Our sport is probably the most beautiful of all. But despite all our love for it, we often get stuck in the mountain bike bubble. In 2022, the motto is to break out and experience something different. From aviation to diving, I'll introduce you to five sports that will give you a change of scenery, but are hardly inferior to mountain biking in terms of experience. By the way, you don't even need to travel to faraway countries for this, as these activities can be practised perfectly in practically all Alpine countries.

Get on your feet

Before you think that Weber is trying to persuade you to experience for yourself what it feels like as a hiker to have approaching mountain bikers at your back, you're wrong. I'm talking about mountain hiking, at least T3 on the hiking scale. A challenging mountain hike where you need your hands, where you can't afford to take a misstep, where you're glad you don't have to lug a bike around with you - you'll enjoy that too. What's more, you'll discover places that you'd otherwise ignore when biking, and when you reach your limits, your body releases roughly the same hormones as when mountain biking. Very importantly, never hike great single trails, as this will only cause you mental pain.

A boat trip is fun...

Water can be used for more than just showering, washing bikes or making coffee. For the adventurous mountain biker, white water rafting offers plenty of variety. No, forget river rafting, because you'll get bored too quickly! Kayaking is the thing, because you are your own captain. The fascinating thing about it is experiencing the unbridled power of a river and learning how to deal with it without becoming a plaything of the water. Beginners' courses at canoe schools already give a good taste of how much action white water can offer. Incidentally, white water rafting is a camaraderie booster, because although you are alone in the boat, it is definitely a team sport.

Free as a bird

The dream of flying prompts many people to take up paragliding. Interestingly, more and more mountain bikers are taking to the skies. This sport is quite complex, starting with the brevet. But to find out whether you like the idea of flying around, it's worth taking a taster course - and it certainly won't stop there. At this point, I'll come out as a non-flyer. Playing bird is not my thing, but when I hear my friends talk about their "flights", the fascination is palpable. Well, too bad I'm not an air person. But maybe you are?

I climb the walls

Climbing? Yeah cool, I do that too - you know, with mats and jumping down. No, I'm not talking about bouldering (climbing at jump height). Annoying trend - everyone's already doing it anyway! Alpine climbing and mountaineering are also on the upswing, but not everyone is doing it. The hurdle for this is significantly higher, because you need a trustworthy partner, you have to deal with various things, the effort is greater and so are the risks. But the most blatant thing is to be cool like in the bouldering hall, nobody here is interested in that. Speaking of which, is anyone coming bouldering tomorrow? As different as mountaineering and mountain biking are, the two sports have similarities: Those who enjoy scrambling around on dizzying rock faces usually also enjoy difficult mountain bike tours where you hump the "Göppel" for hours on end. So go on, grab a mountain guide and let them introduce you to the vertical world!

It's time to dive down

Now it's getting quiet: it's not time to snorkel, it's time to really dive down - the pure opposite of paragliding. Whether in local or distant waters, diving is not for the adrenaline rush. Underwater, you experience silence and weightlessness in a world without haste, hard maneuvers or braking waves - just pure flow. Even if these journeys into underwater worlds are far shorter than a bike tour at the weekend, there is hardly anywhere else where you can switch off so quickly. As with paragliding, you can also go diving without being certified. However, this is not advisable for safety reasons, and it is difficult to get hold of equipment without a diving license. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a certification either, as taster courses will tell you pretty quickly whether you want to spend some of your free time underwater in the future or not.

I hope you have lots of fun trying out one or all of these sports. But if you are disappointed afterwards, you know for sure: mountain biking is and remains the best sport!

More blog posts by Balz Weber

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