Gurgl opens winter season with fresh snow and World Cup double pack
Thanks to fresh precipitation and official snow inspection approved by the International Ski Federation (FIS), Gurgl officially starts the 2024/25 winter season. Building on last year’s successful Ski World Cup premiere, those responsible are looking forward to hosting two slalom races for women (Saturday, 23 November) and men (Sunday, 24 November). Tickets for this ultimate ski festival are available online, at all Raiffeisen banks, Ö-Ticket offices and directly on site. With a valid admission ticket, the use of local public transport from Ötztal-Bahnhof and back again is already included.
The steep race slope on Rettenbach Glacier is in top conditions. It was confirmed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) during the formal snow inspection on 17 October. All signs are therefore pointing to a fabulous start to the Alpine Ski World Cup season with tens of thousands of fans, exciting races and brilliant comebacks. Tickets are available online at soelden.com and directly on site. They also include free shuttle bus rides from Ötztal-Bahnhof to the event.Sölden is ready to promise all top athletes and their fans a truly superlative ski festival at the start of the season. The
The 43[rd] edition of the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon took place on 01 September 2024. About 4,226 participants from 36 nations (341 women, 3,885 men) started in Sölden at 6:30 am, followed by four Alpine passes on 227 kilometers covering 5,500 altitude meters: Kühtai, Brenner, Jaufen Pass and finally the 29-kilometer long climb to Timmelsjoch. Germany’s Janine Meyer and Jack Burke from Canada celebrated their second “Ötztaler” victory while Janine Meyer even set a new marathon course record.Last January, a total of almost 22,000 registrations for the race were recorded. The coveted starting
Next Sunday, 01 September, the 43[rd] Ötztaler Cycle Marathon will again be the cycling classic in the Alps. Almost 22,000 cyclists from around the globe have registered, only 4,000 lucky ones got a starting place. As well as many former winners and women, whose number at the “Ötztaler” is constantly increasing. Hahnenkamm winner Thomas Dreßen is eagerly looking forward to his premiere.The cycling spectacle in Ötztal makes the hearts of cycling fans beat faster year after year. Next Sunday, the 227 kilometer long loop course with a total of 5,500 altitude meters, leads from Sölden via
After a successful pilot project last year, the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon and the Škoda car brand are expanding their cooperation in 2024. Nine all-electric vehicles, provided by Porsche Tirol, will flank the racing convoy over the 227 km long route featuring 5,500 altitude meters. The “Ötztaler” is thus serving as a valuable role model for even more sustainability at major cycling events.When the starting signal for the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon (ÖRM) is given on 01 September 2024, some 4,000 racing cyclists will once again compete on the legendary loop track across four alpine passes. A fleet
A highly innovative community format for the world elite of biking sports and their fans: all of this is combined in the first edition of BYND The Mountain taking place in Sölden in September 2024. Three days brimming with trail and bike fun, top-class contests featuring stars such as Sam Pilgrim, Casey Brown and Patricia Druwen as well as festival flair including music and side events will define this ultimate bike festival. Among the highlights is the Swatch Nines Public Day in the newly designed 20,000 m[2] Competition Area. The playground pushes the world’s slopestyle and freeride elite
The organizers of the first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Slalom in Gurgl have new reason to celebrate. The major sports event came out on top of the Austria-wide ‘Win Sustainably!’ competition. The network of “Green Events Austria” has been organizing this campaign for 13 years by putting exemplary sports and cultural events and clubs in the spotlight.In 2024, exactly 127 events and clubs from all over Austria took part in the competition. In the "Sports Events" category, Gurgl’s Alpine Ski World Cup is one of the winners alongside with Upper Austria Ladies Linz and Lake of Charity X in
A snow depth of almost 425 cm in the Sölden Glacier Ski Area encourages avid winter sports enthusiasts to take out their equipment again until 01 May before the summer break will start. Thousands of visitors were also impressed by the perfect slope conditions at events such as Hannibal, the 10[th] anniversary of the Electric Mountain Festival and the art exhibition by Austrian design icon Stefan Sagmeister.Even at the very end of the season, Sölden more than lives up to its reputation as “Heartbeat of the Alps”. The slopes on Rettenbach and Tiefenbach Glaciers are open until 01 May and
"Sölden is looking for the Gastronomic Super Talent" taking place in Sölden and Ötztal’s Gourmet Ambassador initiative are great sources of inspiration for the next generation of tourism professionals. For the second edition of “Sölden is looking for the Gastronomic Super Talent”, 40 students from Tirol, Upper Austria, Vienna and South Tyrol came together to show off their skills in exciting challenges in service, cooking and marketing. The upcoming talents were judged by absolute top stars of the scene such as Marco Müller from Berlin or Tirol’s top chefs Peter Fankhauser and Michael Ploner.
