Is Austria getting smart about mountain biking?

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

"Those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those doing it!" - Also, hit subscribe to help me get to 1000! ;) Make sure tho check this interesting article by Lines Magazin! www.lines-mag.at/nationale-mountainbike-strategie/

[@PaulRobinMorris]

Surprised there is no mention of hikers using these trails. I am a cyclist & a hiker here in Salzkammergut. It’s not just about conservation but being able to relax walking on trails or paths without the fear of speeding cyclists suddenly appearing round the next bend. I have experienced this & managed to avoid a serious accident. . Ignoring the rights of others to enjoy their leisure activity in a relaxed way, which is why people walk in the countryside, seems to miss a very essential point.

[@andyfromthetrailside9496]

It's not just the singletracks in the woods but also (or even mainly) the fireroads that are closed for bikes. And fines can go up to several thousands of euros when getting caught riding a friggin fireroad. That's ridiculous!

[@BruceChastain]

that's nuts to me, living in Switzerland for many years, I know the forest roads loved by all cyclists. Even if you need to get from one city to another often times you'll need to go through a gravel forest road.

[@Yoda-em5mt]

Sounds bad but not as bad as australia were all hiking trails are illegal some 4wd tracks are too the only place your aloud to ride is official mtb parks riding round in circles . Not to mention some places your get five years in prison for riding your bike and get this a $300 000 fine yes its fkn insaine but being a alchohic is ok . Dont let imba ruin your county like it has done here .

[@woodywoodverchecker]

Especially considering those fireroads are often the safest path from one village to the next, because the municipalities cannot be arsed to build bike infrastructure.

[@JurijPopotnig]

Get your own land take care of it and stop whining around you communists. 😂

[@patrik9666]

​​@@Yoda-em5mt Whoa, and here I thought 1 year prison sentences for riding moto offroad in Slovakia (EU) is as absurdly harsh as it gets.

[@peterzachar1689]

You can meet a lot of SUVs every day in Donau Auen National park but to ride a bike in the same place is a serious crime, how crazy is that? This spring trees around Braunsberg mountain were cut and what was left looks like a garbage place...

[@kingduffi9999]

I love that I, as an Austrian, get this information from some english speaking guy on youtube for the first time ^^ Additionally i must say: There will be an "austrian" solution to that which will not satisfy anyone fully, but will take a lot of time, a lot of people and a lot of money.... Because that how things are done in this country

[@bunnybike3606]

Austrian Solution: build touristy bikeparks with dreadful flow trails and tell all the mtbiking Austrians that they can still can't bike in the woods behind their house

[@ebmr-ebikemotorreparatur]

Same here: as a Bike-Guy I was also very suprised to see this very informative video from a english spoken man. Hoffentlich wird diese wichtige Thema von eine breitere Publikum unterstützt 👍

[@uncipaws7643]

I can think of several nice trails from one place on the Mur to another, between Gaberl and Bruck: Knittelfeld - Gleinalmschutzhaus - Übelbach, Leoben - Großgössgraben - Diebsweg - Frohnleiten, Oberaich - Eisenpass - Zlatten. All of these go on sufficiently wide gravel roads and would be safe for a sufficiently cautious mountainbiker to use. But they all have forbidden sections in the middle. It's understandable that private cars aren't welcome on those sections but for mountainbikers it should be permitted to cross the mountains on those small ways. It would open a fantastic amount of wonderful round trips and distance trips.

[@bunnybike3606]

@@uncipaws7643 Yeah, well, it's MM's "country

[@xxwookey]

Thanks for this. I have been going to Austria (mostly the Salzkammergut) (from the UK) since the late 1980s, mostly caving, but also hiking, mountaineering, canyoning. I had never realised that there was a nearly total ban on mountain cycling. The cycle routes around Bad Aussee are actually pretty good, and there are a lot of people cycling, despite the hilliness, but yes it's all in the valleys, except for the Loser Toll Rd. Glad to see there are signs of more cycling opportunities across the country.

[@gobikeyourself]

Hi Dieter, great video, thanks for putting a spotlight on that topic. Judging from the views you gained on this video already it seems like you hit a topic, that we in Austria are not aware is so important to the "outside world". Let me give you some additional inside perspective on the topic. You summed it up perfectly, so I will only add a few infos on what's already happening on the local level over many years now. I am originally from Tirol, so I know the restrictive situation over there. I now live south of Vienna (indeed the IMBA summit will happen only 5kilometers away from where I live ... so I most probably will be there 😉 ) and I am living in one of the most vivid regions for mountainbiking in Austria luckily. Years ago an initiative started called the "Wienerwald Trails" which consisted of local mtb enthusiasts and aimed at acting as a Point of Contact for local politicians and land owners in order to start discussions about legalizing parts of the vast "illegal" trail network in the viene´nees woods. What started with a few first legals trails years ago developed into a big trail network with the trailcenter HWW as the nucleus. The initiative somehow was a blueprint and best practice for many more initatives around Vienna which inspired many more legal riding spots in lower Austria and beyond (Trailwerk Wachau, Wexl Trails, Josiberg Trails, Pyhra Trail, Pfenningberg Trails and many more) . So the broad layer of initiatives you mentioned already exists. The stakeholders learned that targeted steering can actually work and there's a critical mass of mountainbikers that cannot be ignored any longer. And here's where politics may come into play. Lower Austria is the conservative heartland in Austria. Conservative politics have for a long time preserved the restrictive status quo. Recently the local governour for lower Austria - a conservative - posed for a photo op with a MTB for the MTB season opening in the Vienna Woods. She wouldn't do this if she didn't see potential for reaching out to potential voters and saw it as an relevant topic economically. So I share a slight optimism that the trajectory may remain positive. You certainly gained a subscriber with that video 😁

[@stokedstephi]

Thanks for mentioning our Pyhra Trail ❤ and greetings from MTB.STP 🙌 At the moment, you either need to make a tourism business out if it (= create a commercial bike park) or an association of volunteers needs to step up and work together with land owners & government to create legal trails. That means that volunteers need to come up with financing the trails as well as building them, which is a pretty big step to take. Let’s hope that in the future it will get easier for mountainbikers! My biggest wish is that this government initiative will not only bring us commercial bike trails aimed at tourists, but also free trails for us locals to spend our leisure time there.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Awesome and enlightening reply! Thank you! And thank you very much for all the positive steps you are taking!

[@gobikeyourself]

@@stokedstephi Greetings to MTB.STP as well 🙌 Visiting thge Pyrha Trail is very high on my ToDo List currently, I will most likely be there in the next two weeks. Looking forward to that! And you perfectly articulated why I only share a "slight" optimism with regards where this MTB strategy is heading. As Austrians we know to well how this things work here. Once a topic reaches government level, it has the potential of leveraging tax payer money into projects. That's usually when political networks kick in to try to gain as much of that tax payer money as possible. So I share your fear that mostly commercial projects - thus the big ski resorts - wil be funded to compensate them for the upcoming challenges of climate change. Let's hope for the better but we all know that it's private initiatives like the Pyrha Trail or the Wienerwald Trails that carry the weight of getting people into our sport.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

You have so much valuable insight and knowledge about real life layers of this topic that are completely invisible to outsiders like myself. But as you see, many people that live 1000km away from where this is happening care. Because for us, spending a vacation in your mountains is something we count down to for months. Would you be willing to consider an interview so I can make a follow up video? I very much doubt it will get as much attention. I also earn no money from KZbin. It is simply out of genuine interest.

