More than 300 charging stations throughout the region; rental bikes and tours for all types of sport; guides and hosts who know exactly what their customers need; and a landscape that plays perfectly into the hands of all of this. There's no doubt about it: Salzburgerland is e-bike fit.
Whether in laid-back Saalbach Hinterglemm, beginner-friendly Wagrain-Kleinarl, idyllic Tennengau, the innovative Hochkönig region, the enjoyable Salzburger Saalachtal, the wild and romantic Wildkogel Arena or the diverse region around Zell am See-Kaprun - the e-bike has found its place. And its fans will hopefully find interesting news and exciting suggestions for their next e-mountainbike holiday on the following pages, where the motto is: Get on and enjoy!
Relaxed from alp to alp
Uphill, downhill and generally: e-biking is becoming increasingly popular in Salzburgerland.
"In principle, it can be assumed that the e-bike - especially in the 'uphill' and enduro sector - will be the 'standard bike' in a few years (...)." These are the words of the Salzburgerland 2017 mountain bike trail concept, drawn up by the province of Salzburg, tourism, alpine associations, the Chamber of Agriculture, hunters and many more. The e-bike, recently ridiculed as a "pensioner's bike", has finally arrived in the minds of planners, riders and thinkers. It has already taken the hearts of its users - bikers of all ages, interests and riding levels - by storm.
The following pages show impressively that you are already in good hands with your requirements and expectations in Salzburgerland. This is because successful products and tourist offers relating to e-bikes have already been devised here for many years. So you could say that the mountain bike trail concept is the result of developments that began years ago ...
Further information and tips for e-biking in Salzburgerland on www.salzburgerland.com.
From Salzburg into the world
What began in 2012 with 22 stations in the Hochkönig and Flachau regions is now the market and technology-leading standard in Europe: e-bike charging stations from bike-energy.
Thousands of charging points have already been installed from Norway to Mallorca. The expertise comes from MEGAtimer in Hallein, while the manufacturer is Stranger Elektrotechnik in Altenmarkt.
The highlight of the system: charging is carried out using an "intelligent" cable that is compatible with all standard e-bikes. The bulky and weather-sensitive home charger can stay at home and the theft-prone battery can remain locked to the bike. The smart analysis unit also adapts the charging currents to the state of charge and battery type, thus filling the battery up to twice as fast as via the socket. Positioned in places where breaks are a must - cafés, restaurants or mountain huts - bikers can also recharge their batteries themselves.
Interview with bike-energy sales manager and managing director Peter Schitter
Several thousand charging points across Europe within six years - was this success planned?
We expected the boom in electromobility. But we were surprised that it would hit us like this, not least thanks to a few patents - in a positive way, of course. The next steps will be exciting. We are currently finalising sales for North America ...
Bike energy is presented with a lot of local colour. How does that go down?
The regional idea was very important to us from the very beginning. Whether injection moulds, foiling or electronics: the added value remains in the Salzburg region. In this respect, the shoots on our doorstep were an obvious choice. Our customers like it, they even make holiday plans in view of our magnificent mountain world. For urban areas, we will probably need other motifs in future. But with Hallein and Salzburg, we have all the options.
Your network of charging stations is particularly dense in Salzburgerland. Is it sheer home advantage, or are the local holiday regions more e-bike-friendly than others?
Of course, personal contacts were helpful at the beginning. But in terms of tourism, the topic has simply gained a foothold here more quickly than elsewhere. This is certainly also due to our many mountains. However, the real boom is taking place in urban and commercial areas, where the German market is much stronger.
What are you working on for the future?
We have two projects in the test phase: the Supercharger, which charges batteries within ten minutes. And as a two-in-one solution, a bike lock that can also be used for charging.
Find out more at www.bike-energy.com.
Taster days: E-biking, how does it work? Wagrain-Kleinarl skilfully takes beginners by the hand
It sounds so tempting: "Biking with a tailwind". "Up the mountain pasture without sweating". "Speed at the touch of a button". But what if it's been years since your last bike tour and a modern e-MTB seems like a closed book? How do you react when the gravel gets deeper and the gradient gets steeper? And where the heck is that charging station now?
