Causes and associated factors of mountain bike injuries in bike parks in western Austria: a two-season descriptive epidemiological study

Gerhard Ruedl; Alois Schranz; Patrick Salner; Vera Prünster; Martin Burtscher; Gerhard Ruedl; Alois Schranz; Patrick Salner; Vera Prünster; Martin Burtscher

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2026022

AIMS Public Health

2026, Volume 13, Issue 2: 422-431. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2026022

Previous Article Next Article

Research article

Causes and associated factors of mountain bike injuries in bike parks in western Austria: a two-season descriptive epidemiological study

1.
Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
2.
medalp sportclinic, Imst 6460, Austria

Received: 03 October 2025 Revised: 22 December 2025 Accepted: 03 February 2026 Published: 01 April 2026

Mountain bike terrain parks have become increasingly popular, particularly at ski resorts where chairlifts transport riders uphill to enjoy downhill cycling. These parks feature trails of varying difficulty with artificial obstacles designed for jumps and stunts, which contribute to a unique pattern of injuries. This retrospective epidemiological study analyzed mountain biking injuries in two bike parks in western Austria during the summer seasons of 2023 and 2024. The bike parks are located within two major ski resorts, where lifts transport riders and their bikes uphill. Injury data were systematically documented by bike patrols using an online reporting tool, while exposure data (number of biker visits and number of downhill rides) from one of the bike parks enabled the calculation of an injury rate. A total of 274 injured riders (81.8% male, mean age 30.2 ± 14.6 years), predominantly from Germany (65%), were recorded. Most injuries occurred between Friday and Sunday, primarily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with over 90% occurring during downhill cycling and 15% during the first ride of the day. Falls due to rider errors accounted for 77.4% of injuries, while 20.8% were linked to jump landings. The shoulder/clavicle region was the most frequently injured site (33.7%), followed by the upper extremities (26%) and the head/face region (17%). Fractures were the most common diagnosis, accounting for 52% of cases. Approximately one-quarter of injured riders required helicopter evacuation. The calculated injury rate was 4 injuries per 1000 visits or 6 injuries per 10,000 rides. In conclusion, injuries in bike parks predominantly affect men and are more frequent on weekends. Falls during downhill cycling are the leading cause, with fractures and injuries to the shoulder/clavicle region being the most common. These findings highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies and optimized emergency services to improve safety in bike parks.
- mountain biking,
- bike parks,
- epidemiology,
- injury,
- fractures,
- injury risk
Citation: Gerhard Ruedl, Alois Schranz, Patrick Salner, Vera Prünster, Martin Burtscher. Causes and associated factors of mountain bike injuries in bike parks in western Austria: a two-season descriptive epidemiological study[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2026, 13(2): 422-431. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2026022

Related Papers:

Abstract

Mountain bike terrain parks have become increasingly popular, particularly at ski resorts where chairlifts transport riders uphill to enjoy downhill cycling. These parks feature trails of varying difficulty with artificial obstacles designed for jumps and stunts, which contribute to a unique pattern of injuries. This retrospective epidemiological study analyzed mountain biking injuries in two bike parks in western Austria during the summer seasons of 2023 and 2024. The bike parks are located within two major ski resorts, where lifts transport riders and their bikes uphill. Injury data were systematically documented by bike patrols using an online reporting tool, while exposure data (number of biker visits and number of downhill rides) from one of the bike parks enabled the calculation of an injury rate. A total of 274 injured riders (81.8% male, mean age 30.2 ± 14.6 years), predominantly from Germany (65%), were recorded. Most injuries occurred between Friday and Sunday, primarily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with over 90% occurring during downhill cycling and 15% during the first ride of the day. Falls due to rider errors accounted for 77.4% of injuries, while 20.8% were linked to jump landings. The shoulder/clavicle region was the most frequently injured site (33.7%), followed by the upper extremities (26%) and the head/face region (17%). Fractures were the most common diagnosis, accounting for 52% of cases. Approximately one-quarter of injured riders required helicopter evacuation. The calculated injury rate was 4 injuries per 1000 visits or 6 injuries per 10,000 rides. In conclusion, injuries in bike parks predominantly affect men and are more frequent on weekends. Falls during downhill cycling are the leading cause, with fractures and injuries to the shoulder/clavicle region being the most common. These findings highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies and optimized emergency services to improve safety in bike parks.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contributions of Elena Pocecco and the members of the bike park patrol and rescue service in the development of the questionnaire.

