Bike
MTB
Let Saalbach transport you to a mountain biking Shangri-La
Explore Austria’s amazing mountain world of Saalbach, with our latest destination guide.
Beautiful mountains, green alpine meadows, cowbells and lederhosen – Saalbach is as traditionally Austrian as it’s possible to get. It’s also the closest thing to mountain biking heaven you’re going to find. Situated within easy reach of Salzburg, it’s surrounded by the Pinzgau Grass Mountains and the Kitzbühel Alps. Think fast-flowing descents and technical trails followed by apple strudel on sun-soaked terraces. Oh, and the gondolas are free if you stay locally.
With the ‘joker card’, the gondolas are free. You’ll be smiling too
© Lukas Pilz
With its long-established bike community Saalbach Hinterglemm is one of the most famous bike regions in Austria. It offers a huge route network, with over 400km of bike trails and a great infrastructure of support for riders.
Hannes Breitfuss flying high on Hacklberg trail among snowy giants
© Lukas Pilz
The resort is both great for cross-country, all-mountain and e-bike riders, anyone who loves riding natural singletrack in great locations, and it’s also a paradise for Enduro and gravity riders, for whom the carved freeride routes with man-made features are a dream.
If you’re looking for more gravity riding you can also take advantage of the neighbouring Bikepark Leogang.
The Saalbach area offers a great service for guests who stay in the valley. The so-called JOKER CARD you get from staying at select hotels and apartments offers numerous discounts and freebies, including free use of all gondolas.
A traditional plate of ‘Brettljausn’ – cold meats and cheese
© Lukas Pilz
Various maintenance zones and tool stations, pumptracks and riding technique areas, bike shops and service centres, events and camps and guiding are also widely available for riders.
The riding
Saalbach Hinterglemm is not a typical bike park. Rather it’s an entire bike valley with endless possibilities. You can ride on four mountains with four cable cars with some routes offering an incredible 1,000m of descent. Single trails, park trails for all abilities, great obstacles, technical cross-country routes, pump tracks – these are just some of the highlights of the valley.
This guide focuses on some of the top trails of the region and gives an overview of the diverse offerings of Saalbach:
X-Line
12 min
POV video: Saalbach, X-line trail
POV riding video of the Xline MTB trail, Saalbach, Austria, June 21, 2018.
The demanding track is located on the northern side of Schattberg mountain. With a length of over 6km and an altitude difference of 1,025m it is one of the longest freeride routes in Europe. One for serious enduro and downhill riders, it begins along flowing trails with panoramic views before steepening into more technical terrain including rock gardens and Northshore elements. It’s also famous for a notorious road gap at the bottom of the trail.
Legendary road gap at the bottom of the X-Line
© Lukas Pilz
In action on Saalbach’s X-Line trail
© Lukas Pilz
Ferdinand the trail dog leads the way
© Lukas Pilz
Easy Northshore across Saalbach’s classic Austrian meadows
© Lukas Pilz
Pro Line
5 min
POV video: Saalbach, Proline trail
POV riding video of the Xline MTB trail, Saalbach, Austria, June 21, 2018.
This advanced freeride trail on the Reiterkogel mountain goes mainly through the forest and offers plenty of rocky sections, berms, doubles, tables, Northshores variation and drops. So basically, it offers it all – one of reasons it’s a regular downhill race venue.
Marlene Krug takes on the roots, rocks and roots of the Pro-Line trail
© Lukas Pilz
If you like air, they got that covered
© Lukas Pilz
Hannes Breitfuss goes full moto style
© Lukas Pilz
Karin Pasterer takes the pro line on the wall ride
© Lukas Pilz
Blue Line
5 min
POV video: Saalbach, Blue Line trail
POV video of the blue line MTB trail in Saalbach, Austria, June 21, 2018.
This easy freeride trail can also be found on the Reiterkogel mountain. It winds through open woodland and fields with an easy gradient which is good for beginners.
The Blue Line features easy berms, small jumps, flat Northshore elements and some tables that even unexperienced riders will enjoy. Also experienced riders can enjoy the fun trail with a lot of speed.
Deni Cudic and Hannes Breitfuss give it some horsepower on the planks
© Lukas Pilz
Not all trails are steep and scary
© Lukas Pilz
Hannes Breitfuss kicks up some easy air on a blue line trail
© Lukas Pilz
Hochalm Trail
6 min
POV video: Saalbach, Hochalm trail
POV video of the Hochalm MTB trail in Saalbach, Austria, June 21, 2018.
This picturesque trail with breath-taking panoramas sits at the quiet end of the valley and can only be reached with a short climb from the top of Reiterkogelbahn to the Reichkendlkopf summit, but it’s worth it. This is also why it is suited for e-bikers.
This intermediate natural trail has a very long downhill through open fields and forest and offers river crossings, sharp turns, light root and stony areas. The tour finishes at the end of the valley, from where you can easily cycle back to your starting point.