[@gobikeyourself]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB Hi Dieter, I can totally rely to that. And I would love the experience of MTB tourists to be as positive as possible and it hurts my heart when I read comments from people going around austria to italy for mountainbiking allthough I have no personal stake in tourism at all. And yes we can do an interview if you like to. I'm just the normal regular hobby rider from Austria, but I happened to dive into the greater MTB community here over the past few years and I am happy to share what I learned and know.

[@rasthurlo6812]

Austria would be one of the best places in the world for MTB tourism

[@dragosvestemean4229]

no mate, go to Italy

[@TheScytheMoron]

Yeah ... we do not need more tourists tbh. Please stay ... whereever you are right now.

[@dragosvestemean4229]

@@TheScytheMoron i am, thank you, i visit only countrys with good food and a nice vibe, it s not the case with austria

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

@@dragosvestemean4229 countries*. Have you ever been to Austria? Food and vibes are usually amazing.

[@dragosvestemean4229]

@@martinfurtner2136 4 times, but i dont like comunist countrys

[@samweis9166]

I life in Austria and I ride mtb here. I wouldn’t change the law there is no need. We have a good trail infrastructure and the Forrest protection law in place is more important than the capitalist view on forest and tourism.

[@McEast1]

Appropos " brilliant job ", very good video, very informative and super researched. Thank you very much!

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@TrailTrackerSwitzerland]

Interesting. This is the main reason why despite living only an hour from Austria, it's not been hugely on my radar.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Exactly. Loads of riders just skirt around Austria because of the current situation

[@rouxenophobe]

"but who will maintain the trail signs??!" UK: rolling around on the floor laughing

[@debbiegilmour6171]

Yeah, what signs??? 😂😂

[@elvagar]

Hi , can you provide some link to the studies claiming that the bike traffic is not necessarily more destructive than hiking traffic ? Thanks

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Here's one but a quick Google with reveal many: citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=7f26b68c7ba1c97a766a41119a332a4bc903104e

[@texfromro]

I'm from Romania and it is the 3rd year of going with my ebike in the italian dolomites. Last year I entered multiple times in Austria doing the "humility passage" from Sexten. When you compare how many people are on foot and how many on bikes.. there is no comparison.... so i would say the impact of mtbikers is minimal at most...

[@oquefizhoje]

Hi Impressive this video of yours. How come Austria is the home of KTM Bike Indstries, and there is no legal mountain trails.😮 Hugs. Carlos m.

[@MTBJaySwitzerland]

In Switzerland we have 26 states with 26 interpretations of the road traffic law that legislate the problem. Normally you can ride a bike on pedestrian/hiking trails. However some states forbid it for obscure reasons. For example Graubünden or Wallis are very permissive but in Vaud it is forbidden (with the subsequent illegal trails)... I hope that climate change and the World Champs 2025 in Wallis will also give the willingness to have a national policy. As one of our past president said in another context "We must act as quickly as possible, but as slowly as necessary", it is applied to everything here😄

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

That's a brilliant quote and one to remember!

[@interceptor7905]

"Climate change"

[@Cyril8204]

I didn't know that it was forbidden in Vaud to ride on hiking trails. I guess I was outside the law many times...

[@MTBJaySwitzerland]

@@Cyril8204 Yes, it is forbidden but nobody cares and there are no controls 🤷‍♂

[@hex_7187]

Kanton Zug in Switzerland, is doing the same unfortunately.

[@artoutlawphoto]

In Innsbruck the situation its the same. We only have one legal trail, and the rest are bunch of illegal. But in the future we will get at least two more trails.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Yeah the Arzler Alm etc? What do people who do more trail riding do? Are there a lot of conflicts or specific no go zones?

[@artoutlawphoto]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB from what i heard yes there are conflicts. I never had one, but i don't have time to ride so often, but when i do i go on arzl. But we will get two more trails. hopefully

[@uncipaws7643]

Austrian here, currently without a mountain bike (but using my regular trekking bike a lot), I'd love a rule that allows all forest roads of 3 meters or more width to be used by cyclists at their own risk. Narrower trails have a risk of accidents so there I understand that a separation is made. Of course wherever I go with my bike I'm ready to slow down, ring from a distance, pass people at moderate speed (slow down to walking speed if the way isn't wide enough to keep a safe distance). What I don't understand is, there are lots of roads built to be used by heavy logging trucks and not considered attractive for hiking. When I walk on those I wish I had a bike. Why they aren't generally open for cyclists, I don't understand. An important rule is responsibility for accidents though. It should be clear that cyclists are using the trails and roads at their own risk and can't sue the land owner for compensation if they have an accident. Not even their health insurance if they are hospitalized.

[@misterpaultje]

Hello, I didn't whatch the whole video but as a mountainbiker from Holland, the first country I looked for when I started was Austria. Been there a lot for holiday decates ago. I was suprised that there was no infastructure or websites or very hard to find areas or routes in certain places. So looked further and (not mentioned in video) discovered Italy been there for almost 10years now and you can cycle on ALMOST EVERYTHING there are routes everywhere for MTB,roadbikes, tourbikes, kidsbikes, Ebikes you name it. So much that if you want can cycle 24hours a day.... So just cycle paths, really all level MTB routes, racebikes. Till this day I never understood why in Austria there isn't or very little of this, your video clears that! Austria is maybe 10 years behind the rest of other countries, that saw the gap of cycling tourisme. As I said from my view, if Austria had a good MTB network as a Dutch tourist I would consider to stay in Austria, Its much closer to Holland, but hard to compete with Northern Italy, good whether, food, beautifull cities, nature, watersports it has it all (and maybe other countries). Also Austria has the habit to charge for everything to do for tourist so it has to be a better package then your neighbours to come up with.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Yes, what you demonstrate here is a perfect example. For Germans and Dutch, Austria is the obvious destination. Tourism is a huge part of the Austrian GDP. Yet they are really missing out and losing income to neighbouring countries in this way.

[@nancytriggiani9565]

What regions in Italy do you mountain bike in? I'm a mountain biker from the US but I am also a citizen of Italy. My husband and I are planning on moving to Europe in the near future and are deciding between Austria and northern Italy (probably Piemonte). The ability to freely mountain bike is very important to us, so I was hoping you can share more of what you know about this with me. Thank you.

[@misterpaultje]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB I know thats why it suprised me for so many years, a mtb friend was in OssiacherSee area a few years ago and couldnt find MTB routes etc. So I looked online and found a site with some routes and send him the link but it wasn't a lot. So they have to step up for summer tourism if they want to make a effort. I would say, look at the infa structure around the north of lake Garda, thats incredible.

