Hochfilzen

A lap of Hochfilzen

1. Climb straight out of the stadium

Leave the shared stadium straight to the west and turn uphill toward the north-western crest. Fans line the open climb. Find a sustainable push early: this first hill is only the opening effort in a lap that continues to rise and fall.

2. Set up for the western hairpin

The course drops down the western side toward a tight turn at the foot of the descent. Speed builds before the direction changes sharply. Start setting your line on the way down and use the brake before the hairpin if you need more room to turn.

3. Roll behind the range

After the hairpin, head east behind the shooting range, then turn back around the south-western knoll. The southern stretch carries you through more rolling ground. Take each small descent as a chance to glide rather than treating this middle section as one continuous sprint.

4. Drop into the hollow

The lap bends into the hollow south-east of the range, taking you below the stadium level. This low point is followed by the eastern climb. Keep some stamina in reserve so the change from descending to pushing uphill does not catch you empty.

5. Cross the eastern hill and head home

Climb over the eastern hill past another gathering of spectators, then follow the descent down the east side into the stadium. On shooting laps, use the run-in to reduce your effort before reaching the mat; sprinting all the way in adds sway to your opening shots.

What to look out for

Cross-stake meadow fences

Lines of crossed wooden stakes mark the open pastures between the woods. Together with the scattered hay barns, they give Hochfilzen its own pattern of landmarks beyond the stadium.

The north-eastern mountain wall

The distant mountain ring rises higher to the north-east, forming the game’s backdrop inspired by the Leoganger Steinberge. Look beyond the rolling foreground for the taller skyline.

Snow banks and meadow drifts

Hochfilzen places extra snow drifts away from the racing corridor. Deep cover softens the surrounding ground, while thin cover makes the open pastures easier to pick out.

Crowds at the changes of pace

Spectators gather on the opening climb, beside the western hairpin and on the eastern hill. Their positions mark three places where a deliberate change of effort or steering pays off.

At the shooting range

The open setting carries through to the shooting range: Hochfilzen is configured with stronger base crosswind and larger gust variations than Ruhpolding. Each shooting stage draws a fresh base wind, so check the flags and wind readout on every visit and allow for drift when aiming. The shared range has five targets at 50 metres; each miss sends you around an additional 150-metre penalty loop.

Snow, weather and light

All six weather presets, day or evening starts and thin, normal or deep snow cover are available. Random cover most often selects normal snow here, with deep snow close behind and thin cover less common. Try deep cover for snow-laden surroundings and prominent drifts, or thin cover to reveal the meadows. An evening start lights the racing route with floodlights.

Take it into your next race

• Save sprint stamina for the later climb out of the hollow as well as the opening hill.
• Prepare for the western hairpin before reaching the bottom of the descent; brake early enough to hold your line.
• Ease off before shooting, then check the current gusts instead of reusing your previous wind correction.

Open race setup and select Hochfilzen to try this venue in sprint or mass start.