Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GOING TO EXTREMES
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Go ahead, jump
The 152m-high platform of the capital's needle-thin Donauturm (
Click here
) is one of the
world's highest bungee jumps from a tower. Yo-yo-ing at speeds of 90km/h from this landmark sure is an origin-
al way to see Vienna. Daredevils also leap into oblivion from the 192m Europabrücke bridge above the Sill
River, a thrilling upside-down bounce.
»
Get a grip
If you thought regular climbing was slippery, try ice climbing! Scaling frozen walls and waterfalls
is pure adventure, but you'll need a decent pair of crampons and a good instructor. The Stubai Glacier (
Click
here
) and Lech (
Click here
) are among the places where you can give it a go. Experts can search for ice-climb-
ing locations countrywide on
www.bergsteigen.at
(in German).
»
Going down…
For a real heart-stopping moment, you can't beat rolling out of a plane at 4000m and freefall-
ing for 60 seconds before your parachute opens. Tandem skydiving jumps are available all over Austria - from
Vienna to Salzburg; see
www.skydiveworld.com
for details.
»
Alpine rush
Speed is of the essence in Tyrol, particularly on Igls' hair-raising Olympic bob run (
Click here
).
Add altitude to the equation by ziplining over incredible scenery on the flying fox at Area 47 (
Click here
).
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Snow crazy
Swap your skis for a more novel way of whizzing down the mountains. Most resorts in the Aus-
trian Alps, including Sölden (
Click here
) and Mayrhofen (
Click here
), offer snow tubing. Other snow-sports
crazes to look out for include airboarding and snowbiking.
Mountain Biking
The Austrian Alps are an MTB mecca, with hairpin bends, back-breaking inclines and
heart-pumping descents. The country is criss-crossed with mountain-bike routes, with the
most challenging terrain in Tyrol, Salzburgerland, Vorarlberg and Carinthia. Following is
a sample of the tours and regions that attract two-wheeled speed demons.
Dachstein Tour
Hailed as one of the country's top mountain-bike routes; this three-day tour circles the
rugged limestone pinnacles of the Dachstein massif and blazes through three provinces:
Salzburgerland, Upper Austria and Styria. You'll need a good level of fitness to tackle
the 182km trail that starts and finishes in Bad Goisern, pausing en route near Filzmoos
(
Click here
)
. For details, see the website
www.dachsteinrunde.at
.
Salzburger Almentour
On this 146km trail, bikers pedal through 30
Almen
(mountain pastures) in three days.
While the name conjures up visions of gentle meadows, the route involves some strenu-
