Stars, Stunts and Bike Action in Sölden

Last updated on 15.09.2025

The Bike Republic Sölden Festival X Swatch Nines was a unique weekend full of superlatives for the community. World stars of the scene such as Erik Fedko, Szymon Godziek or Sam Pilgrim presented spectacular shows in the two hectare big “Dirt District” – much to the delight of the enthusiastic visitors.

Swatch Nines Public Shoot in Sölden © Ötztal Tourismus – Theo Acworth

For an entire week, Sölden was all about the international biking elite. At the Swatch Nines Public Shoots, riders like Erik Fedko, Matt Jones, David Godziek, Alma Wiggberg, Nicolai Rogatkin and Robin Goomes performed tricks that amazed the audience. Friday’s Night Shoot transformed the area around Panorama Alm into a show stage with floodlights and DJ sound. Also Saturday offered unrivaled and action-packed airtime in glorious weather. There was even time for a test ride by pros Matt Jones and Sam Reynolds on the new 2.3 km Jump Line, which will open in 2026. It will be a trail of red difficulty level as it is wider than existing lines. Several obstacles provide extra fun and even more airtime. An absolute highlight for both pros and ambitious bikers.

Festival atmosphere
There was plenty going on not only in the Dirt District, but also in the area around the base station of Giggijoch Gondola. The expo area, food stalls and DJs created a great festival atmosphere while side events like the Bunny Höööp Contest, group ride-outs with top athletes and the Bike Obstacle Duel provided action away from the main stage. 

Global reach via social media
The festival’s impact extends far beyond Tirol: world stars like Sam Pilgrim (1.1 million followers on Instagram), Szymon Godziek (Red Bull Rampage), Erik Fedko (Red Bull Joyride) and Canadian rider Chance Moore shared their experiences in Sölden with their crowd of followers. A fact that generated engagement and millions of views worldwide. The live footage produced on-site achieved impressive reach within a very short time. Two reels featuring the riders on city bikes and minibikes in the “Dirt District” achieved almost a million views.

World record broken!
18-year-old Mario Neurauter from Silz provided goosebumps to all festival visitors with world record performances: on Friday, he mastered a 360-degree flat drop onto a target from a height of 270 cm, followed by a flat drop onto a target from 380 cm on Saturday and on Sunday, he put the finishing touch on his performance with the highest flat drop ever: 430 cm. The Tirolean athlete thus made bike history in Ötztal.

Celebrating local young talent
The XXL Dirt District playground is not only a large stage for world stars, but also for the next generation of bikers from Ötztal. What caused international amazement at the Swatch Nines is now open to local children. More than 150 kids – from 4 year old rookies to 17 year old upcoming talent, supervised by several dedicated URC Ötztal coaches – are taking the opportunity to ride the same lines and jumps as their idols. Therefore it’s highly motivating to watch the stars up close: when legends such as Sam Pilgrim catapult themselves high up into the Tirolean skies, the excitement and belief that one day they too can be part of the scene grows. This is also the case for 17 year old Markus Hall from Sölden, who recently landed his first backflip: “In summer, I often tried the jumps myself. It’s awe-inspiring to see what’s still possible. My personal goal is to compete in the Swatch Nines myself one day.” Coach Max de Boer is delighted with the perfect training conditions for his young athletes: “It’s really fabulous that we can now ride on such huge kickers. This helps the kids immensely when we head out into the outdoors after the winter airbag training in the indoor bike park at AREA 47.”

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