Mountain Attack 2026 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Austria’s largest and toughest ski mountaineering race

The Mountain Attack 2026 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm will go down as one of the toughest editions in the race’s history. Icy, steep, relentless – the conditions on the course offered no room for compromise. What awaited the more than 700 athletes from over 20 nations was a true test of equipment, strength, and willpower. It was precisely in these circumstances that those built for extremes stood out.

Right on schedule at 4:00 p.m., the starting gun fired in Saalbach’s village square, marking the beginning of the legendary Schattberg Race (4 km / 1,000 m vertical gain). Cheered on by spectators, the athletes sprinted through the village before heading straight into the first steep section. The ski slope resembled an icy wall — glassy and unforgiving, with gradients exceeding 70 percent in places. Every misstep was punished immediately.

Amid this battle against the mountain, Tina Fischl (WSV Otterskirchen / Mountain-Attaq Team Sport Zöls) took control from the very start. Highly focused, technically flawless, and displaying remarkable determination, she quickly distanced herself from the competition. While many athletes slipped on the bare ice and lost valuable seconds, Fischl remained composed, steady, and uncompromising on her line.

After the first long steep section, the ski mountaineers were briefly able to catch their breath near the mid-station, where the gradient eased slightly — before the climb inevitably grew steeper again.

The second section demanded everything from the athletes. The track was churned up, the surface offered little grip, and the slope was once again merciless. Every step burned in the legs, every breath became a struggle in the freezing temperatures. Yet on this day, Tina Fischl seemed unstoppable. With perfectly adjusted climbing aids, tremendous strength, and mental resilience, she steadily extended her lead — meter by meter, step by step.

On the final vertical meters below the summit station, it was clear that victory would not be taken from her. Driven by sheer determination, Fischl pushed toward the summit and crowned her outstanding performance with another commanding win. It was already her third victory in the Mountain Attack’s Schattberg Race — achieved in impressive fashion.

Clocking an excellent time of 54:58 minutes and finishing three minutes ahead of runner-up Theresa Kober (Austria), Fischl reached the summit of the Schattberg at 2,097 meters above sea level as the undisputed winner. A gap that, under such extreme conditions, feels like an eternity and powerfully underscores her dominance. Third place went to Katharina Fischer (Austria).

In a post-race interview, the personal trainer from Fürstenstein emphasized the significance of her success: “Mountain Attack is one of the biggest and toughest races in ski mountaineering. The fact that my body can handle such extreme strain, that I’m healthy, and that I can celebrate my third victory here on the Schattberg — even though I can’t train on climbs like these at home — is something very special to me.”

For the tour and marathon athletes of Team Zöls, the real challenge was only just beginning at the summit. Moving at a more energy-conserving pace than Fischl’s sprint effort, Hans Jörg Wagmann, Matthias Burgstaller, Daniel Schmidbauer, Michael Wagmann, Georg Kusser, Andreas Gastinger, and Rubert Koch reached the Schattberg East Summit within a tight time window between 1:07 and 1:20.

Hans Jörg Wagmann, Daniel Schmidbauer, and Matthias Burgstaller successfully completed the marathon course featuring six summits and 3,000 meters of vertical gain. Overall, the entire team can be very satisfied with its performance.

In the end, the successful finishers raised a glass to their achievements and rounded off the eventful weekend with sunny alpine and ski touring days in the World Championship ski resort of Hinterglemm.

Mountain-Attaq Team Results

Marathon – Matthias Burgstaller 4:15 hrs.

Marathon – Hans Jörg Wagmann 4:57 hrs.

Marathon – Daniel Schmidbauer 4:35 hrs.

Tour – Georg Kusser 2:56 hrs.

Tour – Michael Wagmann 3:42 hrs.

Tour – Rupert Koch 3:09 hrs.