Picture postcard – the ascent to the Hochalm trail
© Lukas Pilz
Great riding and great views on the Hochalm trail
© Lukas Pilz
There are plenty of easy trails for e-bike riders and beginners
© Lukas Pilz
The Hacklberg Trail
11 min
POV video: Saalbach, Hacklberg trail
POV video of the Hacklberg MTB trail in Saalbach, Austria, June 21, 2018.
This natural panorama trail in beautiful mountain scenery will help you understand why it is considered one of the best flow trails of the world. But you have to earn your ride first, pedaling and pushing for around 20-30 minutes from Schatterg mountain to the Westgipfel summit up a steep gravel road to the start of the trail. Nevertheless, the unforgettable long descent is definitely worth it. Recently it was voted one of the top ten single trails of the world.
Reflection perfection
© Lukas Pilz
The team enjoy some easy riding among spectacular views
© Lukas Pilz
Head to the Hacklberg trail for heady descents
© Lukas Pilz
Big smiles as the team enjoy some of Saalbach’s epic singletrack
© Lukas Pilz
The BIG-5 Bike Challenge is a unique bike adventure. This stunning loop combines the two regions of Saalbach Hinterglemm and Leogang. You’ll cycle across five mountains with the help of five gondolas. This enormous Enduro tour takes you on the best trails in a single day, offering an unforgettable experience through stunning panoramas on the Pinzgau Grass Mountains and the Kitzbühel Alps, with views of glaciated peaks. It has an unbelievable 5,000m of downhill with only a couple of metres of uphill.
Where to stay
A list of bike friendly hotels can be found on the BIKE’N SOUL website here. They all have important amenities like secure bike storage, changing rooms and laundry area, maintenance and bike wash. Some of them even offer guided MTB and freeride tours for adults and kids alike, and provide a daily packed lunch.
We stayed in the Hotel Saalbacherhof in the center of Saalbach, just one minute away from the bottom station of the Schattberg cable car.
Riding the lifts
The Saalbach bike lifts start operating with a limited service from May to the beginning of June, and then a full service from mid-June until the end of September before going back to a limited service until the beginning of October.
Reiterkogel cable car stays open longer, with daily lifts still running at the end of October. To ensure you’re not unexpectedly faced with a bike carry, check all lift operating dates and times here.
The bike pass costs €34 for four hours and €41 for a full day.
Getting there
Saalbach is situated in the Kitzbühler Alps in the Salzburg region of Austria. The area offers good transportation links. It’s 90km from Salzburg, 20km from Zell am See and 220km from Munich.
Discover the Saalbach area for MTB
© Lukas Pilz
By Car:
ARRIVAL FROM THE EAST/NORTH EAST
Coming from Vienna:
Exit Wals/Lofer (A1) > Bad Reichenhall (B21) > Lofer (B178) > Saalfelden (B311) > in Maishofen continue to Saalbach Hinterglemm (L111)
Coming from Graz:
Exit Selzthal (A9) > Eben (B320) > Bischofshofen (A10) > Zell am See (B311) > in Maishofen continue to Saalbach Hinterglemm (L111)
COMING FROM THE NORTH/NORTH WEST (WITHOUT MOTORWAY VIGNETTE)
Option A:
Exit Siegsdorf (A8) > Inzell (B306) > Schneitzlreuth (B305) > Lofer (B178) > Saalfelden (B311) > in Maishofen continue to Saalbach Hinterglemm (L111)
Option B:
A8 until Inntaldreieck > A93 until Exit Oberaudorf > Kössen (B172) > St. Johann/Tirol (B176) > Saalfelden (B164) > Maishofen (B311) > Saalbach Hinterglemm (L111)
COMING FROM THE SOUTH
A10 until Bischofshofen > Zell am See (B311) > in Maishofen continue to Saalbach Hinterglemm (L111)
By plane
Salzburg (90km) and Munich (220 km) are the most frequently used airports by riders who want to come to Saalbach Hinterglemm. These two airports can be reached fast and cheaply with the Holiday Shuttle, which is a cheap service that brings you directly to your hotel.
Other nearby airports are Innsbruck (160km), Linz (220km) and Klagenfurt (250km)
By train
You can check train times and links for the stations of Zell am See, Salzburg and other cities close by via the Austrian Railways OEBB.
When to go
With lifts open from May, you can start riding almost immediately after the ski season ends. This time of year the Alps are often at their most beautiful, with flowers blooming and snow still on the peaks – and sometimes still on trails. Peak season is over the summer months but September is still a good time to travel. Remember, like any mountain area, the weather can change quickly so always be prepared for different conditions.
With thanks to our partners in Saalbach
Fancy seeing more of our destination guides from locations around Europe? Go to our MTB Destination Guides page
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