It doesn't always have to be New Zealand if you want to ride in winter. In Austria, the "world's only downhill series on snow", the Schneefräsn. A total of four races will also be organized this winter. The Crosspark Reiteralm Fräsn, near Schladming, kicked things off on 25 January 2025. Around 70 starters tackled the challenge in truly perfect weather. While the European Cup skiers trained on one side of the cross park, the downhillers plunged down the mountain on the other.

Downhill on snow cannot be compared to the feeling of riding on solid ground. If the slope is frozen hard, it can quickly become a slippery ride, but at the same time the solid surface allows for a good speed. If, on the other hand, the snow is slushy, the choice of line becomes all-important. The piste on the Reiteralm was perfectly groomed and offered good grip. Even though the sunshine and 70 participants left deep tracks with their training runs. The big advantage when the piste is properly ploughed: falls are less painful.

General rehearsal for the Snow Bike World Championships in Châtel

Andreas Kolp, Schneefräsn racer from Switzerland, coped best with the conditions at the first race of the season. Whether this is due to the similarity in name to the Austrian downhill pro Andreas Kolb, who incidentally lives just around the corner from Schladming, remains to be seen. In any case, the Swiss rider Kolp had his nose, or rather his cleats, ahead in the end and won with the best times in both runs. So the more than six-hour journey was worth it for him. Experience won the women's race. Elke Rabeder from Upper Austria, who has already competed in the World Cup, showed her class and also rode to first place with two best times in both races.

For Kolp and Rabeder, as well as Timmy Fockenberger (2nd place) and Julian Auer (4th place), the race on the Reiteralm was also a test run for the UCI Snow Bike World Championships, which will take place in Châtel on February 8, 2025. All four will be at the start there, competing for the winter version of the rainbow stripes. It is only the second edition of the Snow Bike World Championships and its premiere in 2024 did not only generate positive comments. Many big names in downhill sport have ignored the World Championships. Whether there will be more well-known riders at the start this year remains to be seen. A Super G and a dual slalom will be ridden again.

Snow milling for ten years

The fact that downhill races on snow have their fan base has been demonstrated by snow milling for ten years now. The Austrian Mountainbike Magazine Lines and the Suspension Factory are behind the format. In addition to the sporting aspect, the Schneefräsn was also created as a welcome opportunity for the mountain bike scene to meet and exchange ideas over the winter months. The number of participants testifies to the success of this idea. In terms of the race format, the organizers are always trying out new things. In the past, for example, there have been combined races in which one biker and one skier or snowboarder have competed as a team. This time there was an individual start on the Reiteralm, but there will be mass starts at the next three stops.

The second round of the Schneefräsn Downhill Cup will take place on February 23, 2025 on the Semmering. A night race after sunset is scheduled there. Registration is already open. A racing license is not required to take part, and amateurs are also very welcome. On March 9, 2025, the third Schneefräsn round will take place on Kasberg in Upper Austria and the final will be held on March 29, 2025, on Kreischberg in Styria. You can still register for these two races too.

The Austrians and their flair for snow

In general, our neighbors to the east seem to have a soft spot for winter biking. Fabio Wibmer's crazy ride down the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel, where the best downhill skiers usually compete, caused a worldwide sensation last year. And the mastermind behind the MS Racing Team in the Downhill World Cup, Tyrolean Markus Stöckl, has also set several world speed records on snow with production mountain bikes.