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My visions of mountain biking through the alpine forests of Austria involved sitting down on the bike and maybe navigating a few tree roots, with a twist or turn here or there, but very little adrenalin fun.

The minute I was passed the full face protection helmet dirt bike riders, wearing a pair of knee and elbow pads, I knew I was totally out of touch with what mountain biking in Austria meant.

The Bike Republic Sölden is a downhill mountain bike park in Ötztal Valley of the Austrian Alps.

It has several natural trails of varying level of difficulty, which have been designed by some of the world’s leading mountain bike trail designers (yes, that’s someone’s job) and is all about the thrill.

In this guide, we share everything you need to know about this park, and our experience.

About Bike Republic Solden

Bike Republic opened in 2015 and has some of the best mountain bike routes in the Alps.

It has 30 trails in total, spanning 30 km – 18 natural paths and 12 well-maintained lined, which cater to all levels of experience from beginner through to expert.

Trails have steep curves, wallrides, scooters and also spirals – the more difficult trails even have jumps! 

Labelled like ski runs, the trails range from blue to black, the blue being the easy “family” trail, and the black being for expert riders.

That’s Austrian family, not Australian family.

It also connects to 13 Enduro tracks spanning 213 km, and 14 MTB routes spanning 241 km.

Also within the park are 30 alpine huts that offer a place to stop for a rest, bite to eat, and amazing views.

There are also bike washing stations at three locations, two pump tracks with a skill center, a bike shop, six bike schools, five chair lifts, and five mountain rescuers.

Opening Hours & Entrance Fees

Bike Republic Solden is open in the summer through to Autumn from 6th June, 2025 – 5th October, 2025.

Mountain bikers have a variety of ticket options to choose from, from half a day tickets to multi-day tickets. You can also book guided tours and classes.

There are also special weekend rates and season tickets available. If you decide to purchase the Ötztal Inside Summer Card, there are discounts on MTB tickets and bike rentals.

You can purchase tickets online, or from the cash desk at Gaislachkogl Gondola and Giggijoch gondola (but not at Langegg chairlift and Hochsölden-Rotkogl gondola). Due to long lines, we recommend booking tickets online and save yourself some time.

The trails are open dependent on the gondola and chair lift times. They typically operate daily from these times:

• Gaislachkogl Gondola i: 8:30am – 4:45pm, last downhill ride from midway station at 5:00pm
• Giggijoch Gondola: 8:30am – 4:45pm, last downhill ride at 5:00pm
• Hochsölden – Rotkogl Gondola: 8:30am – 4:45pm, last downhill ride at 5:00pm, closed for lunch between 12:00pm – 1:00pm
• Langegg Chairlift: 9:00am – 4:00pm, last downhill ride at 4:00pm
• Zentrum Shuttle: 8:30am – 8:00pm

On Fridays between the 4th July and 22nd August, visitors can enjoy a late night opening on the Gaislachkogl I gondola until 7:15pm, for extra flow and sunset rides.

Popular Trails at Bike Republic

Fernar Trail

• Distance: 6 km
• Descent: 1,500 metres
• Skill level: advanced

This is the hardest trail in the park, and also the most popular. It’s not to be braved by the inexperienced, and only for those who have technical skills, a strong mind and physique, and a lot of nerve.

It begins at the Tiefenbach glacier (2.800 metres), before following a deep black, challenging trail down to Gaislach.

It has steep passages, gnarly switchback, huge boulders, and shaped lines.

There are some alpine wooden huts to take breaks at though.

Gahe Line

• Distance: 7.4 km
• Descent: 620 metres
• Skill level: beginner

A trail recommended for beginners is the Gahe Line. While the Gaislachkogl side is quite technical, the Giggijoch side is still pulsating but not quite as challenging.

This line is more of a meandering slope from Sonnblick to Grünwald, and also connects to the Harbe with the Lettn line (more on those below).

Ollweite Line

• Distance: 7 km
• Descent: 712 metres
• Skill level: Intermediate

This line is for those seasoned mountain bikers who have already grasped the technique and feel confident.

It starts below the Langegg mountain station and ends at the Hühnersteign, making it one of the longest lines in the park.

It’s a challenging trail with berms, jumps, blocked stone fields, and wooden constructions.

Harbe Line

• Distance: 2.2 km
• Descent: 178 metres
• Skill level: beginner

The Harbe line is another beginner trail, but it’s still offers an adventurious terrain with some steep sections and tight curves.

It starts at Giggijoch mountain station and finishes at Hochsölden.

Lettn Line

• Distance: 1.5 km
• Descent: 127 metres
• Skill level: beginner

This is another easy trail which is more like a nature trail than a downhill mountain bike route (that does mean more pedalling though!).

It passes through a lovely, fragrant forest, meadow and finishes at Giggijochbahn.

Teäre Line

• Distance: 5.2 km
• Descent: 575 metres
• Skill level: intermediate

This was the first line the Bike Republic built, so it’s somewhat of an iconic trail to tackle. It has around 130 turns, a few wall rides, and a wooden platform called the “screw.”

Enduro Silbert

• Distance: 18km
• Descent: 670 metres
• Skill level: advanced

The Enduro Silbert trail is one for the experienced mountain bikers, with two gnarly natural singletracks, it’s one that will get the heart pumping!

Part of the Enduro route, Silbert is for those who want a challenge of rough downhills.

Be mindful of altitude, the highest altitude is 1,959 metres.

This trail does a loop from Freizeit Arena in Solden.