For five entire days, Sölden was the Heartbeat of the Alps dedicated to the “10 Years of Electric Mountain Anniversary Festival”. International top acts such as John Newman, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike as well as the German rap star Ski Aggu thrilled the audience. The appearance of ski star Lucas Braathen symbolized the alliance between sports and entertainment. The athlete, who will compete for his mother homeland Brazil in the future, prepared for his sporting comeback at the World Cup Opening in Sölden while enjoying also the unrivaled festival atmosphere.Mountains, beats and boots. The
High art in the high mountains can be admired in the Ötztal Alps from late February 2024: popular design artist and Grammy award winner Stefan Sagmeister is showing his current exhibition “Besser und Besser” / “Better and Better” in Sölden’s ice Q at 3,048 meters above sea level. The New York-based Austrian calls for more optimism by using artistic data visualizations in order to point out the positive facts and figures of our era to all visitors. The artist, who already designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, has many surprisingly positive things to report. From a comparative
The Bike Republic Sölden strengthens its partnership with the Green Hill Bikepark in Germany, with the BYND festival taking turns in the two locations. The unique event merges a wide range of MTB disciplines and joins elite athletes with everyday riders, a party up on the mountain with great contests in the valley. The festival’s highlight is the Swatch Nines MTB-Show, a six-day spectacle with the world’s best slopestyle and freeride stars showcasing their skills on a custom-built track. Plus, the “Bike Republic Sölden Festival BYND The Mountain” is packed with action-packed sports events,
For the 7[th] time already, participants can prove themselves at the Stuiben Trail Run in Umhausen and the Glacier Trail Run in Gurgl. Early bird discounts on starting places limited to 850 athletes per event are available until 31 December 2023. Additionally, the organizers want to set an example in terms of safety, sustainability and regionality.From 23 to 25 May and from 18 to 20 July 2024, Tirol’s longest valley will once again attract countless running enthusiasts to the trails of Ötztal. Starting with the Stuiben Trail Run in Umhausen in May, followed by the Glacier Trail Run in Gurgl
Ötztal’s tourist destination of Sölden was the perfect location for the award ceremony of Red Bull Illume, the world's largest competition for adventure and action sports photography. For the first time in the 17-year history of the competition, a female photographer took the title of overall winner. Australia’s Krystle Wright convinced the international jury with her creative climbing image. Ötztal photographer Rudi Wyhlidal won the surprise category "Best Sölden Picture". The top 50 pictures can be viewed free of charge every day until 21 December in an outdoor gallery at Gaislachkogl
In its 17[th] edition, the charitable hotel industry meeting once again sent a strong signal of solidarity and compassion. True to the motto “Tirol’s gastronomy supports Tiroleans,” restaurant owners and gastronomy partners from all over Tirol gathered in uppermost Ötztal. This year, the participants are pleased about net proceeds of EUR 28,660. The money will be distributed among people throughout Tirol in the form of unbureaucratic direct aid.“A simple idea with a lot of power.” This is how Benjamin Kneisl, chairman of Ötztal Tourismus, outlines the concept of the charitable hotel
After the Austrian triple triumph at the first Alpine Ski World Cup men's slalom in Ötztal, the organizers are also taking stock of the economic success. The added value generated by the sports event is estimated at 1.8 million Euros. Added to this is the attention made by the media and online presence for the start of the winter season in Gurgl. On Austrian television, around half a million viewers watched the slalom race action on Kirchenkar slope.The work and commitment of the past few months have been worth it. Alban Scheiber, project manager of the World Cup in Gurgl, looks back with
