and to pass on their knowledge to the bike-loving amateurs. The workshops around Austria's best downhillers Andi Kolb, Hanna Steinthaler, Marlena Neissl, Elias Schwaerzler, Jasper Jauch and co. were booked out throughout the festival weekend. Fabio Wibmer’s Bikeflip show was also very popular, which was quickly moved to the underground parking at the valley station of the Asitzbahn, where the East Tyrolean bike star and his Italian colleagues were able to warm up the audience with his tricks in the dry. And the junior competition, “Scott Junior Trophy Pumptrack”, took place on Sunday as planned – and how: around 70 enthusiastic children showed their skills via the waves and steep curves. And what would a BIKE Festival be without a party – at the Festival Party at the B3, night was turned into day. The date for the fifth edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang has already been set: In autumn 2023, the EPIC Bikepark Leogang will once again be the meeting point of the bike scene from 15 to 17 September.
The year is slowly coming to an end. But even though the days are getting shorter, that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. In Saalfelden Leogang you can perfectly extend the autumn and also feel the winter already. It is perfectly fitting that in some German and Austrian states the autumn holidays last until November. The great plus of the Saalfelden Leogang region: The Leogang cable cars are in use continuously until the start of ski operations. Hikers can enjoy the magnificent tours between rugged limestone cliffs and gentle grassy mountains for a long time to come. The trails are in excellent condition - 4560 man-hours are invested annually in their maintenance. An important tip: With the Saalfelden Leogang Card (included in the room rate of around 300 partner companies), holidaymakers ride the mountain railways twice a day for free - also with their bike. There are many other benefits. To extend the golden autumn, however, you do not have to go so far. Leogang is home to the spectacular Epic Bikepark, which is open daily until November 6. Both beginners and professionals will be happy here. The Riders Playground is a 10,000-square-meter practice area to get acquainted with mountain biking. Experienced bikers are waiting for numerous lines and trails, from very easy to difficult. Austria’s largest bike region is one of the most popular in Europe. In 2020 Leogang even hosted the Mountain Bike World Cup, in 2023 the next World Cup awaits. If you can’t wait for winter, you’ll get your money’s worth even in autumn. Perfect for this: the Ski Alpine Card is valid for the Ski Circus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn as well as for the glacier in Kaprun, where you can already make your turns on the slopes from October onwards. And if you want to relax with so much action, you can relax in the wellness areas of the excellent spa hotels and enjoy the fine cuisine of the region. One day hiking, the next biking and the next skiing - this is how autumn in Saalfelden Leogang can be perfectly laid out
The motto for the three days at EPIC Bikepark Leogang is: Test, amazement and above all a lot of mountain biking. An outstanding summer of cycling is coming to an end in Saalfelden Leogang: Next weekend the EPIC Bikepark Leogang will once again become the Mecca of the international bike scene when the renowned BIKE Festival stops in Pinzgau for the fourth time. With free entry, numerous highlights await. Above all, the free workshops with the stars of the scene, including Andi Kolb, the fourth place finisher in the overall World Cup downhill season that recently ended. He offers his workshop participants the unique opportunity to get to know the famous Leogang World Cup track “Speedster”. Another star of the scene will inspire with his legendary bikeflip shows: Fabio Wibmer comes to the festival in Saalfelden Leogang with six of his breathtaking shows. In addition to free workshops and many opportunities to test the latest material on the market (Scott, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Pivot, etc.) free of charge on various test loops, as well as the trails and lines of the EPIC Bikepark Leogang, visitors to the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang are also waiting for numerous discounts: The Leoganger Bergbahnen, for example, is offering a 15 percent discount on all mountain and valley rides this weekend. Program highlights: Friday, 16.09.2022 Expo Area: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bike flip shows: 1:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. Saturday, 17.09.2022 Expo Area: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bike flip shows: 12:00 & 3:00 & 7:30 p.m. Open night 6-9 p.m. Sunday, 18.09.2022 Expo Area: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Scott Junior Trophy Pump Track: 10:00 a.m. Bike Flipshow: 1:30 p.m.
Fabio Wibmer comes to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang with his spectacular bikeflip shows. The Master gives himself the honor! With his stunning Bikeflip show, YouTube star Fabio Wibmer will show off his outstanding skills alongside his partner Andrea Maranelli as part of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang. With free admission, a total of six spectacular shows await, four of them with the East Tyrolean himself, including a big primetime performance on Saturday evening (7.30 pm) as part of the Open Night at the Expo-Area. In addition to his spectacular trick show, bike multi-talent and YouTube star Fabio Wibmer will of course also be available to his fans for autographs and photos during the festival. BIKE Academy with renowned professionals and experts This year's edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang (16-18 September) offers a lot of action around the topic of mountain biking: A large exhibition area with free test material, free workshops starting almost hourly, with Andreas Kolb, Elias Schwarzler, Joost Wichmann, Jasper Jauch, Stefan Schlie, Lukas Schaefer or Hanna Steinthaler and a lot of supporting programs await. The perfect weekend to pay a visit to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang: Workshops and tours with the professionals are free, all trails and lines are open, there are discounted lift tickets for everyone, a fair, with bike brands such as Scott, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Pivot and much more., where visitors will be able to borrow the latest equipment for testing, and a spectacular supporting program, a la Fabio Wibmer.