In the Wagrain-Kleinarl region, such questions don't even arise, as an all-round carefree package is available especially for pedelec beginners. Guided e-bike tours are offered twice a week with a trainer, hire bike and helmet. After familiarising yourself with the equipment and basic techniques, you set off into the beautiful natural landscape of the Salzburger Sportwelt.
The tour destinations are fixed - such as beautiful mountain lakes or cosy mountain pastures. Depending on the fitness and ability of the participants, the route home can also be varied or extended.
These taster mornings are organised by Bike-Welt Wagrain, whose shop at the bike park is also the meeting point and accepts registrations until the evening before: www.bike-welt.at
E-mountainbike tips for the Wagrain Kleinarl region can also be found on www.wagrain-kleinarl.at.
In Hirscher's footsteps
The Loseggalm - a Tennengau highlight with a picture-book panorama, hut romance and a celebrity connection.
Wherever you turn in Annaberg: Ski star Marcel Hirscher is part of the party ... The cable car gondola with the number 1, which floats away from the valley station just as we approach the meeting point: his portrait on it. The ski school at the Donnerkogel lift, which is now the central starting point for all local MTB trails and rents out high-quality e-bikes: decorated with a life-size Hirscher bouncer. The hut that freeride alpine guide Flo Rettenegger takes us to: a good place to look over to the mountain pasture where Marcel grew up.
But the real star of the day is clearly our tour destination. The longer we pedal up on our e-bikes, the better we understand why the rustic Loseggalm is considered the most beautiful hut tour in Tennengau: how lovely the Lammertal valley with its countless mountain pastures spreads out before us! How proudly the Tennengebirge mountains tower above us! And how majestically the Gosaukamm finally blends in at the top! The icing on the cake is the gigantic Brettljause snack with cheese from our own alpine dairy ... You really don't think about Marcel!
You can find more information about the Tennengau bike region at www.tennengau.com.
It's all in the mix
E-bike and more: In the Wildkogel Arena, the cable car and train also support bikers' mobility - free of charge!
A small card opens up a big world for e-bikers around Neukirchen and Bramberg. The Nationalpark Sommercard MOBIL guarantees maximum mobility - in addition to countless free entries and discounts. Daily free rides on the Pinzgau local railway from Krimml to Zell am See are just as possible as free use of the Wildkogelbahn and the Smaragdbahn. And e-bikes can be rented particularly cheaply with this all-inclusive card.
Combined with the rental and battery exchange stations of the Movelo partner region and the e-bike charging stations, mighty glaciers, magnificent peaks and slender calves are no longer a contradiction in terms in the Wildkogel Arena. On the contrary, this mixture also opens up the treasures of the region to less trained bikers: deeply incised trough valleys with mountain bike trails right up to the edge of the glacier, lovely meadows and hamlets along the perfectly developed Tauern Cycle Path or imposing grassy mountains with unobstructed views of the three thousand metre peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park ...
The National Park Summer Card MOBIL valid from 1 May to 31 October 2018 and is included in the accommodation price at over 130 participating hosts in the Wildkogel Arena.
You can find more information about the Wildkogel Arena bike region at www.wildkogel-arena.at.
Wild or mild?
One name, two options. The Wetterkreuz is a prime example of the great freedom of choice in the Salzburger Saalachtal.
With 480 kilometres of signposted mountain bike trails, e-bikers are spoilt for choice in the picturesque Salzburger Saalachtal. From idyllic leisure tours to challenging, cross-border sporting tours, everything is possible in the land of countless e-bikes for hire, charging stations and bike-friendly accommodation.
The Wetterkreuz trail circuit also offers a customised challenge for the growing number of technically experienced, downhill-oriented e-mountain bikers - not least because the ascent is crisp enough to be grateful for the built-in tailwind with every pedal stroke.