[@misterpaultje]

@@nancytriggiani9565 Hello, my favorit is around Lake Garda primarily in the North around Riva del Garda, the South is flat (lake is 60km long) further up north there are also great areas, also every year there is a worldcup MTB race there (Trentino). Also been to Iseo but thats a bit less, this year want to go to Maggiore to see how it is.. I choose mainly this kind of locations that there is also a relax (lake, water) uption. So if you did the day before a 1500meter clime you can relax the day after in the sun or whatever you want. Piemont ive never been to so not familiar with the province. What I did notice is that if you come from the North is Austria or Schwiss its mountain area but the mountains stop at a certain east/west line. All the lakes in the north I came by are the same, lake Como, Iseo, Garda, in the north mountains in the south it goes flat.

[@krisqz]

Yes!! I was at the Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) last holidays, along with my bike. Went full Red Tour from Monte Baldo. What a place to ride a bike. Amazing!

[@MrAusterror]

The general rule for MTBing in Australia is stay on established roads/trails. Give way to pedestrians on shared trails. We also have dedicated MTB parks. There are a bunch of country towns that have created MTB trail networks and successfully established a tourist market. Creating unauthorized trails is of course illegal. MTBing has only been a positive thing for our economy and perhaps not surprisingly, the local breweries.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Indeed there are some regions who have been very smart about it all. Let's hope the positive trend continues!

[@TheNickvonT]

let me correct that: The general rule for MTBing in Australia is stay off ANY road/path/trail unless there is no signage indicating bikers are allowed. In other words - in many cases you can't even ride your bike on a paved road.

[@streddaz]

@@TheNickvonT that's not true at all. I've never seen a public road that has a sign that says bikes can use it, but it is totally legal to ride any public road in Australia. Most walking tracks are signposted "no bikes" but anything else is fair game.

[@unclealig]

Guys the video is about Austria, not Australia

[@szekiftw]

@@unclealig where are the kangaroos

[@vivianfaithfull4748]

Well spoken and structured mate. I had no idea Austria (home of some of the best mountain bikers in the world- Vali Holl , Fabio Wibmer, Laura Stigger, Andi Kolb.)have had to ride only bike parks!

[@MarcReisSyllogism]

And Germany is going stupid since they are thinking about taking that right away again for bikes in the forest, just so some few have the forst to hunt for them alone.. 😢 I hope it won't happen, I want my right to bike

[@cyan_oxy6734]

That's just not true. You have a constitutional right to enter forests for recreation and to collect mushrooms and such. Mountain biking in the woods is a fairly new thing and (from the internet at least) mountain bikers seem pretty entitled to use narrow public paths meant for hiking and foraging for bike racing and I see how it makes people uncomfortable.

[@MarcReisSyllogism]

Currently in RLP we have that right correct, but also each state has its own forest rights, but like I said, they are aiming to change that again bundesweit, that is why the DIMB called for support - please just Google.

[@keyyyyyyyyyify]

Of course they have to change because there will be no snow for skiing in the future

[@bunnybike3606]

What Austrian bikers hope for

[@MN-ch7pc]

That's not what the community wants because building trails in ski resorts is like biking in an indian reservation. We need trails in every biker hotspot, where we live!

[@TheScytheMoron]

Then we will spread cocaine .... we will preserve this somehow!

[@TheScytheMoron]

@@MN-ch7pc Yeah sure ... destroy nature even more for a handful of people to have fun ... instead of reusing the already dead skiing slopes ....

[@eddierivera7803]

Good luck! Hope it works out for you guys.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I live in NZ and am planning another trip to ride mountain bikes in France and Italy. I was thinking of also going up into Austria this time as well. I must admit I am reluctant to do this if I am not welcome there. In New Zealand we created trails all around the country. The tourism that this has created, especially in small towns is amazing.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

It's not all bad. Places like Bike Republic Sölden also offer natural single tracks. But the best legal remote and natural riding is in the French and Italian Alps

[@petermyers4409]

Interesting, I wasn't really aware of the current situation. I hope they sort it out in the end. I'll give it a miss till then I think.

[@jokermtb]

We have a saying in Michigan: “mountain biking is not a crime”

[@MN-ch7pc]

But what you US guys don't know: every forest road and single-trail is on a ground and ground belongs to someone. And the owner of the ground does say what happens or not. And most ground in Austria does belong to privates... So that's whole over a difference to other countries ☝️

[@pace_tracker]

The video portrays very well the Everyman's Right to roam in nature. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2e8nHqGrt2orpYsi=ptcUDHyHVCLm4hhe In Finland we have the right to ride in the forrest, lappland and city parks. Except natural parks and they usually have dedicated tracks to follow. As I live in Helsinki I can use at anytime our central park for moutainbiking. This should be a right in whole of europe.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

It's a great rule. Unfortunately it's easier in very sparsely populated areas

[@pace_tracker]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB True but most of the issues we have in Helsinki area. Fit all the people in our central park. We do have still lots of wilderness.

[@zlate42]

We have freedom of path in Austria. You are allowed to walk in the mountains and woods but driving is forbidden. As far as I remember it's an legal issue as the liability of the land owner in case someone gets hurt is not very clear by current state of law.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

@@zlate42 true. Luckily this is finally being changed

[@majorbadidea]

Thanks so much for this video. Moving back to Slovakia from the Netherlands in a few months and hoping to ride in the alps at least once a month 😂

[@rolf-joachimschroder917]

In Carinthia, forest owners are supported with state funds to keep their forest roads in good condition, sometimes you can even drive there by car but not by bike with no bike - that's crazy, isn't it? A fundamental problem is insurance in the event of an accident. In Germany, paths on state or federal forests are automatically insured. I'm not sure about trails in private forests, but if I have a private trail or a private forest path and a mountain biker has an accident there or hits another vehicle because he can't brake, then the owner is responsible for the trail and has to pay. If some idiots lay a trail in a private forest and a mountain biker has an accident there, then in Germany the forest owner has to pay. So please also understand why certain forest owners are against their paths or trails being used, it can ruin them!

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Yes, so hopefully this is going to be a thing of the past in Austria.

[@TheWampam]

No, you are not responsible for accidents that happen inside your forest. But if you create a bad or dangerous trail, you might be responsible.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

@@TheWampam then it seems this argument isn't really something they need to fear for if it's just old natural hiking trails crossing the land?

[@stefanhansen5882]

Do you know how it is in Spain and Portugal? Thanks!

[@gabiology77]

I didn't know this. In every summer we go to the Salzkammergut Throphy. Many of us just touring on local trails and never experienced any harassment just support and hospitality.

[@corabbring8198]

Thanks for the video. I didn’t know this. I’m going to several country’s this summer and Austria is one of them. My MTB is going with me. I will take care where to bike in Austria.

[@corabbring8198]

And I have a Austrian KTM bike.

