Mountain Attack: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The course is one large loop through the Saalbach-Hinterglemm ski area, moving between 987 and 2,083 metres. It opens with its hardest section: 3.4 kilometres averaging 30 per cent for more than 1,000 metres of gain, straight up the Schattberg out of the village centre.

After a short intermediate ramp the second big ascent starts at kilometre 8, 4.2 kilometres for a good 900 metres to the Zwölferkogel. The third long climb begins at kilometre 15.5 and adds nearly 660 metres over 3.8 kilometres. From there only two short counter-climbs remain before the finish in the Attack ARENA at the Schattberg-XPress base station.

Racing is on groomed, floodlit and closed pistes. Almost half the route sits in the steep-uphill band and the other half in descent; less than one per cent is flat. Six checkpoints with aid stations break up the loop.

Pacing Strategy

Age-group athletes take roughly four to six hours over the Marathon, and the climbs account for the overwhelming share of that time. Because the first ascent is also the steepest, the intensity there has to sit well below what feels possible at the start; after the Schattberg only a third of the race is done.

The race is decided on the Zwölferkogel climb from kilometre 8. Anyone still climbing evenly there holds their position; anyone who overspent on the first ascent loses time in large blocks. The third long ramp from kilometre 15.5 then falls into the phase where carbohydrate stores decide the outcome.

The biggest trap is the mass start in the village. The opening minutes are tight, loud and fast, and the gradient bites immediately; a pace that still feels easy there is almost always too high for 1,000 metres of unbroken climbing. Rushed skin transitions cost just as much: four to five changeovers add up, and a clean routine saves more time than any surge.

Training plan for Mountain Attack: 12-week build

The effort lasts four to six hours, split across four long ascents and as many descents. Its character is predominantly aerobic and steady; unlike a hillclimb time trial there is no way to hold high intensity across hours. What counts is a stable climbing output on gradients around 20 to 30 per cent, interrupted by descents in which the heart rate only partly recovers.

The decisive phases are the second and third long ascents, the stretch between kilometres 8 and 19. Both demand climbing under fatigue, and both follow directly on a descent that has already loaded legs and trunk.

Preparation should centre on long skinning ascents in the aerobic range, ideally three to four ascents in a single session rather than one continuous climb. Transition drills belong alongside it: stripping and refitting skins under time pressure with cold hands is a skill of its own. Descending confidently on hard groomed piste with light touring gear and tired legs is the second.

Because the race runs in January and reaches above 2,000 metres, cold, wind and equipment testing belong in the plan; glove choice, layering and food that is still edible below freezing decide more in the final third of the race than base endurance does.