With the 2018 season coming to a close in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to send it in the southern part of the globe and start preparing for the next season after the snow melts and the landscape up north turns green again. Big Mountain Skate has already released the dates of its 2019 events to get us hyped for the next season with a new freeride event being brought to the table. All of these three events take place by the beautiful Austrian alps, so you can have a taste the amazing roads there.

Alpenrauschen

To open the 2019 Big Mountain Skate season, we got Alpenrauschen in the Tauplitzalm Alpenstraße, by the small town of Bad Mitterndorf, between Salzburg and Graz. From the 30th of May to the 2nd of June, you can enjoy a four day freeride on 5km of smooth pavement with 8 hairpins and 9% average grade – some sections reaching 55 mph! And not only is the track beautiful, the nature around it is breathtaking. The gorgeous forest and snow capped mountain view can almost make you forget you are there to enjoy the asphalt. After a day of downhill action with a mountain vista backdrop, riders can relax and recover at the hotels and lodges in the area. You can also connect to the local nature and go swimming in the natural lakes or just hang around and chill in the green areas nearby. As a bonus, Rocket Longboards is organizing a party on Saturday. Tickets can be booked at bigmountainskate.com from the 6th of January, but be quick because there’s a riders limit of 220.

Loser Mountain Freeride

New to the calendar is the Loser Mountain Freeride event, from the 12th to the 14th of June. Flying down the Loser Panoramastraße in Altaussee, you will enjoy 6km of downhill with 11 hairpins and 60 mph+ sections that are not for the faint of heart. This event is an exciting opportunity for experienced downhill skaters to push their limits on a safe, closed road. Also there, the off-the-asphalt part of the event is an attraction in itself, with stunning valleys, clear lakes and unique woodland. Accommodation info will soon be released, so keep an eye open. Tickets will start selling on the 3rd of February and since Big Mountain Skate is expecting this to be their most anticipated event, it is recommended to reserve yours as quickly as possible.

Bela Joyride

Bela Joyride closes out this trilogy of events from the 14th to the 17th of August. With the new pavement redone in 2017, the already impressive track is a dream for downhill: fast and long sections at the top and 16 (yes, sixteen) hairpins at the bottom part. Better start doing those squats now so you can tuck all the way down the 6km of this unbelievable road. The track is an attraction for a wide range of riders: the less experienced can take it easy and only have to slide a handful of times to get down the road. At the same time, the experts can bomb it and check almost all corners.

The camping for the event is about 5 km from the track, with busses taking the riders up to the spot. Warm showers and toilets will be provided and there’s also a river near the campsite, as well as great food offered by the local soccer club. A live band and DJ will make the tune for the party on Saturday.

If you are flying there, the local village of Eisenkappel-Vellach gives you two choices: the Klagenfurt airport in Austria, or, since the village is also close to the border with Slovenia, the Ljubljana airport. You can get your tickets from the 3rd of March and the riders limit is also 220. 

Check out this edit of the 2016 event from our friends at King Lui Boards:

Registration for the first event begins January 6th, 2019. Hit the registration link above to make sure you’re signed up!