Stubai Cup 2025: event lowdown

When it comes to buying a new wing, there’s only so much research you can do online. That’s where the testival comes in – it’s the perfect opportunity to fly multiple gliders from different manufacturers. Next month, all the big brands will be at the Stubai Cup, which runs from 14-16 March in the Austrian village of Neustift. It’s one of the biggest and most important testivals in the calendar. Here’s all you need to know.

Register beforehand
The Stubai Cup is a chance to check out and fly the latest wings but don’t assume you can just turn up and fly. You need to register beforehand. It’s free to pre-register but you need to provide valid insurance and license details. On arrival you’ll be given a sticker and a start number that gives you access to the trade show as well as the free cable car.
Register here

The flying arena
There are two launch sites, the Elfer (1,850m), which is accessed by the Elfer cable car, a few minutes walk from the trade show. You’ll be launching from a snow-slope – normally a ski piste – but there are lots of volunteer helpers on site to assist. The vertical drop is 800m (see the Elfer webcam here). The other launch is from Schlick (2,000m, webcams) above Fulpmes, a short and free bus shuttle a few kilometres down the valley. It offers 1,200m altitude difference.

Smooth top-to-bottoms are the name of the game here, although you might also end up thermalling and flying short XC around the valley if the weather is kind. The idea is to get a feel for the wing you’re trying. By all means put in some steep turns, but you will not be popular if you start throwing steep wingovers or ground-spiralling above the landing field. Both acro and speed flying are prohibited from the Elfer area.

Presentations
This year Liv Sansoz and Zeb Roche will be there talking about their epic record-breaking tandem flight from the summit of K2. Their talk is on Friday at 7.30pm. Former PWC Superfinal champion and multiple Red Bull X-Alps athlete Aaron Durogati is talking on Saturday at the same time about his various mountain adventures.

Food, family and fun
Throughout the weekend there are various side-events for the whole family, from face painting to BBQs. There’s also a raffle of an EN-A glider, music and – this being Austria after all – there’s a Schnitzel party on the Saturday night.

Costs
Tickets start from €100 for a one day package which includes access to both Elfer and Schlick mountain areas as well as one of the evening presentations, and a free t-shirt. An all-in pass for the full three days is €220 when you buy before the event.

How to get there
Neustift is situated in Austria’s Stubai valley, just 30 minutes from Innsbruck, easily accessed by bus, car, and a good rail network.

More info and register at parafly.at