Sport ·
WANDERBIRD Trophy: hike-and-fly premiere with more than 80 pilots
In early August the hike-and-fly race series came to Werfenweng for the first time, on foot and by paraglider via the Bischling, Hohenwerfen Castle and the Bischofsmütze. Salzburg's Helmut Eichholzer won the top category.
From 7 to 9 August 2026, the WANDERBIRD Trophy was held in Werfenweng for the first time. More than 80 pilots from nine countries took part. In hike-and-fly, competitors complete a set route through several turnpoints, partly on foot and partly in the air by paraglider.
The route
The race started on Saturday morning at the valley station of the Bergbahnen Werfenweng lifts. Competitors first climbed the Bischling. From there they had to fly through invisible cylinders in the air: around Hohenwerfen Castle, the Grießenkareck and the Bischofsmütze.
The weather kept everyone waiting. Thick morning cloud meant no one could take off at first. Only at around 11:30 did the cloud lift enough for the first paragliders to launch.
There were three categories:
| Category | Distance | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| FUN | 31 km | lifts allowed |
| TOUR | 47 km | muscle power and thermals only |
| HERO | 67 km | muscle power and thermals only |
Results
In the HERO category, Salzburg's Helmut Eichholzer won after a close duel with Italy's Aaron Durogati, a Red Bull X-Alps champion and hike-and-fly world record holder. Falko Staps from Germany came third. Elisabeth Fuchsreiter was the only woman to start in the HERO category and won hors concours. Full results are on wanderbird.io.
Around the race
The trophy was organised by WANDERBIRD founder Paul Guschlbauer, who has competed in the Red Bull X-Alps seven times himself. On Friday evening there was a compulsory briefing at DUADO Werfenweng. Bernie Hertz, creator of the paragliding app "Burnair", talked about the weather and route planning. Helmut Eichholzer told the story of how hike-and-fly has developed since 2005.
On Sunday the participants went over the race together. The weekend ended with a community hike-and-fly up the Bischling. Partners included Bergbahnen Werfenweng, Werfenweng Tourismus, Skywalk, Salewa and Red Bull.