Professional snowboarder Alex Payer gets ready for the next season as soon as the last one ends. And his mountain bike was already hauled out of the basement and saddled up again weeks ago. In this blog post, Alex shares his passion for the biking paradise around the Bad Kleinkirchheimer Kaiserburgbahn and has a great route suggestion for anyone wanting to explore the gentle Nockberge mountains on two wheels.
If you’re looking for the perfect mountain for mountain bikers in Carinthia, you can’t miss the Kaiserburg. Europe’s longest Flow Country Trail has made the Bad Kleinkirchheimer Bergbahnen in the Nockberge mountains better known outside the world of skiing and is growing in popularity. But what few people know is that the biking area around the Kaiserburg has a lot more to offer than just the 15 kilometres of flowing track. If you’re motivated enough to tackle a few metres in altitude and take the journey between flow and single trail, the Kaiserburg can be transformed into an sublime mountain bike paradise. All with the friendly support of the Kaiserburgbahn to really put the downhill action centre stage.
Between Bad Kleinkirchheim and Feld am See.
The Kaiserburgbahn ends at the foot of the Wöllanernock and this is where the trail adventure really begins because the trail network here is made up of a total of 5 independent trails. Apart from the Flow Country Trail, all the others are what are known as “shared trails”. This means that you may encounter hikers as well as the odd alpine animal. These single trails aren’t developed for mountain bikers per se, but are classic single trails that follow the main hiking routes. That’s why we recommend you have a fair amount of skill on a bike for tackling these.
The trails.
One tip to keep in mind when deciphering the signposts is that any trail with a “T” in front of the number can be used as a bike trail. There are also overview maps of the area, which give you a feel for the region. If navigating using digital maps is more your thing, then the individual trails are also marked on this interactive map: BIKE MAP.
Flow Country Trail – Part 1.
The Flow Country Trail is the perfect starting point for a day on the bike. You can start off gently here and warm up for the somewhat rougher sections. Don’t forget that the striking stone arch at the Kaiserburgbahn summit station marks the start of the trail adventure and also makes the perfect Instagram shot.
T8 „Rossalmhüttentrail“.
After about 3 kilometres on the Flow Country Trail, you’ll have to keep an eye out for the marked trail that turns off to the left in the direction of Feldpannalm. This is the start of T8 and is also our first single trail. Cut deep into the side of the mountain, this trail heads southwards and demands a lot of handlebar control. After a small bridge, the route more or less flows over meadows and short steep sections to the mountain pasture. In my opinion, you get the best views of the day here and it’s not as strenuous as other places, making it the perfect start. Afterwards it’s time to grit your teeth and power through for a short while, as we head up towards the Maibrunnhütte.
Flow Country Trail – Part 2.
We all know all good things come in twos, or is it threes? As soon as you reach the top, you re-join the Flow Country Trail and head over my favourite part, the Maibrunn mountain pasture path, to the next intersection.
T9 „ Maibrunntrail“.
The ideal biking surface makes it easy to quickly climb the 120 metres in altitude to the Maibrunn Trail, where you’re rewarded with a fantastic view including the summit cross. After a quick selfie, it’s back downhill again at a moderate gradient but with some tricky technical sections. But don’t worry, it’s not dangerous here and you reach the Maibrunnhütte again after a few metres. Time to stop for some quick refreshments!
T1 „Alter Almweg-Trail“
Now we’re already heading towards the finish, or to put it better, towards Feld am See. We cycle through the striking portal in the direction of Feldpannalm and find the entrance shortly after this (on the left) – don’t worry, it’s well signposted. This trail has a rather high difficulty level (red/black) – in the upper S2 range (difficult). But if needs must, you can always hop off your bike and push it over the tricky sections so that you can keep going. What makes this trail special is definitely the loose surface. Here, the heavy rainfall in the region has taken its toll on the old alpine path (hence the name “Alter Almweg”), making it very stony. In total, there are just under 3 kilometres and 500 metres of altitude to conquer on this uncompromising trail, which does require quite a bit of arm strength.
At the end of the trail, you find yourself on a tarmac road with a magnificent view towards the village of Feld am See. But be careful not to linger here for too long – because on the path above the village of Obertweng you have to turn off in good time to get back to Bad Kleinkirchheim.
Conclusion.
With almost 2,000 metres of downhill excitement, four completely different trails between the Flow Country Trail and a difficult single trail make the Kaiserburg the perfect mountain for every mountain biker. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced biker, here you can slowly get to grips with the world of mountain biking or really get into high gear.