[@soarstar]

Trail access is my biggest concern with the growing popularity of E-bikes. I love what they bring in terms of accessibility to older riders or to equalize large fitness differences, but there's a subset that's not happy with the performance of Class 1 or 2 bikes that could ruin all the progress we've made and are working towards.

[@chadwells7562]

These people will definitely get all mountain bikes banned period, it’s always a few aholes

[@Rollbretttreter]

E-bikes are bringing our 50+ year old politicians into mountain biking. Now that it is not a sport only for the youth anymore (you know, the loud noisy kids who get lazier and ruder with every new generation), I believe it boosts acceptance of the sport.

[@stevemullen634]

Indeed, if a trail would become well known, every e-biker and his uncle will ride it, cut corners and drag the rear wheel. For a nature trail to keep its charm, a natural acces barrier should be present. I think of the Banzai Trail in Aosta, spectacular trail but quite hard to reach, even with e-bike because of the need of carrying the bike the last 200m up the climb. Same with Piz Umbrail.

[@harlanswan8184]

Thanks for the great video. I appreciate the summary. Its good to see the climate of biking is changing. All be it slowly.

[@rainbird2002]

In Germany it is the other way around. Here they are working on an even harder forest protection law which is so vague that it would allow regional goverments to prohibit biking completely, even on forest roads that are used by cars. They want to implement an option to prohibit biking on every road/trail that leads to specific forest infrastructure, e.g. deer stands. But technically you can argue that every road/trail in a forest leads to a deer stand. There is a really big and mighty lobby in Germany for hunters and forest owners that want to ban anything but them from the forests, undermining the law that forests always have to be free to use by the public. They also want to prohibit marking new trails/roads in forests on maps without explicit permission from the owner. Good luck getting to know the owner to ask him! This would be the end for all hiking apps in Germany.

[@nirfz]

The most important "nut to crack" is the "liability of the land owner" part: Even where mountainbiking is prohibited still today, people do it ilegally, and when they injure themselves or get injured because they are in places they shouldn't be at times they shouldn't (forrestry accidents with extra closed road signs which they of course ignore) the owner of the land is held responsible too. And when those owners try to enforce the prohibition, they do get attacked. (not all the time, but increasingly) Most of the time only verbally, but in some cases even physically. (There are videos online where the attackers film themselves attacking and are even proud that they "made a fool" out of the old landowner...) (I hate when people who do something illegal, attack the person that points it out to them.) So that's why it is such a problem: if you get held repsonsible for something you weren't even able to prevent. And years of wrong behaviour that left their imprint in the minds of many landowners. And lastely, it hurts me to say this, but our cyclists in austria today are among the most reckless "traffic participants" i have yet encountered. I have been a cyclist for decades myself, but the huge increase in recklesness by bikers i wittness almost every week is quite shocking to me. And it's not just being reckless to others but more and more often they are reckless towards their own health and life... Maybe it's just my impression, but in the last 10 years the problems and the recklessness as well as the aggression among austrian cyclists has drastically increased.

[@ctsingletrack]

If nobody is riding the trails, I'd assume none of them have been built in a way that is great for bikes. Might take a while to catch up on getting some fun trails that were laid out to be fun and flow well for climbing and decending by bike. Wishing best of luck to the Austrian MTB community from here in the North Eastern United States.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Here in Europe most of us don't expect shaped trails. We have an enormous network of ancient single tracks left to us from the trading/agricultural/military history. Especially in places like the Alps. A lot of us cinsider bikes to be an adventure tool to roam those trails. Them being what they are, sometimes flowy, sometimes technical, is part of the adventure. Riding built trails is an entirely different sport. Like the difference between resort skiing and ski touring.

[@frantzs1077]

Just checked my friend Strava and he made 43km on forest roads and trails, 2000m elevation gain in less than 3 hours. There is no way any walker can do the same damage in this short time. I guess previous research didn't account for e-MTB. Argument, "if walkers do damage to nature, I want to do it also, but on my bike" is a bit week, even if impact would be the same. I guess Austria cant reverse or ignore tourist trends any more. But one thing is sure. New law will bring accelerated degradation of natural environment. I wish you all the best and hope Austria will find good balance of developing bike tourism and protecting nature.

[@dmdjt]

I hope this helps to distribute bikers more evenly. The problem I as an hiker on foot have with bikers is, that I'm basically banned to the side of the trail. Instead of being able to relax, I need to be constantly alerted, look behind me and be aware of where I could go in case I need to give way to a biker. This isn't a problem if there are only few bikers. But there are places where you encounter a biker every few minute... So I really hope this helps to distribute them

[@MotorSagla-k5f]

Hello! I'm mountainbiker in Styria, far away from resorts. I ride since 1986 and had been forester for 20 years. Most hunting terrytories are leased to rich people from the industrie. If you leagalize biking the landowners has to reduce the rental for them. It gets less worth for hunting, that's a fact. The other problem is the exploding numer of bikers upcomming with E-Bikes. We have elections this year. The green party has a massive image problem, so they try to get points. As I know the peoples party an opening would mean that you are allowed to use some forestroads in summer, no trails, not in winter. A typical Austrian solition as always.😢 What did I since 1986? Ride and don't ask if it's allowed or not. I never had serious troubles doing so.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Thank you very much for your insights! Yes I can very much understand this is the reality... I suppose conflicts where people really make it a problem are rare. Do you have any general advice on when to be extra careful about crossing paths with hunters?

[@MotorSagla-k5f]

Don't ride forest roads, ride trails. Hunters, foresters and treeworkers always go by car.

[@markus_lg]

Agree on every sentence but the last one: the risk of getting troubles depends on the area and increased significantly. In the 90ies no people were sued, meanwhile this is happening. Also I'm tired of discussions and getting anxious when seeing or hearing a vehicle on forest roads.

[@MotorSagla-k5f]

We are too many people everywere, that's the problem of everything. I often say if we were only three billion on earth we could change our motooil in the garden.

[@MN-ch7pc]

Das neue MTB-programm hat nichts mit Grün zu tun sondern geht vom Druck der Community, des Tourismuses und seid neuesten auch vom Handel aus. Ja die Jagden sind ein Problempunkt, aber noch viel schlimmer sind die Grundbesitzer, die Holzwirtschaften! Und die Holzer und Jäger sind sowieso auch verstritten. Tja und jetzt kommt die Freizeitindustrie. Dein "stilles" Biken in Ehren, das habe ich auch gemacht seit den 80igern, nur jetzt sind es halt viel mehr. Und jetzt muss endlich etwas passieren und somit die meisten Forstwege, die Routen "ergeben", geöffnet werden und in Hotspots (auch ohne Lift!!!) Trails geöffnet werden. Zur Info: ich bin selber massiv engagiert in dem Thema mit vielen anderen Gleichgesinnten in Österreich 💪

[@Bike4adventure]

Wow, great changes coming by the sound of it!

