Wanderbird series wraps in Werfenweng

The Wanderbird Trophy hike-and-fly race series made its first stop in Werfenweng Austria last weekend. From 7-9 August more than 80 pilots from nine countries came together to tackle a course over the Tennen mountains south of Salzburg. A strong field of pilots and an outstanding site turned the event into a highlight of the season and made Werfenweng a meeting point for the international hike-and-fly community.

Salzburg local Helmut Eichholzer claimed victory in the main category after an exciting battle with Italian Red Bull X-Alps champion and the new hike-and-fly world record holder Aaron Durogati, who finished second. Germany’s Falko Staps completed the podium in third place. In the women’s Hero category, Elisabeth Fuchsreiter was the only female starter. “While this meant she took the win uncontested, it takes nothing away from her outstanding performance,” a race official said.

The race kicked off on Saturday morning at the valley station of the Werfenweng cable car. From there, athletes first made their way up to the top of Bischling before heading for the remaining cylinder turnpoints around Werfen Castle, Grießenkareck and Bischofsmütze. A thick layer of cloud initially made flying impossible, with no visibility from the mountain down into the valley. After an extended break, the clouds finally cleared and the first pilots were able to take off from 11:30am onwards.

Depending on their category participants had to cover different distances on foot and in the air: 31km in Fun, 47km in Tour and 67km in Hero. While Fun athletes were allowed to use the cable cars, Tour and Hero were all about leg power, endurance and making the most of the thermals.

“The Trophy creates a framework where everyone can find the right level of challenge. At the same time, everyone shares the same airspace – creating a real sense of community between beginners and pros,” explains race organiser and Wanderbird founder Paul Guschlbauer.



The race weekend got underway on Friday evening, when all participants gathered at Duado Werfenweng for the mandatory race briefing. Afterwards, Bernie Hertz, creator of the well-known Burnair app, gave an in-depth weather briefing for the weekend and shared insights into efficient route planning. Local legend Helmut Eichholzer then took the audience through the history and evolution of hike-and-fly from its beginnings in 2005 to where the sport might be heading next.

On Sunday after the race, participants joined a debriefing led by Paul Guschlbauer and Bernie Hertz, who analysed the race and gave pilots the opportunity to discuss their decisions and mistakes. The weekend wrapped up with a community hike-and-fly to Bischling.

Wanderbird was founded by adventurer and professional athlete Paul Guschlbauer who’s been organising coaching sessions, community events and hike-and-fly competitions for the past four years. Its goal is to give pilots of all experience levels safe, sustainable and accessible opportunities to get involved in the sport while continuing to grow and strengthen the community.

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