The gentler alternative in terms of riding technique is called the Wetterkreuz tour and leads from the panoramic summit high above the Saalachtal valley instead of via the trail back to Unken on to the Perchthöhe, and from there via the Hochalm, the Heutal and Gföll back to the starting point. This makes an e-mountainbike-ideal 1400 metres in altitude within 28 scenically beautiful kilometres. And don't forget the halfway stop for a snack: Hochalm, Nockenschüssel or Kasknödl, definitely!
Even more e-mountainbike tips for the Salzburger Saalachtal on www.lofer.com.
Multifaceted
Freeriding under the glacier or cruising around the lake: Zell am See-Kaprun interprets e-biking in many different ways.
Charging the battery at 2450 metres above sea level? Where can you do that? In Zell am See-Kaprun. There, e-bikes can be charged free of charge at the new charging station at the Gletschermühle restaurant in the Alpincenter on the Kitzsteinhorn. This also makes the three freeride trails that start at the Alpine Centre easier to reach. In particular, the technically somewhat easier Bachler Trail, the start of which is behind a counter-climb, can be attempted several times to save energy.
The e-motocross park near the mountain station of the areitXpress & cityXpress in Zell am See is even faster. But the region wouldn't be a hotspot for e-bikers if there weren't also numerous other tour options. Relaxation and satisfaction come naturally on leisurely laps around Lake Zell. And uphill routes such as those to the Mitterberghof, the Schoberalm or the Enzianhütte lose their terror and end with true culinary delights and the enjoyment of nature ...
You can find more information about the Zell am See-Kaprun bike region at www.zellamsee-kaprun.com.
Boost your limits!
More trails, more experiences, more enjoyment. This is what Saalbach Hinterglemm offers e-bikers with its comprehensive services and generous infrastructure.
Flow reigns supreme in the seemingly endless and partly purpose-built network of trails in the "Home of lässig" in the Pinzgau Grasberge. Trail enthusiasts, enduro riders and downhillers feel right at home here.
But some panoramic trails are energy-sapping, and those who already need all their concentration for the metres downhill may be grateful for support on the remaining metres uphill. "E-mountain bikes are a casual way of maximising the experience, balancing out differences in the group, improving the ratio of ascent to descent and increasing the tour range," says the tourism association.
The recommendations range from an initial riding technique course with a trained guide and rental bike to refuelling the batteries of bike and biker at the mountain huts to the ultimate touring adventure: "Easily extend the popular Big 5 circuit to a Big 10, and maybe even in one day!" In other words: 10 cable car rides, 10,000 metres downhill, 140 kilometres - and countless unforgettable moments ...
More information about the Saalbach Hinterglemm bike region can be found at www.saalbach.com.
Pioneer
The Hochkönig region was an early adopter of e-bikes. Today, guests and locals alike are reaping the rewards of this pioneering spirit.
As a bike-energy pilot region, we achieved something ground-breaking in 2015 after several years of development work. "We were the first destination in the world with a comprehensive network of charging stations for all common systems from the valley up to the mountain pastures," explains Christine Scharfetter, Managing Director of Hochkönig Tourismus GmbH.
In the meantime, some tourist areas have followed suit in this respect. However, the overall offer for e-bikers at the foot of the 2941 METRE high main summit of the Berchtesgaden Alps is still unrivalled (see info box). Especially since the Flowtrail Hochkönig, a modern downhill variant, has added to the fun.
Speaking of fun: why not go on holiday by bike, but without luggage? "Königstour" is the name of the corresponding four-day package offer (details: www.hochkoenig.at).
The absolute highlight, however, is the ii-Tour: 113 kilometres and 5,000 metres of altitude difference from alpine pasture to alpine pasture - child's play on an e-MTB.
E-biking on the Hochkönig in figures
- 18 charging stations
- Highest e-bike charging station at 1900 metres above sea level
- 30 e-bikes for hire in 3 locations
- 27 e-bike routes
- 2 guided E-MTB tours/week
Hochkönig Card
The Hochkönig Card is free with an overnight stay in one of the partner businesses. It offers many discounts and free offers, including guided mountain bike and e-bike tours, summer lifts with bike transport and hiking bus.
On www.hochkoenig.at for more information about the Hochkönig bike region.