Over the past ten years, the organizers of the Biberg Auffireradler in Saalfelden Leogang have experienced a lot: extraordinary sporting achievements, challenging weather conditions, well-known names on the starting list and countless participants from the region – because the Biberg Auffireradler lives above all on its spirit among the locals. In addition to the sporting competition, the cozy gathering after the award ceremony with the big raffle, supported by numerous domestic sponsors, is an annual highlight. But this social highlight has to be earned hard, because the route of the Biberg Auffiradler is a hard nut: again it goes over numerous turns with a crisp 700 meters of altitude and 5.5 kilometers from the parking lot of the summer toboggan run up to the Berggasthof Biberg. If you want to climb the coveted “Beaver deer” at the end, you have to prove true uphill qualities with this route profile. The launch will take place on Friday, September 2 at 6pm. Registration is possible in advance at https://auffiradler.jimdofree.com/ and at Sport 2000 SIMON in Saalfelden, or up to an hour before the start of the race.
The 42nd edition of the Jazzfestival Saalfelden came to an end with the session of Austrian drummer Lukas König last night. Four days, during which 230 musicians from 20 nations turned the small town in the Austrian province of Salzburg and the breathtaking nature of the region into a musical pilgrimage site. Almost 18,000 visits including record ticket sales show once again that the makers of the festival presented a successful and diverse program, which ignored pigeonholing and had something to offer for everyone - for jazz connoisseurs and lovers, but also simply for all music enthusiasts! The City Tracks opening concerts on Thursday were already well received by the audience and were a foretaste of a programme full of facets for the days to come. While Hammond player Raphael Wressnig and his comrades-in-arms, together with singer Gisele Jackson, transformed the Stadtpark into a party mile, and the quintet Melting Pot took the unusual Fuchs bookbindery and turned it into a musical venue, the Austrian-Serbian formation OstBeatBend looked beyond geographical and cultural borders with Gipsy music and folk melodies from the Balkans. The first two concerts at the start of the festival already showed that the Short Cuts at the Nexus are no longer an insider tip and that they are a very special attraction for musical truffle hunters, so that both the Austrian band Ventil and the German-British-Turkish quartet Usine with bassist and electronic musician James Banner played in front of a sold-out house. And also the following days, for example with the solo concert of the US-American pianist Jason Moran or the trio Acoustic Unity around drummer Gard Nilssen, are considered by many to be a very special highlight. The latter and drummer Katharina Ernst were Artists in Residence this year, and their immensely diverse projects appeared again and again in the context of the total of 65 concerts. The industrial charm of the Otto Gruber Hall has now been definitively integrated into the festival's program as a venue, and it is not only visually that it serves as a counterpoint to the greenery of the Stadtpark. Bands such as the French formation Nout or Gard Nilssen’s project Bushman's Revenge created works of sound art in the sober hall, while the Stadtpark with Luca Bassanese & La Piccola Orchestra Popolare once again became, despite the partly uncertain weather situation, a stage of good humor - but which also had room for the ironic-abysmal tones of a Felix Kramer. After the opening concert at the Mainstage in the Congress Saalfelden by the Austrian musician Fabian Rucker with his commissioned project RUCKER, and the large formation Christoph Cech Jazz Orchestra Project, the stage belonged this year mainly to international formations with Emile Parisien, Paal Nilssen, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Jason Moran, Isaiah Collier, Vincent Courtois and Vijay Iyer. The mountain tracks and flash mobs, which give the festival its very own touch, are considered a special experience. Concerts in the midst of nature, such as the Kollingwald forest concert to which trumpeter Cuong Vu invited guitarist Even Helte Hermansen and the aforementioned Gard Nilssen, played with the concept of soundscape, while musician Siegmar Brecher set creative accents with like-minded people in possible and impossible places in the city. The fact that the regime-critical political punk group from Moscow, Pussy Riot, was brought to Saalfelden as part of the City Tracks was also a small musical adventure for many. Everyone involved dealt with the ever-present downpours in a relaxed manner: the second "We Hike Jazz" excursion with regular musician Lukas Kranzelbinder was quickly relocated to the Leogang Mining and Gothic Museum, the rehearsal for the sunrise concert "Half a Quartet in a Rowing Boat" was held with rain gear (and a lot of fun), and the short distances from venue to venue were simply covered sometimes with umbrella or turned-up collar. "What was in the foreground," says Mario Steidl, the artistic director of the Jazzfestival, "was the great atmosphere among the audience, artists and team, the great joy of being able to celebrate together again and have a good time in addition to unique concerts and impressions. The fact that we sold more tickets this year than ever before seems to confirm us in this." SAVE THE DATE: The 43rd Jazzfestival Saalfelden will take place from August 17 - 20, 2023! Facts and figures Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2022: - Over 18,000 concert visits - 65 concerts (39 of them free of charge) - 12 venues - 98% occupancy rate on the Mainstage. Record result! - The Short Cuts and Jazz Hikes were completely sold out. - Budget: 780.000 Euro - 150 journalists and organizers - 230 artists from 20 nations (Poland, Greece, Belgium, Austria, USA, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, UK, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Haiti, Turkey, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia, Russia)
