MOUNTAIN BIKING AT WEISSENSEE

The path is well-worn by cows. The wind rushes across your face and the smell of the forest is in your nose. Roots. Stones. A small stream. The water splashes and your adrenaline level is rising.

Try this once and you'll be coming back for more again and again: that feeling of happiness when your tires hit the forest floor in the fast downhill. The ease of it all when you're just in the "flow" of things and your wheels seem to spin under their own power and find their way, even around difficult turns and obstacles.

But it doesn't have to be the extra kick on a single trail with a 3.3 km downhill route, even if it's not only fun for experienced cyclists, but for beginners too with its easy stretches. The technique course at the Naggler Alm is an ideal and safe way to better get to know the sport. As the name suggests, it also serves as a practice lap for more experienced athletes. Austria's first mountain bike hotel offers targeted training and advice and rentals.

You can really get going on the Rauna Path toward the fully-functional "Old Mill" after the first warm-up lap. If you dare to go up to the lofty "white wall" rock formation, it offers a breathtaking view out over the valley. Despite an empty stomach, the northern mountain range must first be overcome. As a reward, as in the traditional poem Alm Behind the Brunn, traditional specialties, such as Kasnudel or Kaiserschmarrn, await you.