Alpin Team Trail

Alpin Team Trail is a charity trail race held in Werfenweng, a Pongau village tucked beneath the Tennengebirge range in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is run entirely by volunteers from Alpin Team Austria, a mountaineering club founded in 2019 in Sankt Johann im Pongau, and was first held in 2022. Because sponsors cover the costs, entry fees and event takings go to families in the region who have been hit by misfortune. The race takes place on the last Saturday of September, and the field is capped at 600 runners across all distances.

All three courses start and finish at the race area in Zaglau, at the foot of the Ikarus gondola. The K50, about 52 km with 3,450 m of climbing, sets off at 6.30 am and tops out at 1,955 m; there is a first cut-off at the Wengerau aid station after four hours, then a second on the summit of the Bischlinghöhe, at the top station of the gondola. The K23, 23 km with 1,523 m of climbing, starts at 10 am and peaks at 1,834 m, with a timed cut-off on the Bischlinghöhe as well. The K10, about 10.6 km with 394 m of climbing, starts at 10.30 am and stays between 876 and 1,145 m. The finish closes at 5.30 pm for every distance.

The terrain ranges from flowing forest trails to technical alpine singletrack, with roots, rocks and descents that are easy to underestimate. The K10 is the entry point and is open to young runners from 14 with parental consent, the K23 already calls for solid mountain experience, and the K50, which like the K23 is restricted to adults, is meant for seasoned trail runners. In bad weather the K50 may be shortened or replaced by two laps of the K23, roughly 46 km with just over 3,000 m of climbing.

The setting is a small-scale mountain resort overlooked by the limestone walls of the Tennengebirge. The summit of the Bischlinghöhe, reached by gondola from the start area, is the best vantage point for spectators, with views over the K23 and K50 courses and the surrounding peaks. The weekend begins the day before with bib collection, a group shoe-testing run, a talk and a live podcast recording; on Saturday evening the prize-giving turns into a party at the aja resort in Werfenweng.

Mandatory kit depends on a weather scenario announced two days before the race: pack or belt, trail shoes, water supply, your own cup (none are provided at aid stations), first-aid kit, survival blanket, whistle, GPX track on your phone, a charged phone with the organisers' number saved, ID and a long-sleeved top, plus a head torch on the K50. Personal support is only allowed at aid stations, dogs are not permitted on the courses, and any gels carried must be marked with your bib number. Cars can use the lift company's car park, but public transport is recommended, and a shuttle links the race area with the village centre in the afternoon.