[@R_Haraldsson]

Austria is too small for good mountainbiking😂 greetings from Austria

[@szekiftw]

Lungau region has a really great and widespread mtb-trail system. No real downhill, but great treks.

[@bunnybike3606]

Echt? Singletrails auch od nur forststrassen? Lungau gesamt oderkannst du da eine Gegend besonders empfehlen?

[@travelingman4850]

Is the law different (even tougher) on e-mtb?

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

People will still hate you but legally there's no difference 😅

[@travelingman4850]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB In Sweden, the use of e-mtb in nature including smaller trails is prohibited. Very strange and as far as I know unique. However, the law has never been tested. No one has been charged or fined yet. And who can prove that you used the motor at that instance? They haven’t presented any proof that e-bikes actually cause more damage to nature. So a very uneducated and discriminating law imo…☹️

[@wirtzling]

Super news. We often go to Austria for trips. Its only a few hours to great destinations from my home in Slovakia. Now I will have more excuses to take the family there.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

i thought the USA was bad, we have lots of trails but there could be WAY more. Horses are the worst for trail damage.

[@Poctschorn]

Funny how germany is about to do the exact opposite

[@robsonpipe2187]

Man, what you're telling us here ... I don't know how often you have been to our country and most probably you just know Stubai valley. BUT I'm a happy mountainbiker living in Austria and man I can tell you there are tons of OFFICIAL MTB-trails and routes available in our country where everyone can find something for himself or herself and enjoy the nature as well as the beautiful mountains. Of course, next to all the bikeparks you can already find in almost all big skiing resorts. That you're not allowed to go everywhere where you want is good because nature and wildlife needs their space too! And we need to respect that land owners and other mountaineers do not want mountainbikes everywhere which does not mean moutainbikers have to sacrific anything because as mention - inform yourself about the trails available on common platforms, download the GPS-track and you will have a lot of fun.

[@certhass]

there are official tours yes, but the law still sucks. also because there are big differences between the federal states.

[@robsonpipe2187]

@@certhass Sorry I don't get the point ... there are thousends of trails officially available .... it is fine that you are not allowed to drive on each single trail you find in the forrest. A certain regulation is not bad and needed to avoid too much demage/noise to wildlife and nature. So plan your tours and you will enjoy it. The picture created here about Austria that it is almost forbidden to MTB offside official bikeparks does not reflect the reality.

[@certhass]

@@robsonpipe2187 thousands of officially trails? i dont know a lot official trails (as in single trail) here in vorarlberg (there arent that many aside those in the bike parks). there are official routes that utilize forest streets, yes. but single trails are a rarity. tbh its quite hard to ride completely legally if you dont stick to the "tourist routes" its true that you can ride outside of bike parks but its still very restricted compared to italy, switzerland, france and even germany. and thats something that have to change.

[@robsonpipe2187]

@@certhass you are kidding me now. Search at common platforms like Komoot. I think for Vorarlberg you gonna find 1.000+ hits when searching for "mountainbiking". I'm biking at Garda lake every year. Also there you can NOT bike each single trail available. So still I don't understand the critics regarding the Austrian regulations!

[@IHatePikeys]

Wow, its just like us Americans to complain when there is plenty more than anyone can actually ride. However, I understand different perspective that people shouldn’t have to drive to places to ride a bike😂. More local trails should be open.

[@ps-dn7ce]

This is a great video

[@boris_g__5111]

Can anyone share experience for around Vienna? I was planning on buying an MTB and go to the trails I found on Strava but now that I've seen that I'm giving it a second thought?

[@pituife]

wienerwald(punkt)info/mountainbiken But there are usually many intermediate "illegal" passages when planing a good tour

[@pituife]

wienerwald info /mountainbiken But there are usually many intermediate "illegal" passages when planing a good tour

[@pituife]

Google: wienerwald info mountainbiken But there are usually many intermediate "illegal" passages when planing a good tour

[@pituife]

There are usually many intermediate "illegal" passages when planning a good tour but many routes if you search for wienerwald info mountainbiken

[@lankoprivc2053]

Here in the neighboring Slovenia a motocross rider riding an unmarked trail have lower fines than a moutain biker.

[@kowioutdoortv]

Didn't know about such restrictive rules in Austria. Surprising, specially when for winter sports it is at high level. I would say infrastructure is in place, do not close it for summer, all huts, restaurants near to ski slopes, allow people to climb on the bike, you will have much more tourists during summer. Of course strict rules about traffic, specially where routes shared with pedestrians and rules how to behave to do not destroy nature, loudness and garbage and will be mtb paradise 😊

[@velo1337]

the reason is most woods are private land in austria, thats why the owner of the land can simply forbid biking even if he ruins the whole area with his tractor.

[@justabrokenguy]

Greetings from Slovakia. If you think mountain biking sucks in Austria come and take a look into Slovakia. We have some beautiful mountains, not as tall and big like alps but still perfect. Literally mountains are the symbol of Slovakia. If you ask any Slav what are we proud the answer would be mountains. Obviously the tallest, biggest and prettiest mountains are national parks(Mala Fatra, Veľká Fatra, Nízke Tatry, Tatry). Mountain biking in national parks is highly forbidden(I think there is 20€ fine for this incredible crime. Literally that's cheaper than entrance to some bike parks). Slovak mtb community is left with one single "big" mountain-- Lúčanská Malá Fatra. This mountain is not a national park. That means nobody gives a single fuck what is or isn't forbidden. There are few official (on trail forks, not by government) mtb trails. All of them are fucking steep and technical. Trails should be build parallel to the hill. But that requires digging a trail into the hill. Because there are just a few brave fellas building these trails without machinery, all of these trails are basically going straight down the hill. Then there are 2 types of hike trails. The main ones that are completely covered by hikers and the less used ones. These less used hiking trails are considered mtb trails. Problem with these are the lumberjacks. Lumberjacks don't give a single fuck. Using hike trails as forestry roads for skidders and tractors is perfectly OK for them. Leaving the trails bombarded and covered by branches. Last think are bike parks. There could be hundreds of perfect bike parks just like in Austria. Nope just few of them. One think that I just don't get. Every single trail in every bike park is steep as fuck. Probably because of lazy trail builders or Idk. I've been to Czech Republic, Alps , US. Only in Slovakia the trails are just stupidly steep. Saddest thing definitely being that Czech Republic, country with almost no mountains what so ever(tallest hill in Chzechia is like an avarage hill in Slovakia) has like 10 times more bike parks than Slovakia. Not even talking how beautiful and perfect these bike parks are. #Stupidity and laziness of Slovakia.

[@jopaulussen8196]

Well there is already a huge selection of bikeparks in Austria so in that way they are doing great. For the “community” trails, yes they could improve. But if I have to choose one country to go biking for the rest of my life I’d still take Austria, even in the current situation. The mtb tourism is big already and with skiing seasons getting shorter, they have to embrace the mtb culture. If it will only get better from here on, it will be the best mtb country in the world. (It already is imho😅)

[@paulcrocker7347]

bit like Japan..completely surrounded by mountains and hills but local mountain bike trails(not the large downhill parks they are some off season ski resorts with trails) are almost non-existent .. Im talking about local trails,..very bizarre.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Are natural trails forbidden in Japan? Or what are the rules?