Heute startet das 42. Jazzfestival Saalfelden. Konzerte für jeden Geschmack und großartige Stimmung erwarten die Konzertbesucher:innen noch bis 21.08.2022. Aber nicht nur auf den Spielstätten wird der Jazz gelebt. Die gesamte Stadt Saalfelden ist im Jazzfieber und hat sich in eine große Bühne verwandelt: Beim traditionellen „Schaufensterwettbewerb“ ließen 20 Geschäfte ihrer Kreativität freien Lauf und dekorierten mit viel Engagement ihre Schaufenster. Die Jury bestand aus Vertretern des Stadtmarketings Saalfelden und der Saalfelden Leogang Touristik und kürte am Mittwoch, dem 17.08.2022, den Sieger. Gewonnen hat den diesjährigen Schaufensterwettbewerb der neue Eleonas Shop Saalfelden. Die angebotene griechische Feinkost, sowie die Espresso- und Weinbar wurden ganz nach dem Motto „Jazzfestival“ mit viel Kreativität dekoriert. Platz 2 belegte der Weltladen Saalfelden, mit kreativem Selbstgebasteltem, Bildern und Kleidung. Platz 3 ging an das Weinkistl Saalfelden. Bei der Dekoration wurde das Design des diesjährigen Sujets aufgegriffen und die Vitrine mit Konzertbildern, Jazz-Kleidung und anderen jazzigen Highlights geschmückt.
For the first time, Austria’s largest bike region, Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, will host a “super-event” of the newly organized Mountain Bike World Cup for mountain bikers from 15 to 18 June. In addition to the downhill and cross country decisions (short track and Olympic discipline), the Enduro riders will also for the first time determine their World Cup winners at the Epic Bikepark Leogang and Saalbach Hinterglemm. Three exciting mountain bike disciplines in one weekend: there is reason for joy in Saalfelden Leogang due to a restructuring of the international cycling federation (UCI), which for the first time unites all the major mountain bike formats in a common calendar in order to promote the growth of the sport. The combined 2023 calendar for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the Enduro World Series includes 15 World Cup stops with 34 races and will take place in ten countries on three continents. Some new World Cups are also joined by renowned and experienced organizers, such as the team around Kornel Grundner and Marco Pointner in Saalfelden Leogang, which is given a special honor. From 15 to 18 June, Leogang will host the first meeting of the cross-country, downhill and enduro elite at the same venue. Leogang is one of only two triple World Cups in the coming season, which will start with enduro races in Oceania in March and end in Mount Sainte Anne, Canada, in October. “We are very proud to be part of the World Cup action again in 2023 and to be able to welcome a new discipline that fits perfectly into the EPIC Bikepark,” said the organizers, who have made the Mountainbike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang a real summer highlight in Salzburg and beyond over the past decade.
Numerous workshops for all skill levels, the latest test material and much more waiting for you! Saalfelden Leogang will once again be at the centre of the mountain bike action in autumn – the special thing about the BIKE Festival, which also stops at Lake Garda and in Willingen? In addition to numerous renowned bike brands that travel to the Pinzgau with the latest material for testing, this year again some professionals have plenty of time and patience in their luggage to pass on their knowledge to the bike-loving amateurs and to exchange with the fans. For three days from 16 to 18 September, everything revolves around the topic of bike in the EPIC Bikepark Leogang: A large exhibition area with the latest trends on the market and lots of free test material awaits, as well as almost hourly, free workshops for all levels and with well-known experts, including Austria’s most successful male downhiller, Andi Kolb, who could also be recruited as a coach for the BIKE Academy, such as Elias Schwaerzler, Joost Wichmann, Jasper Jauch, Stefan Schlie, Lukas Schaefer or Hanna Steinthaler. The numerous trails and lines in the EPIC Bikepark serve as “classrooms” – participation in the workshops is like admission to the festival grounds free of charge. Discounted lift tickets are available on all three days of the event (minus 15 percent): “It’s the perfect weekend for a visit to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang. All workshops and tours with the professionals are free, all trails and lines are open, there are discounted lift tickets for everyone and a trade fair where visitors can borrow material for testing”, Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Tourism, is also looking forward to the fourth edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang. The popular junior competition, “Scott Junior Trophy Pumptrack”, is also back and offers the youngsters the opportunity to prove their skills on Sunday. Registration for the BIKE Academy tours and workshops for the BIKE Festival in Leogang 2022 starts on August 16th. Participation is free: https://leogang.bike-festival.de/
