Winter Fun Sports in Austria
Skis, snowboards, and toboggans are by no means the only pieces of sports equipment on which you can whizz through the snow. Fun sports promise variety and, as the name suggests, plenty of fun.
For most fun sports you do not even need previous experience, just the desire to try something new. You can hire fun sports equipment from numerous sport shops across Austria and there are also guided programmes.
Here is an overview of the most popular fun sport devices and a selection of regions that offer rentals or tours.
Segway
The self-balancing scooter that you can explore cities with also holds its own in the snow, thanks to wider tires with spikes. Resorts that offer guided winter Segway tours include Brandnertal in Vorarlberg, Westendorf in Tirol, Flachau in SalzburgerLand, and Nassfeld in Carinthia.
Snowscoot
Instead of rolling on wheels, snowscoot riders slide down the slope standing on a scooter with skis. It is mostly sport shops with ski hire that offer snowscoots to try out and it‘s best to head to a gentle slope for your first attempts. Give snowscooting a go in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental or in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in Tirol, among others.
Snowbike
Race down the slopes while seated: that’s something daredevils can do on a snowbike. It looks like a bike that has skis instead of wheels and can be tried out on guided tours in Kleinwalsertal in Vorarlberg. Snowbikes and various other fun sport devices can be hired in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in Tirol, whilst in Flachau and Obertauern in SalzburgerLand, ski schools offer introductory courses and accompanied excursions.
Ski Fox
The Ski Fox looks like a stool on skis, with riders also wearing very short skis to help steer and brake. The best way to change direction is by shifting your weight. Ski Fox rentals can be found in Golm in Montafon in Vorarlberg as well as Biberwier and Nauders in Tirol.
Snowblades or "Big Foot"
The short, barely one-metre-long skis are defined by their maneuverability, which is ideal for firn. They can be hired from numerous sport shops with ski hire. Those who would like to give them a go should be able to ski and, for safety reasons, at least 1.5 m in height. Schladming-Dachstein in Styria, Weißbriach in Carinthia, and Westendort in Tirol are some of the places that have shops with snowblades for hire.
Snow Tube
Gliding downhill on an oversized rubber tire: it’s just as much fun for adults as it is for kids. In addition, you can choose to sit, lie or even go headfirst. There is a snowtubing run with a conveyor belt to take you uphill in Au-Schoppernau in the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg. The snowtubing track in Zillertal in Tirol is 200 m long. You can also snowtube in Kaiserwinkl in Tirol and Faistenau and Saalbach-Hinterglemm in SalzburgerLand. On the Kreischberg in Styria, a lift takes snowtubers up to the 200 m run.
Airboard
Airboarding is a little more adventurous than snowtubing. You speed downhill on a plastic board with hand grips filled with air – headfirst. The airboard is steered by shifting your weight. To stop or slow down, you position the board sideways, and you can also use your feet which are hanging over the end of the board. The Outdoor Consulting Team offers courses in several locations near Abtenau in SalzburgerLand. Airboarders have their very own run in Obertauern in SalzburgerLand, and there are airboards and plenty of other fun sport devices for hire in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in Tirol.
Pistenbock
"Pistenbock" is the name of the modern steerable sledge made of varnished wood and steel. It has a clever steering system, a handbrake, and even a drag lift attachment. There is a separate run for "Pistenbock" riders in Mayrhofen in Zillertal in Tirol.
Fat Bike
The fat bike with extra wide, knobbly tyres can also be ridden on snow. The tyre pressure is lower than that of a classic bike for better grip. Winter mountain bike tours are offered by Kappl in the Paznaun Valley in Tirol among others. The Schladming-Dachstein region and the Loser in Styria are also great areas for fat bikers. There are even electric fat bikes for hire at the foot of the Dachstein. In Carinthia, fat bikers ride through the snow and across the frozen Weissensee.
RuckXBob
The combination of rucksack and bob is the ideal accessory for winter and snowshoe hikers. You get uphill on foot and down by bob. "Abenteuer Management" has several locations including in Spital am Pyhrn, the Kasberg in Upper Austria, the Teichalm in Styria, Millstatt in Carinthia, and Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria, where you can also hire a RuckXBob at the cable car.