Alec Bob from the USA and Christa von Neuhaeusern from Switzerland won the rainbow jerseys at the UCI Pump Track World Championships in Austria.Europe's largest outdoor park, Area 47 in the Oetztal valley in Austria, was the venue for the 4th UCI Pump track World Championship on 18th November. In this young sport, participants from 21 countries completed a compact asphalt circuit full of waves and steep curves on BMX or mountain bikes. At speeds of up to 35 km/h, loads of up to 10G are reached for fractions of a second in the tight curves and falls are therefore often severe. After a crash,
One week before the start of the Alpine Ski World Cup in Ötztal, summer and winter sports stars have gathered at Rettenbachferner last weekend. During the Team Camp of Germany’s BORA – hansgrohe cycling team, the group around top star Primoz Roglic made their first turns on World Cup snow together with Marlies Raich and Benjamin Raich. Valuable tips came from the former ÖSV ski stars and local heroes Franziska Gritsch and Fabio Gstrein, who qualified for the World Cup Opening in Sölden for the first time.Ötztal Tourismus has been BORA - hansgrohe's "Official Training Destination" for four
One week before the ski stars open the Alpine Ski World Cup season in Sölden, the BORA - hansgrohe cycling professionals will end their season. The eagerly awaited first appearance of the famous newcomer Primoz Roglic is also expected at the team camp.International media are talking about the coup of the year that BORA - hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk achieved by signing a contract with the Slovenian superstar. Primoz Roglic, who only found his way into cycling at the age of 23 after his ski jumping career, is one of the top stars of the international cycling scene. In his career he has won
The unrivaled Ötztal Bike Nation celebrates the end of the season in the usual manner with a national holiday, or rather a whole weekend. From 29 September to 01 October, a special event awaits bicycle fans of all ages. They can indulge in regional delicacies, enjoy rides guided by top athletes or take part in the third Bicycle Parade. By the way: the summer mountain lifts are in operation until 03 October.Bikers from near and far get their money's worth in the cycling paradise of Sölden. That's why they celebrate the end of season with a great party. No matter what age, ultimate fun and
Alpine nature and service at the highest level. This is what Gurgl in upper Ötztal is known for. The ultimate ALPINE TIME OUT invites mountain enthusiasts to explore the mountain world around Gurgl on foot, by cable car or bicycle between 23 June to 17 September. Excursion destinations such as the Motorcycle Experience World, active culinary enjoyment and exciting events of the Alpine ARTtime round off this truly unique experience. This year's highlight: SCENARIOS FOR PEACE exhibition at Gurgl Carat from 04 August to 15 September.No trace of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the
Dreamlike weather for many dreamers prevailed at the 42[nd] edition of the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon. Some 4335 participants tackled the most legendary cycling marathon of the Alps in Sölden. The Italian ex-professional Manuel Senni won the men's race ahead of MTB world champion Alban Lakata, who despite a defect still made it onto the podium. In the women's class, Germany's Janine Meyer smashed the previous record with a start-to-finish victory. All finishers were celebrated like winners by thousands of spectators. The two-time world champion Johannes Lamparter was super strong as well!The
Back to the original date is the motto of the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon cult race. In order to give all athletes enough time for application, planning and training, the organizers announce next year's event date in advance of this year's event. The 43rd edition of the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon with start and finish in Sölden will take place on Sunday, 01 September 2024.A distance of 227 kilometers, 5500 altitude meters and four Alpine passes. These are the hard facts for almost 4000 participants from all over the world who tackle the Ötztaler myth. One variation in 2023: the earlier date at the