Authors' contributions

Conceptualisation: G.R. and A.S.; Data collection and analysis: P.S., G.R. and M.B.; Methodology: G.R., A.S. and P.S.; Draft: G.R. and M.B.; Review G.R., V.P. and M.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

Martin Burtscher is an editorial board member for AIMS Public Health and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

References

[1]	Ruedl G, Philippe M, Sommersacher R, et al. (2014) Current incidence of accidents on Austrian ski slopes. Sportverletz Sportschaden 28: 183-187. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1385244
[2]	Mueller T, Ruedl G, Ernstbrunner M, et al. (2019) A prospective injury surveillance study on ski touring. Orthop J Sports Med 7: 2325967119867676. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967119867676
[3]	Ruedl G, Pocecco E, Raas C, et al. (2017) Causes of accidents and risk factiors among adults during recreational sledging (tobogganing): a retrospective study. Sportverletz Sportschaden 31: 45-49. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-101044
[4]	Faulhaber M, Ruedl G, Schneider F, et al. (2020) Characteristics of victims of fall-related accidents during mountain hiking. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17: 1115. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17031115
[5]	Pocecco E, Wafa H, Burtscher J, et al. (2022) Mortality in recreational mountain-biking in the Austrian alps: A retrospective study over 16 years. Int J Environ Res Public Health 19: 11965. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911965
[6]	Woyke S, Hütter A, Rugg C, et al. (2024) Sex differences in mountain bike accidents in Austria from 2006 to 2018: a retrospective analysis. High Alt Med Biol 25: 89-93. https://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2023.0086
[7]	Große MTB-Umfrage des Alpenvereins: Die Ergebnisse (2021). [cited 2025 July 21]. Available from: https://www.alpenverein.at/portal/news/2021/2021_05_03_MTB-Umfrage.php
[8]	Romanow NT, Hagel BE, Nguyen M, et al. (2014) Mountain bike terrain park-related injuries: an emerging cause of morbidity. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot 21: 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2012.749918
[9]	Ashwell Z, McKay MP, Brubacher JR, et al. (2012) The epidemiology of mountain bike park injuries at the Whistler Bike Park, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Wilderness Environ Med 23: 140-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2012.02.002
[10]	Aitken SA, Biant LC, Court-Brown CM (2011) Recreational mountain biking injuries. Emerg Med J 28: 274-279. https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2009.086991
[11]	Bahr R, Krosshaug T (2005) Understanding injury mechanisms: a key component of preventing injuries in sport. Br J Sports Med 39: 324-329. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.018341
[12]	Course G, Sharman JE, Tran V (2023) Health service impacts and risk factors for severe trauma in mountain biking: a narrative review. Healthcare (Basel) 11: 3196. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11243196
[13]	Koehne NH, Locke AR, Yendluri A, et al. (2025) Sex- and age-specific analysis of mountain biking injuries. Orthop J Sports Med 13: 23259671241305396. https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671241305396
[14]	Breulmann FL, Krenn C, Fraißler L, et al. (2024) Recreational athletes during downhill-mountain biking (DMB) show high incidence of upper extremity fractures in combination with soft-tissue injuries. Sci Rep 14: 4170. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54774-7
[15]	Bonte S, Hartweg C, Thouzé A, et al. (2025) Injury mechanism in mountain biking: a systematic video analysis of 534 cases. Eur J Sport Sci 25: e12327. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12327
[16]	Koivisto K, Oddo Rodriguez F, Finnoff J, et al. (2025) Mountain biking injury epidemiology: an updated review. Curr Sports Med Rep 24: 186-190. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000001261
[17]	Braybrook PJ, Tohira H, Birnie T, et al. (2023) Types and anatomical locations of injuries among mountain bikers and hikers: A systematic review. PLoS One 18: e0285614. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285614
[18]	Fiore DC, Fellow KM, Henner TA (2020) Injuries in mountain biking and implications for care. MLTJ 10: 179. https://doi.org/10.32098/mltj.02.2020.04
[19]	Becker J, Runer A, Neunhäuserer D, et al. (2013) A prospective study of downhill mountain biking injuries. Br J Sports Med 47: 458-462. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-091755
[20]	Burtscher M, Ponchia A (2010) The risk of cardiovascular events during leisure time activities at altitude. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 52: 507-511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2010.02.008
[21]	Kronisch RL, Pfeiffer RP (2002) Mountain biking injuries: an update. Sports Med 32: 523-537. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200232080-00004
[22]	Teramoto M, Cushman DM, Ehn M, et al. (2025) Injury epidemiology of youth cross-country mountain biking coaches: analysis of data from the National Interscholastic Cycling Association injury surveillance system. Res Sports Med 33: 500-511. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2025.2478401
[23]	Nelson NG, McKenzie LB (2011) Mountain biking-related injuries treated in emergency departments in the United States, 1994–2007. Am J Sports Med 39: 404-409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546510383478
[24]	Koehne NH, Locke AR, Yendluri A, et al. (2024) Rising rates of traumatic fractures among mountain bikers: A national review of emergency department visits. Injury 55: 111907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2024.111907

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2026 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)