“No matter whether it’s wind, snow or cold, we’re marching!” This is the motto of the legendary ultra hiking event on Lake Wörthersee. Every year on the first weekend in January, up to 350 hardened endurance athletes march around the entire lake in around 13 hours. There is an impressive 62km and 1,800 meters of altitude to overcome. “I’m so tired but overjoyed that I did it!” was heard from many quarters.
Important tourist impulse
The event provides an important stimulus for tourism. The start and finish town of Velden in particular benefits from this.
Wörthersee Rosental Tourismus CEO Peter Peschel says: “We know that 65% of the participants do not come from Carinthia. And another 50% of them come to us accompanied, with a lot of guests spending the whole weekend here. This brings a nice direct added value. This event shows that the Wörthersee Rosental region can be experienced all year round as the most beautiful natural arena in Europe.”
The focus is on the lead product “Wörthersee circular hiking trail”.
In addition to direct tourism value creation, the event is primarily about anchoring the key product “Wörthersee circular hiking trail” in the core target group of ultra hikers in Austria.
Over the years, several thousand hiking enthusiasts have already gotten to know this unique circular route via the “Wörthersee Extreme”. Patrick Rauter from the tourism region describes the long-term effect as follows:
“The participants carry their experiences as multipliers into their respective hiking communities in Austria and Bavaria. We succeed extremely well, especially due to the unique selling point of the event – it takes place atypically in winter. In the warmer seasons, many participants come back with friends or family to introduce them to the region by hiking.”
Logistical challenge
The Wörthersee Extreme is a real challenge for the organization. Even if the number of participants is limited for safety and space reasons at the refreshment stations.
The numbers behind the event with 4 refreshment stations are impressive.
1,400 portions of soup, 80 kg of cake, 2,000 drink bottles and 25 helpers, to name just a few facts.
The transport of those hikers who can no longer continue must also be organized. If necessary, they will be brought back to the finish in Velden from the refreshment stations.
Participants appreciate the high quality of the event
True to the elevated image of the tourism region, the hiking events also focus on quality. This clearly sets you apart from most comparable events in Austria. Organizer Gerhard Schaar from the is responsible for this Fa.bolting.eu.
“We focus on extensive communication, an extensive culinary offering, great additional offers and an emotional conclusion. These include, for example, the “calf massages” from our partner “AROMAREICH” at the finish, the high-quality finisher pasta in the “Wrannissimo” restaurant and the participant raffle at the Casino Velden Wheel of Fortune. Finally, the printed and digital finisher photo helps to spread the event widely via social media by the participants themselves.”