A Real-Life Mario Kart Race Down an Austrian Mountain

Lori Dorn
September 28, 2026

Sam Pilgrim, the professional freeride mountain biker who repeatedly tests unusual ways to ride a bicycle, joined other professional riders for a daring race down a mountain in Sölden, Austria, on three-wheeled mountain carts that looked like something out of Mario Kart during Swatch Nines Bike 2026.

Riders had to navigate challenging alpine terrain, narrow trails, and wooden features while maintaining speed and control in a fast-paced pack, which Pilgrim found quite invigorating.

THIS IS THE BEST FUN YOU CAN HAVE! These mountain karts in Sölden, Austria are crazy fast and absolutely dangerous but that’s what makes it fun! You get a gondola to the top of the mountain here and send it down as fast as possible, this was even better because we were out here with the Swatch Nines mountain bike crew and things got wild!

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via The Awesomer

Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.