Snowboarding in Gastein

It's no coincidence that the FIS Snowboard has made a stop in Gastein every year since 2001! On the Buchebenwiese in Bad Gastein the snowboard elite of men and women fight in the qualifying for the starting places for the final in the parallel slalom under floodlight. The team competition is another highlight. The selective slope makes the race in Gastein one of the most important on the entire World Cup Tour.

More than 250 kilometers of slopes and some special freeride routes in Sportgastein await all snowboard enthusiasts. Especially here in Sportgastein - due to the altitude - the snow conditions are ideal until Easter!


If that's not enough variety for you, Ski amadè offers more than 750 km of dream pistes of all levels of difficulty!


But what would snowboarding be without obstacles, halfpipes and jumps? Here in Gastein, snowboarders will find a variety of action-packed options that promise an extra dose of adrenaline!


Funslope Gastein:
On the Schlossalm in Bad Hofgastein, every snowboarder can really let off steam. The course with a length of 650 m already demands some skill and shows how well you really control your board. At the start you first have to glide perfectly through the "butter box", then you really pick up speed in the steep turn. Then it's through 2 tunnels with a jump in between and right back into the next steep turn. This is followed by the Rainbow Butter Box and 2 smaller kickers, the Banked Run and the Wave Run. Before it goes through the 10m snail to the finish, there is one more tunnel and 2 jumps. Have fun!


Snowpark Gastein:
Here at the Stubnerkogel in Bad Gastein, a perfectly shaped set-up and lines for every level await snowboard freestylers. With the own lift it goes comfortably to the top and you can rest a bit before it's time to shred again! 30 obstacles, divided into beginner-, medium- and advanced-area guarantee that everyone will find the perfect set-up for their skills and that frustration will be kept within limits.
And after shredding, the chillarea with deck chairs and picnic tables invites you to exchange experiences and party!

The pitying looks are sure when you try snowboarding for the first time! If an inclination of the slope was hardly recognizable from the skier's point of view, as soon as you dare to get on the board for the first time, it suddenly becomes almost steep! Even if snowboarding - as is generally claimed, is easier and faster to learn in its basic features than skiing - as many falls as in the first hours, most do not even put in their entire skiing career. Stand up - fall down, patience puts you to the test!
But then, all of a sudden, you get the hang of it and the first turns succeed! A dream feeling that immediately calls for a real downhill run.
But, even if the first step or the first turn is now done, until you go from a novice, so rookie to a real snowboarder, there is still more needed!


Here are a few tips on how to overcome "obstacles", learn the first tricks and especially how to understand snowboarders!

The first descent has just been successfully completed, the ambition and self-confidence are unbroken. Therefore, the cable car now takes you to the summit. As a precaution and because one is not unreasonable, one chooses the family descent!

But even here "obstacles" appear, which one still smiled at as a skier.

Moguls:
As a beginner, you make the best figure if you go around the humps and swallow the bumps with your legs like shock absorbers.

Icy spots:
Now it is called full body tension and really ride on the edge, who slackens, begins to slide.

Drawing and connecting path:
If you stop here, it usually means unbuckling the board and continuing on foot. Therefore, take as much momentum beforehand as you feel confident and then overcome the flat section with long-drawn-out turns, because if you let the board glide without consciously using the edges lightly, you run the risk of canting all the more - and that usually ends with a fall.

Deep snow:
Even if riding in fresh snow with the board is basically easier because it provides lift by itself, the weight must be shifted to the rear leg so far that the shovel does not disappear in the snow.

The first jumps and tricks:

Snowboarding without jumps and tricks is like steak without side dishes - so just not enough!
But don't go straight to the fun park or the halfpipe. It's best to start on the slopes first. Here you have enough possibilities to get to know your limits. So first try straight jumps - small hops, so-called ollies - over small hills and terrain edges and also practice riding backwards ("fakie riding"). Once you've mastered that, you can dare to do 180-degree turns, tailsides over and carve 360-degree gyrations on flat slopes.
You only learn the tricks of snowboarding by trying, trying. Try! Have fun