Wanderbird Trophy Stubai 2024 - Recap

The WANDERBIRD Trophy has once again captured the hearts of the paragliding community! Under the motto "Find your Path," WANDERBIRD founders Paul Guschlbauer and Patrick Reindl, along with their team, hosted the WANDERBIRD Trophy in the Stubai Valley from August 30th to September 1st, 2024. With 66 international pilots taking to the skies and a unique atmosphere, the event in Neustift im Stubaital once again offered an unforgettable experience. A diverse supporting program alongside the competition made the event a highlight not only for the athletes but for all attendees.

What makes the WANDERBIRD Trophy particularly fascinating is not just the spectacular alpine course but also the opportunity to compete in one of three categories with varying levels of difficulty, depending on skill level.

The TROPHIES are divided into the categories FUN, TOUR, and HERO, each presenting its own set of challenges. These categories allow athletes to develop their skills and achieve personal goals. Participants in the FUN category were allowed to use cable cars as an aid for ascent, while this was not permitted for TOUR and HERO participants. The race kicked off on Saturday, August 31st, at 8:30 AM from the Parafly Paragliding School in Neustift. From there, the course led to the first turnpoint at the Elferhütte, then continued to the Sennjochhütte in Schlick 2000 on the opposite side of the valley. To pass the turnpoints, participants had to take a selfie with the turnpoint sign and send it to the race management. Adapted to the conditions, the FUN and TOUR categories comprised a 22 km loop, while the HERO category challenged participants with two loops totaling 33 km. Due to the expected poor weather in the afternoon, the organizers decided to limit the competition to 2:00 PM.
Only the winner of the HERO MEN category, Aaron Durogati, managed to complete the loop twice within this limited time. In the HERO WOMEN category, Karin Schugg secured the day's victory and the coveted WANDERBIRD Trophy.

To ensure that both enthusiastic spectators on-site and those who could not attend in person could experience the race up close, the event was broadcast live via Burnair Map's real-time tracking. Additionally, social media updates and athletes' selfies kept spectators updated on the LED wall at the finish area. On-site, DJ Dativ & Frida Iron provided the perfect atmosphere with cool beats.

Another highlight was the "After Race Party" at the village square in Neustift, where the band Take Tonic created a fantastic mood, and the awards ceremony was made even more special. Here, the day's winners in each category were honored with prize money, WANDERBIRD Trophies, and material prizes. The awards were presented by
representatives of the Stubai Tourism Association, Roland Volderauer and Adrian Siller, as well as by Thomas Maier from Raiffeisenbanken Stubaital-Wipptal. This generous prize structure aims to promote the recognition of participants and the long-term professionalization of the hike & fly sport. The full race results are available on the website www.wanderbird.io.

After an exciting race day, Sunday morning began with a relaxing Yoga & Meditation session led by yoga instructor Pia Sigl. This was followed by a race debriefing led by Paul Guschlbauer and winner Aaron Durogati. In addition, sports psychologist and former professional athlete Veronika Mayerhofer and Paul Guschlbauer offered valuable insights and holistic advice on the challenges of hike & fly and life in general in a Mental Performance Workshop.

Special thanks go to the many volunteers and sponsors, especially the Stubai Tourism Association and Raiffeisenbank Stubaital. Last but not least, we would like to thank our cable car partners, Elferbahnen and Schlick 2000, who provided free mountain rides for participants in the FUN category as well as for the volunteers.

All current information about WANDERBIRD and WANDERBIRD events can be found at www.wanderbird.io.