[@paulcrocker7347]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB seems that way yes.. there are many hiking trail but very little mtb trails. only large bike parks that run in ski off season but there expensive and only offer downhill chair lift style of mtbing. no XC or natural trails or any sort of official rated system in use(green/blue/black diamond etc .) mtb in general are hard to find in shops and if you do there low end stuff , obviously no riders so no high end bikes offered .. commute bicycles are a huge part of life here but nobody uses helmets and there all strange jap brands .. there in their own little bubble here...its just not a mtb culture sadly...

[@Bogdan_Ch]

just a small suggestion, use manual focus when you do clips like this. It's a bit disturbing as the camera is trying to autofocus on your hands and face at the same time.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

True, I noticed as well. Pretty shallow depth of field

[@heraldreichel1971]

I think this could work... if the "Wegehalter Haftung" was dropped. This piece of law institutes liability of landowners for poorly maintained roads and tracks. If you were to allow people to pass through, you'd be liable for any injuries they sustained on your land, unless you can prove that all were in pristine condition (by default). What the *

[@Paiogs]

I didn't know austria was so strict and against mtb. Glad things are changing and in the meanwhile.... come to Italy 😊 as simple as that. Ciao

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

What's the law in Italy?

[@Paiogs]

@ALLMOUNTAINMTB most of the trails are free, restrictions mainly in the Dolomiti. A very good example is Finale Ligure becoming really the Capital of mtb with people coming from all over Europe and local economy booming.

[@TWARDOWSKY.]

What is the difference between a pair of shoes and a pair of tires? The contact area of ​​a pair of shoes with the ground is approximately 80 cm2, 2 tires is 20 cm2. An absurd law, maintained by retirees who do not want any disruptions while walking in the mountains. Now, when there is little snow and money from ski tourism is slowly moving, it may be too late. But this is how the country is run by boomers.

[@list1278]

Mountain biking is not allowed everywhere in Austria because most of the forests and mountains are owned by municipalities and private individuals. This primarily concerns the question of liability in the event of accidents. These liabilities are still a legal gray area for us.

[@markus_lg]

No they're not, that's just one popular pretended argument from the forest owners. In fact the are only liable in case of gross negligence with no differene between hikers, cyclists or equestrians. And could easily solved by adding "use at own risk" in the law.

[@MN-ch7pc]

​@@markus_lgsure you are right but it is hell of a stress if someone crashes and sends you his lawyer. And that's what they are not interested in what I understand... The main problem is the law speaking!

[@markus_lg]

@@MN-ch7pc ​ I do agree, but e.g. in Tyrol there is a solution for that and still by far not all forest roads are open there. It's just one aspect, but often sold as the only hurdle. And there are extremeley few lawsuits in that matter, and all examples I could find were dismissed.

[@MN-ch7pc]

@@markus_lg just to say I am part of the "mtb arbeitskreis of Tyrol", and no there is no "solution". There is a "contract insurance solution" but not a solution how to get more trails. There is still a land owner needed who accepts that contract. But we are on a build of an IG in Tyrol together with the authorities to get such things done... We will see...

[@richystocles]

and thank you for That video !

[@qwasd0r]

The Austrian farmer's association is very powerful and I think the alps are also under its wing. If the tenant of a mountain does not permit the use of his land explicitly, you're basically only allowed to hike across it. Even camping is strictly prohibited in forests and on mountains. I expect a lot of headwind from the farmer's association, there will be compromises and changes made before any of this goes into effect. Don't expect to ride the alps freely anytime soon...

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

That's true. Hopefully getting rid of the liability thing will make farmers more open minded about treating passing bikers no different than passing walkers.

[@TheNickvonT]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB it's not only liabiity, but also money. As long as the farmer, land owner, tenant can't capitalize on letting people enter the property, it's not gonna happen.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

@@TheNickvonT let's hope that's not true now it is a national decision

[@markus_lg]

​​@@ALLMOUNTAINMTBnot gonna happen. The liability argument is not really valid legally, fact is they don't want cyclists on their land and roads and they are very influential in Austria.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Austrian *farmers' association. if it was a "farmer's" association it'd only have one single member.

[@rafalk7230]

That is a good info. I've been in Austria few times and hiking in few places. From single person prespective you can have the infinite number of trails :-D I hope that this will go well. I have only 7h drive to Semmering. Good luck with that.

[@cokebottles6919]

wild that mountain biking is basically banned. Where I live, trails and areas are usually better taken care of because of mountain biking. It's the motorized vehicles that destroy areas. They opened all trails to motorized vehicles in one of the canyons near me and all the trails have virtually been destroyed.

[@yohannpitrey4598]

The cynic in me cannot keep himself from rolling his eyes at the idea that the skiing resorts may be the ones finally making this happen. Of course it has to be about profit. All hail The Holy Economy, praise be upon Its name. 🛐 Great video, thanks for taking the time to do the research 💪

[@10Filip]

Austria is way back behind CH, I hope they will adopt sooner than 2030

[@notime2stop]

With skiing nothing was a problem for decades. Nobody talked about nature and properties…no it’s all about „protecting the nature“ - ridiculous! For no biker at all you have to cut trees or maintain the hills, you don’t need any infrastructure like water Basins and snow machines. Biker only need way - they are already there! But nur suddenly its „all about nature and the wild“. I have seen so many wildlife during my rides and most animals do not care about me and my bike. They look back once or twice and disappear in the Forrest. 😂

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Best answer!!

[@MTBchallengeMTB]

Great video. Very informative

[@userbarny6271]

The real reason why mountain biking is prohibited in Austria away from forest roads and/or on them is the inadequately clarified liability issue. This means that if someone is too stupid to ride down a trail and falls, then the owner or forest owner is liable.

[@nancytriggiani9565]

Thank you for this informative video! I am a mountain biker from the US but am also a citizen of Italy. My husband and I are planning on moving to Europe and are deciding between northern Italy (Piemonte) and Austria. It is very important to us to be able to freely mountain bike wherever we live. We ride mostly XC style and like to just hop on our bikes and ride through the forest and mountain trails. I know the Wienerwald has a mtb trail system but the trails close between November and March, even when there is no snow. We ride all year, so this is disappointing. Do you know if the forthcoming new legislation will also lift the current seasonal restrictions? When do you think the new strategy you discussed with go into effect? Have you mountain biked in Vienna and what can you tell me about it? Thank you.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

I don't know about Vienna, but I do know Italy is cheaper, more bike friendly and has a longer warm season with more sunshine.

[@nancytriggiani9565]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB What about Salzburg? Is mountain biking very restricted there?

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

@@nancytriggiani9565 I am not familiar with the situation there sorry

[@29erriner87]

​@@nancytriggiani9565 Salzburg is by far the worst. They have one legal trail there. Anything else around you better wear Camouflage when riding. Very aggressive enemies of mtb.

