New mountain biking routes in the Kitzbühel Alps

Mountain biking in the Kitzbühel Alps

The Kitzbühel Alps are one of Austria's most exciting and challenging areas for mountain biking, but venturing out on the narrow, hilly single tracks is no longer reserved for experts and daredevils. A new trail is aimed at exercisers and the less experienced. And with the new fat tires, you'll see an ever-new sight: mountain bikes out in the snow on huge tires that provide traction.

For several years, the Kitzbühel Alps' biggest attraction for mountain bikers has been the 180-kilometer-long TransKitzAlp trail. The route is divided into four daily stages, and the total climbs reach 8.600 meters in altitude. The demanding tour appeals especially to experienced and trained mountain bikers, who have previously had the hilly trails to themselves. But that is about to change.

New mountain biking KAT Bike concept appeals to a wide audience

In recent years, cycling has become so popular that even less experienced cyclists want to get to the heights and experience the mountains. That's why experienced track designers from the Kitzbühel Alps have set out to create a few alternative routes, which go by the name KAT Bike, and compared to the original TransKitzAlp route, the new tracks are more affordable. However, these are far from Sunday trips, because the KAT Bike routes also have a total length of 180 kilometers, but some of the demanding altitude meters have been cut down. The demanding version of the KAT Bike offers 6.250 altitude meters, while the easy version only has 2.820 altitude meters. The entire KAT Bike tour is spread over four days, and most people can join in.

The new alternative routes open up the possibility for even more guests to experience the fascinating mountain world. And since KAT Bike is divided into stages, you don't have to settle on a specific level before completing the tour. On days when you have "diamonds in your legs", it's obvious to throw yourself into one of the demanding stage variants, and conversely, you can choose an easy stage version if the focus is on coziness, nature experience and togetherness.

Whatever you choose, KAT Bike will lead you through beautiful landscapes with great views and clean, clear mountain air, and the route passes through popular and attractive destinations in Tyrol. And best of all – you don’t have to worry about accommodation and luggage transport. It is possible to book a hotel or guesthouse in advance, and when you arrive late in the afternoon, your luggage will already be brought to your door.

Not just cycling – but also great nature experiences and gastronomy

“We expect a lot from this new initiative,” says Kurt Tropper from the Kitzbüheler Alpen marketing department. Kurt Tropper is an enthusiastic mountain biker himself, and he has had overall responsibility for establishing the new KAT Bike routes.

"The routes are laid out so that guests are presented with the best of the best mountain biking in the Kitzbühel Alps. The tracks lead past Hohe Salve, Brixental, St. Johann in Tirol and the beautiful PillerseeTal, among other places, and if you're into good food, many of the restaurants along the route have embraced the KochArt principle," concludes Kurt Tropper.

The popular KochArt principle is that restaurants that are members of the scheme serve food prepared from locally produced ingredients. There is always a guarantee of high quality at an affordable price, and the KochArt scheme has been a great success since it was introduced.

Four great stages await in KAT Bikes 

Each of KAT Bike's four stages has its own unique character. The first stage, which starts in the small but cozy pilgrimage town of Mariastein, introduces you to mountain biking. There is a 700-meter climb before you reach the finish line in Hopfgarten – the town with the most hours of sunshine in the Kitzbühel Alps.

The second day offers varied non-mountain biking, as the tour leads through the romantic Windau Valley as well as a visit to the cozy villages of Kelchsau and Brixen im Thale. On the second stage, you can choose the easy variant with 1.050 altitude meters, or you can challenge yourself on the demanding version, where 1.600 altitude meters await.

The third day is the king stage of the tour. The final destination is Oberndorf in Tyrol, and you can again choose between an easy and a demanding variant of 800 and 2.000 meters in altitude, respectively. Large parts of the route follow the same track used for the KitzAlpBike marathon – one of the Alps’ most famous races, which brings together some of the world’s best mountain bikers every year. If you choose the demanding version of 2.000 meters in altitude, you can expect a beautiful and challenging descent along the seven-kilometer Fleckalm trail. The famous track was included in the mountain bikers’ World Cup route in 2013, and it is described as “easy to medium”.

The fourth and final stage of the mountain biking route ends in Fieberbrunn. Here too, some beautiful scenery awaits. The route passes, among other things, the two-kilometer-high Kitzbüheler Horn and the idyllic Pillersee near St. Ulrich, and if you have the legs for it, you can choose the demanding variant with an altitude gain of 1.900 meters. If you want the last stage to be more leisurely, the easy variant offers just 270 meters of altitude gain.

Read more about the Kitzbüheler Alpen and KAT Bike at www.kitzalps.com and www.kat-bike.at

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