Andreas Gastinger – DNF

Read the full race coverage by Sp4ort here:

For more information and photos from the event, visit: https://www.mountain-attack.at/de/

www.tina-fischl.de

Photo documentation: © Alex Fischl, © Wild + Team Fotoagentur GmbH

Tina Fischl Wins Ski Touring Event “Arbermandl” on the Großer Arber in the Bavarian Forest

A successful start at the premiere of the “Arbermandl” for personal trainer Tina Fischl from Fürstenstein. Just one week after her victory at the Mountain Attack in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the mountain specialist secured a commanding victory last Friday at the inaugural Vertical-Up race on the Großer Arber, the highest mountain in the Bavarian Forest. The ski touring event offered two race formats, and Fischl deliberately chose the Vertical-Up – a pure uphill race on touring skis.
The race started directly at the valley station, with the finish located at the Eisensteiner mountain hut near the summit. After a slightly cautious start, Fischl quickly found her rhythm. “After two or three minutes, everything was really flowing,” she explained afterwards. “For me, the race was almost like a sprint, as the course was only one kilometer long with about 320 meters of elevation gain. That means giving it everything right from the start.”
As the race progressed, Fischl steadily worked her way to the front, overtaking competitors and continuously extending her lead in the women’s field. Especially on the steep section, the athlete from WSV Otterskirchen demonstrated excellent technique and strong footing on the steep climb.
With a strong time of 16 minutes, Tina Fischl reached the finish line as the fastest woman. In the end, only four men reached the summit faster. Although the course was a bit too short for her taste – the extreme athlete usually prefers longer races – she was extremely satisfied with the result. Particularly impressive was her nearly four-minute lead over the second-place finisher.
The victory on the Arber marked Fischl’s second win of the current ski touring season. “I’m super happy, because my main sport is running,” Fischl summed up after the race. With this successful performance, she once again underlined her excellent early-season form and sent a clear message right from the outset.

www.tina-fischl.de

Photo documentation: © Alex Fischl

Tina Fischl crowned overall winner once again at the New Year’s Eve Elite Race in Wels

At the traditional New Year’s Eve Race in Wels, Fürstenstein personal trainer Tina Fischl (WSV Otterskirchen) celebrated an emotional victory over five kilometers. On the demanding 1.7-kilometer circuit, she initially held second place, while young Austrian Theresa Birglechner set the pace.

However, as the race progressed, Fischl drew on her experience, closing the gap lap by lap and taking the lead with a determined attack around 800 meters before the finish line. After 18:07 minutes, she crossed the finish line as the deserved winner, ahead of Birglechner and Emma Heinzer.

Fischl had already made history in Wels in 2016 with a course record of 17:14 minutes. After a successful end to the year, she is now looking ahead to the 2026 season and thanked her sponsors for their support.

Please enjoy reading the PNP report:

You can also read the report in Sp4ort:

www.tina-fischl.de

Photo documentation: © Alex Fischl

Freudensee Run in Hauzenberg

Start-to-finish victory for Tina Fischl at the Freudensee Run in Hauzenberg

Beaming faces and fast legs around Lake Freudensee: athlete Tina Fischl delivered an impressive performance at this year’s 5-kilometer Freudensee Run in Hauzenberg.

On the demanding cross-country course, which due to adverse weather conditions consisted of three partly muddy laps around lake Freudensee, the 49-year-old dominated the field from the beginning. Shortly after the start, she pulled away from her opponents and celebrated a commanding start-to-finish victory against significantly younger competitors.

Tina Fischl completed the three laps, totalling 4.9km, in a time of 18:27 min. Anna Drexler came in second in 19:44 min, ahead of Martha Weber, who crossed the finish line in 19:51 min.

“I was able to really push hard right from the start and felt great. Despite the difficult conditions, it was a really enjoyable race”, said Fischl happily at the finish line.

Immediately afterwards, Fischl also took part in the relay race, where she competed for the Wellnesshotel Reischlhof team alongside Thomas Hafner and her husband Alex. The trio put in a strong team performance and ultimately took second place in the overall relay standings.

www.tina-fischl.de

Photo documentation: © Alex Fischl