[@29erriner87]

I live in the Wienerwaldregion and the situation there is pretty relaxed compared to the rest of Austria. The winter riding prohibition is a rule that might not be dropped too soon, if at all. If I were you I would most definetly move to Italy, given I had the freedom of choice. But in Austria the Wienerwald Region is a clear recommendation. Very open minded compared to the rest. I have lived in many regions nationwide, so I think I might not be too far from the truth.

[@boolekx]

I've been hiking in Austria (near Graz) 2 weeks ago for the first time in my life. My wife walks slow - my son (13yo) fast - I was the middle marker. You should see my face when I spotted a yellow sign with just written info in german - no pics - (big dog running free) and realise that I can"t see my son anymore (he doesn't speak german). I rushed to check waht's going on - he luckiely already passed the dog but the dog was following him. I've managed to get dogs attraction and waited for my wife. Together we were able to skip the dog with a whistle trick. I still have goosbumps when I think about that situation - what if the dog was actualy on our part of the land when my son was approaching? Now I'm watching this video about bikes prochibited - no fkin way - austrian law is a disgrace imho

[@MN-ch7pc]

WTF does your dog problem have in coming with our MTBiking problem??? That can happen everywhere with dogs... 🤦

[@boolekx]

@@MN-ch7pc That it is legal to leave your 40+ kg dog unwatched and illegal to ride your bike on the same trail. Austrian idiotic law is my problem - but i don't think you gonna get it anyways

[@MN-ch7pc]

@@boolekx once again: that was not the topic! Dogs are a whole different story - everywhere and anywhere 😉

[@bog1dan]

Should be like this , cause the winter is not what was used to be. So mountainbiking would bring some money.

[@053892]

That t-shirt is awesome.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Thanks! 😅

[@madmoikmadmoik6290]

It will be years before they come up with a national strategy and until its in effect.

[@Eckus]

I see mountainbikers all the time in austria, so nobody cares about its illegality 😅 and as child when i was mountainbiking myself, nobody said to me "you cant do this its illegal"!

[@ChampyOnPC]

Behave well guys, dont throw away garbage so we can all enjoy the trails! No matter which country you are in!

[@Gianniz27]

Funny, that roadbike riding in Austria is very rare, 95 out of 100 bikes are MTB-s, although majority of them are actually Ebikes.

[@nuenn]

Is it all about money and fun? Asks a 60 year old worldcyclist who has a deep relationship with Sölden and seen this beautiful landscape not hikable anymore.

[@TeamWombatMTB]

As with most things in Austria any change is slow and takes time. The older generation is quite happy with the financial income of traditional well established alpine sports. No need to rock the Austrian tourism boat for a few bikers if business is good the way it is. But rest assured that once a decision has been made to tap this enormous potential Austria will become a leading destination for mountain bikers. The ball is rolling, maybe to slow for some, but it is already to fast to stop. Watch this space👍

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

I hope you are correct. It's indeed right that once people smell money, impossible things suddenly become very possible.

[@Tony.795]

They will charge an arm an a leg for tickets though and you'll often have to drive to them. It's not an option for riding regularly for many bikers.

[@the.communist]

So riding of trails are illegal but deforasting trees to make ski resorts isnt it?

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Money talks. Once they understand that 30-60 year olds riding natural trails at low speeds also brings in money for the local economy... Right now France, Switzerland and Italy are profiting.

[@wolfgangreitz9065]

Thank you for the good presentation. On my last walk through the woods, I was passed by 2 fast rideing bikers going down the same path that I was walking on. Fortunately I heard them in time to let them by. I shudder to think about the crash that could have happened if I hadn't heard them and moved in time. And regarding your comment regarding no damage to the trail, I clearly saw marks from the wheels as I continued down, more than from others walking down. OK, it was just from 2 mountain bikes, but I wonder what it would be like if there were more riders. I have no issues with mountain biking, but it can be like walking on a sidewalk and being surprised by a faster bicycle passing by. There needs to be enough respect shown to other users and not thinking that others need to be aware of risks coming up behind you.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

I understand your feeling. Before I picked up mountain biking, I worked guiding people on foot through the mountains for many years. It was only later that I picked up biking so I have both perspectives. Hikers are often startled by what they experience as the sudden appearance of bikes because of the difference in pace. In 99% of cases, the bikers were expecting an encounter and completely in control. I never said no erosion. Only that it has been proven again and again that hikers and bikers have a similar effect on the ground. In essence, any trail is little more than erosion which we experience as a surface which is easier to move on. Statistically there are WAY more hikers on any given trail than riders. There's never going to be sudden hordes of bikers because of a change in legality.

[@rainerhorbe1371]

There are trails that are allowed, the rest is to be ignored. That works in almost all cases. Whenever I am stopped, I excuse and keep pushing the bike until out of sight of the forest owner. However, in some rare cases I heard that owners are very nasty.

[@MN-ch7pc]

About how many trails are you talking about? That's nothing... Way too less...

[@rainerhorbe1371]

@@MN-ch7pc Fully agree, we should have a regime like in ITaly or Germany. I just said, that there are no consequences in most cases if one keeps being polite and/or rides in a larger group.

[@ckeilah]

I misread "Australia". I refuse to engage with any country that won't allow people to carry A SWISS ARMY KNIFE!! Mt. Biking sure has come a long way in the last 40 years! wow!

[@josefgschwentner580]

Also thes forest streats are for forest work. So you have to deal when there are Machines or Steelcables pulling trees out of the forest.... You also are not allowed to bike in a construction side or a industrial area..

[@yannhenriot2568]

Interesting

[@4flog]

lets hope politicians here the voice of the big crowd of mountainbikers...and finally get it done properly

[@mekstro6290]

Another clip that shows that politicians are dumb as f...

[@christianras3398]

I don´t wanna dissapoint you, but as a mountainbiker from Austria I can tell you that I heard it very often that someone said that somethings gonna happen....well, here we are and it´s still a crime to ride in the woods. The second aspect that needs to be considered is, we have elections in fall, so political parties are starting with their usual fight for votes. As usual, what politicians say and what politicians do is very often not the same. The major problem in Austria is that the landowners have been told from forestry& farming unions for decades that bikers destroy the soil, they produce litter, they harm hikers, they sue the owners in case of crahses, and so on. In Carinthia the regional government has established a contractual framework incl. insurance and monetary compensation for landowners, years ago already and still we do not see legal trails apart from tourism regions. I´m really sceptic that it will be different this time. Nevertheless, let´s cross fingers that we see progress soon. I would be very happy to ride my bike without bad flavour of being illegal.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Thanks for your reply. I'm curious about the arrangement you are talking about in Carinthia? I'm curious about what exactly was talked about there. I lived near Hermagor for a few months.

