An Austrian Rail Adventure
After a couple of seasons spent travelling around Austria, it has become apparent to me just how efficient, well-connected and reasonably priced their public transport network is. Following a conversation to this effect with The Reason in January, they asked me to embark on a trip to visit some prime Austrian parks, all without the use of a car. Thanks to support from the Austrian National train company ÖBB, Mayrhofen, Zillertal and Nordkette, we were set to go. Partnered with photographer Adrian Formella – possibly the most chilled dude I’ve worked with – and friends at each spot, we had a plan of action.
Absolut Park
The trip began in Absolut Park near Salzburg, my home resort over the past few seasons. From powder days over at Zauchansee to sunny park laps, AP never fails to provide. With endless jib possibilities, perfect for any dome kid, coupled with meaty, well-shaped jumps, there is no wonder this resort attracts some of the best snowboarders in the world. The Chill House at the bottom of the park offers a great place to hang out, with a mini ramp and rock climbing walls, so even when you’ve had enough of shredding, you can never get bored.
This trip started right after Spring Battle had finished, one of the hottest contests in snowboarding. For many, including myself, this year’s setup proved to be both a physical and mental challenge – I’m still waiting on my therapy session. Before I knew it, it was time to leave Absolut Park behind and head off on my train odyssey.
Kaltenbach
With only a few short days to make the trip happen, I had to catch the earliest train possible to make it from Flachau to Kaltenbach for a full day of shredding and shooting. After a 3.30 am wake up and a short, chilly walk with the mountains picturesquely lit by moonlight, my train arrived bang on time – Austrian precision at its finest. I set an alarm on my phone to ensure I could get a quick nap before having to change trains in Salzburg and as we pulled into the main station, I realised I only had six minutes to make my connection. I was sceptical, half expecting a 20-minute hunt for the next platform like in the UK, but nope, in classic Austrian fashion, the train arrived bang on time and the departure platform was opposite the one I had just arrived on. Roughly four hours later and having slept through what I can only imagine was a gorgeous sunrise over the mountains, I arrived in Kaltenbach, where I met photographer Adrian, and the first of my shred buddies, Freddie Klatschow, whose spare car wheel I had lugged the way from Flachau to Kaltenbach. Don’t ask.
Freddie is one of Burton Germany’s regional riders and my all-time favourite shred companion. A man of style and taste, Freddie rips. He’s currently studying economics at Uni in Innsbruck and loves a chat about finances and the world of politics. Still, we’re snowboarders, so refuelled on Haribo and Red Bull, we headed up the mountain for what would turn out to be probably one of the most fun days shooting I have ever had.
Nothing compares to quick laps in a well-built park with one of your best pals. The jumps at Kaltenbach were great, expertly shaped by UK old boy, Tom West and provided Freddie and me with plenty of amplitude, but not too much for two jib kids. After a morning on the jumps, it was time to shoot on the rails and Freddie got himself locked into a battle to get the perfect switch front blunt shot, which he eventually won. By that point, the lifts were about to shut but still bundled with excitement, we decided to adventure board down the now-closed home run. Chasing Freddie down, slashing the sides and boosting off anything we could see, we came across a nice little side hit and a chance to add to our collection of shots from the day. In perfect light, Freddie boosted. Shot secured.
After the shot high, we were quickly brought back down to earth: what lay ahead was grass. Nothing but grass. It turned out the home run was closed for a reason. What followed was some grass sliding, a bit of falling and a fair amount of walking. Despite the challenge, we made it to the bottom, caked in mud but in good spirits. Day one was a wrap.
Mayrhofen
Day 2 and it was time to head to every Brit’s favourite resort, Mayrhofen. Located in the Zillertal Valley, Mayrhofen is a resort historically renowned for great parks and heavy partying, encapsulated well by the annual Snowbombing festival (basically Leeds Fest, fuelled by Stiegl).
Kaltenbach and Mayrhofen are connected by the Zillertalbahn, a small train line which connects the valley, starting in Jenbach and terminates in Mayrhofen. This provides a super easy and convenient way to travel from one part of the valley to the next, especially as trains run every half an hour! The journey up the valley provided great views and a few moments to regather after a hectic 24 hours. Arriving in Mayrhofen, we met with Burton Europe's new kid on the block, Dima Luhkin, an absolute ripper from Ukraine. Just 13 years old and this kid already has triples unlocked, accompanied by a style that wouldn’t go amiss with someone twice his age.
