Are You In? You Still Can Be!
Okay everyone, the time for registering online for the adidas INFINITE TRAILS World Championships is now over but it doesn’t mean you have no chance of competing. You still have the option of signing up for the Vertical Open on Friday at 5:00 pm and the World Championships (Friday-Sunday) by heading to the aIT Race Office later this week.
The adidas INFINITE TRAILS Registration/ Race Office is located at:
c/o Kongresszentrum
Tauernplatz 1
A-5630 Bad Hofgastein
The opening hours on Thursday and Friday will be:
Thursday, 21 June 2018 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, 22 June 2018 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
It’s finally almost time to get yourselves to Gastein/SalzburgerLand whether you’re registered yet or not and oh boy it’s starting to get exciting that we are all soon to meet in the Austrian Alps.
One of the many reasons why adidas joined forces with the Gastein region for the INFINITE TRAILS World Championships was because of its infrastructure and the convenience it could offer as a group of ‘Sports Villages’. How to get to and around the area is something I want to briefly touch on today as well as what you can expect to find once you are there.
The center of everything will be Bad Hofgastein and it is set up to be as simple as possible for folks to register, check out the hot spots and prepare for the races. As you can see on the above map, the places you will need/want to visit (Alpen Arena, Race office, Alpentherme etc,..) are all within a few blocks distance from each other and you can walk there in just a few minutes from the various bus stops (depending on which line you take).
If you have any questions or concerns about how to get to Bad Hofgastein in the first place – either by car, plane or by train – please see all of your options HERE. There are multiple options and I ask you to please take advantage of the various deals that can be found through these links.
As for getting around once you’re in the valley, there is a lovely bus system and on Sunday there is an awesome deal to help get you around to the best spots. For just 15 euros you get a ride up and down the Graukogel lift and the Stubnerkogel cable car. On top of this, you can go by bus throughout the valley for only 1,50 €. This combi-ticket is available at the tourism offices in Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein. If you check the map you will see that the tourism office doubles as our Race Office and is directly in the center of the athlete village. The Race Office is where you will go to register, to buy transport tickets and to ask any questions you have regarding the adidas INFINITE TRAILS World Championships.
On a side note, if you happen to be coming by car, the Alpentherme has public parking which will be the closest parking place to the town center. However, we recommend you use public transport as often as possible during your stay as it’s definitely the best way to get around.
The thing that I am admittedly most excited about for the whole weekend is the Austrian food. If you haven’t ever had a SalzburgerLand schnitzel, you’re in for one heckuva nice surprise and you may never want to leave the beautiful land ever again. No worries though, if for some reason you’re not a schnitzel fan there are many different types of cuisine and there is a super cool partnership that the adidas INFINITE TRAILS World Championships has with many of the local restaurants of various cuisines.
To ‘Get a Taste of Gastein’, twenty eateries have signed on as part of a deal that will allow you to really experience the local cuisine and hopefully help set the event apart from others. Instead of a pasta buffet or a food tent, you will receive “currency” in your starter package that can only be used at local businesses. As part of being a sustainable event we want to promote Gasteiner companies and also desire that you taste the incredible regional food. The partner restaurants are located in each of the three villages and there are several choices for any possible craving you might have (I’m limiting myself to two schnitzels….per day).
Check HERE for the full list and be prepared to want to run the trails faster just so you can get back and eat some more.
The folks of Gastein/SalzburgerLand are really delighted to host the adidas INFINITE TRAILS World Championships and they want to help show you their wonderful valley and surrounding mountains and welcome you to the place they are blessed to call home. I highly suggest that you get out and about and try to meet these folks, eat the fresh and wonderful food and shop at the quaint Alpine shops because as any traveler knows, the best way to experience a place is to meet its people.
There is a charm and an atmosphere about the whole place and a friendliness and ease about the people that is truly something special and I have little doubt that before the weekend is complete, you will fall head over heels in love with Gastein and the SalzburgerLanders.
Gastein/SalzburgerLand is in.
Are you?
No seriously, are you? If not, remember you can still register at the address above as late as Friday, but BEFORE 3:00 pm.
Can’t wait!
~ Kevin Gillikin