[@pdpcycling248]

On the other hand, Thailand has a backward thinking on MTB tourism industry. Not only no promoting MTB, but they also forbid you to ride in the forest e.g. Chiangmai Doi Suthep. The excuse was that safety reason: wild fire (understandable), to let the nature recover itself. However, they (the local gov) don't really do anything about local people who actually are the ones burn the forest to look for wild vegetable. (Yes, they literally burn the forest for mushroom, spinach (kinda), etc...). Chiangmai used to make a decent income with MTB industry when no such ban took place. Worse is the new culture of "trail running" which is a big new hype in recent years. Trail runners start to share the trails (which mountain bikers have no problem with) and claim the trails theirs (which MTB-kers have problem)...a lot of drama between who should not use the trail... As far as I've seen, trails would always full of trash (plastic water bottles, mainly) after trail running event. The best example of trail runners try to claim MTB original trail is 'Khao Chalak' in Chonburi where trail runners flock in the last 3 years tryning to ban MTB. There are tons of drama mostly from trail runners fears of approaching MTBs (MTB going downhill, so runner should yield). The combination of bad goverment policy on how people can use the forest and conflict between trail users, Thailand MTB tourism industry won't make it and that is very sad.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

I somehow wasn't expecting such trail use conflicts in this part of the world! It shows again that people riding mountain bikes is growing everywhere and that hitting everything with the ban hammer isn't working anywhere.

[@flo0079]

I,m Austrian and i get the information from you lol

[@henryvaneyk3769]

They must come to South Africa to see how mountain biking and trail management should be done. If a 3rd world country can do it, why not a 1st world country? But then the Austrians have always been a weirdly special bunch in a not so good way.

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Unfortunately that's sometimes true. 😅

[@elwhistero4400]

"forstrecht" is spoken "forst-rasht" an not "forst-react" ;-)

[@bagdasaruionel7083]

Because ski season is smaller every year.

[@vesna.stanic]

As part of the MTB industry, we have to invest in forest management if we want to use it. Look at a forest owners perspective: they invest in building forest roads and they get additional risks in forest management with MTB. So, if we want to build a good MTB-forest owner partnership, we, as MTBers have to do more than just use it for riding. This partnership is not isolated from tourism, regional and local authorities, agencies etc. Strategy is a process that starts productive communication and sets possible solutions.

[@TheFpdragon]

As an Austrian and MTB fan, I have mixed feelings about this video and I'm not sure whether your opinion is wrong. Firstly, the current government is unlikely to be in power for long and elections are coming up. It is probably more of a pseudo-issue that is played in the media. But I could also be wrong. To tourism. Austrian nature and the mountains have always been massively used for tourism. This is now changing more and more from winter tourism to summer tourism. Depending on the region, the mountains can be almost crowded and in my opinion rules are needed. Especially when senior hikers meet eMTB riders and when there is not enough space. Furthermore, we still have the problem that many people are incorrectly prepared and equipped and underestimate the real mountains. I see parallels with alpine skiing and ski touring. In the middle past, ski touring has experienced a real boom. Once you bought the equipment, you could ski “for free,” or so the thinking went. However, several measures against ski touring have already been implemented, including the charging of ski tour tickets. In comparison, there are various bike parks for tourism and these are booming and enable tourism income for the regions. Just as ski touring is becoming more and more undesirable (because there is no income), I can't imagine that free mountain biking will be tolerated for long if it grows more and more. Even in my area, near a big city, I drive about 10 minutes to get to the next designated small MTB trail. Never had any problems getting there and the police have never caused any problems. It's always a question of quantity and if enough people get together there are always idiots. If there are no more rules and laws about it, then unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Nowadays you can no longer rely on common sense and decency. So I honestly don't know what to do with this. We'll see how it develops. After all, there are even stakeholders who are even demanding number plates and liability insurance for all cyclists. Not that I would support it, but the trend is going somewhere completely different as it seems. -_-

[@tonypizzycata]

Unpopular opinion as MTB-rider in Austria: I'm happy to hear that a new MTB strategy for Austria has been announced. But I don't think it is happening for the right reasons. Tourism should not be any reason to change a law which was made to protect the environment (yes, I know, the owners of the forests are hiding their own interests behind this law). I am totally in for opening all trails for bikers, but not as a promotion to attract even more tourism into the mountains and just for making money. Like in winter the tourist-activities should mainly take place in the ski resorts, where nature is already industrialized. In 1975 this said law actually was revolutionary, because it gives everybody the right to move freely in the woods for recreational purposes. Somehow the landowners managed it that cycling in the woods is legally not seen as moving ("Betreten des Waldes"). But Austria, especially Tirol, is governed by farmers and tourism managers, so let the Karl-Friedrichs come!! Sorry for sounding like a pessimistic ignorant :/

[@ALLMOUNTAINMTB]

Not ignorant at all! Your insights as a local are very welcome!

[@mtbkongress]

Objective Together with the federal provinces, the federal government aims to develop an Austria-wide mountain bike strategy that meets the demand for mountain bike trails, promotes the use of the potential for the business location and tourism, expands the offer for local recreation for the population and takes into account the aspects of nature conservation and the protection of Austrian forests while respecting land and property rights. This strategy can only be successful if the legitimate interests of all stakeholders are taken into account. Experience to date has shown that needs-oriented solutions on the ground, with the involvement of all stakeholders, have brought the greatest success in a spirit of mutual understanding. More about: www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/dam/jcr:c5ff00b9-22d0-49af-b557-d5da066b2faf/94_12_mrv.pdf

[@tonypizzycata]

@@mtbkongress thank you for sharing the link! It is quite promising, that four ministries published this document. And thank you very much for your work!

[@Tony.795]

@@ALLMOUNTAINMTB I'm from Switzerland and I can already see that the whole alps are turning into tourist resorts. If there's no summer offseason anymore because investors want to exploit that source of income, there will be people everywhere all year round. Austria faces that risk as well because it is a small country. With e-bikes people will be able to get everywhere, so opening all hiking trails could be problematic. I do also like hiking because you can get to the last "remote" and quiet places and i'm not really keen on running into lines of e-bikers to be honest.

[@hackebeil20]

As a German I can say I would be happy if Germany was as "backwards" wrt MTB as Austria. I would love to be at that level in Germany, it's way worse there. Everything VERBOTEN

[@nikolaibohachevsky2301]

The potential for MTB in Austria is HUGE. I am lucky enough to call the Pinzgau my home in the summer months and get to enjoy the epicentre of Austrian MTB there. Kitzschteinhorn has excellent natural terrain that has got to be one of the best kept secrets in the region. If this is allowed to spread across the vast mountain terrain of Austria it would be epic on a grand scale!

[@dinunclv]

Some laws are just stupid. How can riding a bike in the forest be illegal.

[@Yoda-em5mt]

Too true dont visit australia its way worse here .

[@dinunclv]

@@Yoda-em5mt I always thought Australia is more free...

[@MN-ch7pc]

That's why the land always is owned by someone in Austria!

[@dragosvestemean4229]

they have no more snow, and they are hungry, simply as that