Our Experience Riding in Bike Republic Solden

We were heading up to the Bike Republic Solden, which on their website, is described as a roller coaster on wheels!!

With trail names that mean “head-strong”, “strong-willed and stubborned”, I found myself once again wishing I had done some research into what kinda trail this was.

This was the most intense and scary adventurous activity I have ever done because the risk was so high.

I’ve done bungy jumping, white water rafting, and plenty of zip lines and obstacle courses; all of which you’re pretty secured into a harness and would be very unlucky to hurt yourself.

Even though we were getting flipped off the boat on Grade 5 rapids called the BAD Place on the Nile River, I felt pretty safe.

Not when mountain biking, it was something that involved a high amount of concentration, intense physical exertion, balance, agility strength, and fearlessness.

This was mountain bike riding where the seat was really low and bouncy –  this did not matter as this was not sit down mountain bike riding. We were standing up the entire time riding down the hill.

It was only the intensity of the standing that changed – almost straight leg coasting, or crouched down tense muscles engaged.

Pump track training with Ride On

I was exhausted after the training… and scared.

The training form the crew at Ride On bike school was excellent. They were very thorough in teaching, modelling and helping us get the technical moves before we went up the mountain.

Although I handled the dips of the Pump Track and going down a slightly steep incline on the training area track, I still felt shaky and considered pulling out.

I have no photos or videos.

I did not want to take anything that would distract my attention or add any extra weight.

Some of my fearless friends on the trip took theirs so I thank them for the use of their photos!

Gorgeous views from the top of Solden

The trip started off beautifully – taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain – my mouth aghast, not only at the incredible view of the Austrian Alps but also at the realization that the higher we went the further down we’d have to come on our bikes.

This is Serious Mum. Lucky Mum did not know I as doing this or she’d be freaking out.

We pulled at the very top at the ICE Q restaurant on top of Gaislachkogl peak.

I would have loved to sit down with a beer or coffee and soak up those views and play a little longer in the snow, but it was trail bike riding time and I was ready.

The mountain bike crashes

Becki, Sabrina and I began on the easier road hill to get to the first track. The others took a slightly harder trail to meet us.

I started down the hill behind the others and the next thing I knew I was flying over the handlebars and crashing onto the ground –first impact chest, followed by jaw and then head.

Thank goodness for the serious helmet.

I wasn’t even on the serious trail yet and my nerves got the better of me, somehow making me press a little too hard on the front brake and sending me catapulting through the air.

The girls didn’t hear my cries for help as they were in front and already moving quickly down the mountain.

So I had to pick myself up, brush myself off, without hurting my scraped up hand and shakily walk down the mountain to meet them at the start of the trail.

I was so annoyed that I came off right at the beginning.

I decided to breathe deep and take on the trail – I Can Do This.

I was enjoying it and our guide from Ride On behind us kept calling out excellent instructions to me to help me remember how to stand and hold my body to guide myself through the twists and turns down the mountain.

The intensity of it was full on – the concentration that was required, the managing of my fear, and the physical strain.

Despite being high up the mountain where we had just saw snow I was hot and sweaty.

I was almost down the hill of this section when Sabrina came off her bike in front of me narrowly missing falling off the edge.

Oh My God. What are we doing? This is crazy. My confidence eroded even more.

I decided to skip the next section and ride down the road instead, gathering up my courage to attempt the next section which they said was the easiest of the lot.

I felt like I could do it.

I did handle the other part of the trail okay. If I didn’t come off at the very beginning I would probably have been okay to keep going.

But as we were waiting down the bottom for the others to come off the trail, Becki lost her balance and did a spectacular backward fall and multiple rolls with her bike down the hill and landed on her back narrowly missing a gigantic rock.

Right that’s it. I’m taking a taxi back!!

Enjoying the risk-free lunch views

She was completely shaken up and we decided to walk the rest of the way to the 300 year old mountain hut Gampe Thaya where we had organised to have lunch.

It was then I decided I was definitely taking the cab down.

Weighing up the risk rewards, I realized the chances – due to my skill level and confidence – of me crashing again and really hurting myself were very high and not worth the reward of the adventure.

With my lifestyle and work, and two kids at home, I can’t manage injuries, and I don’t want anything like that to get in the way of my enjoyment traveling with the girls and doing slightly less adventurous, but fun things with them.

I was happy with my decision and relaxed on the sun terrace with a delicious farm lunch and incredible views of the valley.

It’s all a story to tell in the end

Boy did we have some stories to share and laugh over for the rest of the day.

The rest of the crew continued on with the adventure and met us down the bottom of the mountain in one piece and incredibly happy.

They said it was the mountain biking in Bike Republic, Solden was their favorite activity of our time in Otztal and definitely worth it. They were making plans to come back and do it again.

If you are visiting Austria, and looking for adventure this is the thing for you to do!

Even though I had the spills and an undesired premature end I loved the experience and the thrill of it.

It’s all a story to tell in the end, and we got some good ones.

Becki and I had to go to the doctors. Many thanks to Holger for taking great care of us. Becki was checked over for concussion and any internal injuries.

I had to have the gravel and stones embedded into my hand from my fall scraped out. Yeah. That was fun. I wanted to keep them in there and let them grow out to avoid the pain, but Holger wouldn’t let me!!

Bike School Ride On has various bike programs and prices. Check here for more. We had a blast together and I’m so glad our group dynamic was positive and fun.

Check out Area 47 – the most extreme water park in the world that we visited the day before.

Austria Travel Video

Watch our experience in Austria, including our mountain biking adventure, in the following Youtube videos.

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