We got straight to business, with Dima throwing down on Mayrhofen's well-shaped, and plenty big enough booters, styling out some back 1s and front 3s for the shot. Not only can the kid kill it, but lapping with him, I quickly realised how humble and kind-hearted he is. Despite everything going on in his home country, Dima is at the park day in and day out, with the goal to make his country proud and all the while going to school in Innsbruck. Despite having the trick bag that some only dream of, Dima is like any other kid, telling me how he gets in trouble for playing too many video games. Following a morning on the jumps, we spent the afternoon having some fun lapping the Hoff’s jib line, which provides a wide variety of rail options to get stuck in to. After a heavy second day, it was time to head down to get some rest ready for tomorrow’s trip to Nordkette, the mountain that towers above Innsbruck.
Nordkette
Day 3 and it was another early wake-up to hop on the valley train from Mayrhofen, via Jenbach and into Innsbruck. Once again the train was incredibly easy to use and Adrian and I enjoyed views of the mountains as we headed into the city, along with a brief encounter with a very jolly conductor. We arrived at Innsbruck main station, where it was a short bus ride to the base of Nordkette. These transport links couldn’t be more efficient and easy to use! At the base of Nordkette, we met with Burton Innsbruck ripper Benno Bauer and his girlfriend. It was the second week of the Sane! Spring Break, and despite the conditions not being so spring-like, the crew had put together an awesome park with plenty of transfer options and rails. Some quickfire, icy laps and we had some shots in the bag, with Benno poking a nice front lip on the barriers and flying over the transfers before we were joined by the rest of the Sane! Gang.
Heading up the chairlift with Michi Schatz, AKA The Don, we got talking about how this trip has become more than just being about trains, but more the way snowboarding and travel connect people. The Sane! crew is a prime example. Started fifteen years ago in Innsbrooklyn, a group of people coming together, partying and having fun, gelled by snowboarding. The Sane! crew grew, T-shirts and hoodies were made, the crew got bigger and so did the parties! Sane! epitomises the classic snowboarding lifestyle.
Sane! Spring Break emerged eight years ago, where the crew works with Nordkette’s shapers to design a creative setup with endless possibilities for the last two weeks of the season. The crew get stuck in and has a blast building the park with friends ready for anyone to come rip and have a good time. In Michi’s words; ‘What we love most is when all the people come up and enjoy the setup. You find new lines every single day, and everyone has a blast. Seeing that, that's the best feeling for us.’
Post shredding and there was some time to enjoy the views and feed the birds (a classic Nordkette Instagram post). Nordkette is an all-time classic Innsbruck shred spot, located so close to town that, for many riders it's their go-to park. Being up there, with the views of the city below and surrounded by a great crew that made me feel right at home. It’s an unforgettable spot to shred.
I headed back into town, catching the funicular train down and then hopping on a bus to give Burton Europe HQ a visit. This was the first and only time the Austrian transport links let me down, with my bus delayed by a massive ten minutes! Joking aside, it was great to see the Burton HQ, shown around by Niki, the new Euro TM, we enjoyed prosecco and cake (I was told this isn’t an everyday occurrence in the office) and looked around at the gems in history, from early days boards to OG collab lines, much of which were older than me! The day was topped off by signing the team wall (my awful signature looked out of place alongside the likes of Zeb Powell and Niels Schack).
Reflections
That evening I headed in to town to once again meet up with Freddie. We got pizza and chatted about all things snowboarding – he’s as snowboard-obsessed as I am – then planned potential future video parts and talked about life, and chasing the dream.
We then headed to Jimmys, one of Innsbruck’s shred-central bars, where once again I bumped into Benno and a few other riders. We drank Aperol spritz and partied the night away with good people. This summed up the trip, it had become something more than just a trip around Austria on public transport, but rather about the friendships made through snowboarding, every one of us from different backgrounds, but coming together. From Freddie, someone of a similar age and background to myself, but based in Germany, to Dima, a kid from a war-torn country, to Austrian local Benno, all brought together by snowboarding and getting to share these cool experiences together.
It was now time to hop on the train back from Innsbruck to Flachau, ready for the Burton Mystery Series. Thanks, ÖBB!
ÖBB is Austria’s national rail company and is integrated seamlessly with the PostBus network, which will get you pretty much wherever you want to go, from the major cities to the smallest hamlets, with the absolute minimum of hassle. So many people use the network as everyday travel that it is incredibly well organised, and just like on this trip, your onward connections are timed to depart within minutes of your arrival at a location. You can book travel via their app, which also stores your tickets, allows you to make seat reservations and so much more. Possibly best of all is the food – each inter-city train has not only a cafe but also a dining car and the selections of foods, beers and wines is absolutely outstanding. If they can do things this well in Austria it’s just a shame that we can’t do the same here!