Shops 1st Try, Hochfügen, Austria, Jan 19-21, 2025 Preview

The big news is Shops 1st try, the world’s largest B2B on-snow gathering, is moving after 10 years at Alpbach, to Hochfügen in Zillertal. Hochfügen, a renowned snowboard and ski area, is famous worldwide for its reliable snow conditions and is especially popular among freeriders.

This new home for Shops 1St try is split into two locations, the test and indoor exhibition area are next to each other in Hochfügen and the accommodation and evening parties in Fügen. The Test Area and Indoor Area are conveniently located near the two gondola stations at 1,500m ensuring excellent snow conditions and the accommodation, parties and Industry Dinner are located in the Fugen in the Zillertal valley, just a 15-minute drive away.

With 87 brands confirmed this year, the largest line up in its 15-year history, Shops 1st Try is a who’s who of the snowboarding industry. You can get all your testing done over a three day period making a visit to the event a very efficient use of your time. New brands to the event this year include Terror, Salmon Arms, UKIYO, Terror, Sunbum, American Socks, Signal, Nivia, Modest, Mas Snowboards, Stinky Socks, Luckyboo,and DOUK.

Test Village Brands

The test village is open Sunday and Monday between 8.15am and 3.30pm and on Tuesday between 8.15am and 3pm. Last year retailers made a total of 6,525 tests with the event attracting shops from all over Europe. Of the 230 participating shops, 128 were German and 65 were Austrian with good contingents from Poland, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.

Test Village layout

On hand as always will be the ‘Shred Buddies’ (Pros, Ams and ambassadors) to ride with you, offer their views on the products being tested and to keep you well entertained. Riding icons like Jeremy Jones, Gigi Rüf, Wolle Nyvelt, Knut Eliassen, Kevin Bäckström, Yuki Kadono, Zebbe Landmark, Halldór Helgason will attend along with many industry figures.

New for this year Steve Gruber has designed the SHOPS 1st TRY Funny Run. This specially prepared slope features playful side country hits and obstacles, adding a unique flavour to your test runs.

The indoor exhibition area is right next to the test village, so you can easily walk from one to the other. This indoor area is open from 11am to 7pm on Sunday and Monday and 11am to 4pm on the last day. Here you will find all your favourite outerwear and accessory brands as well as the test village brands that have taken indoor booths as well. It’s the perfect spot to share insights, and connect with your industry and you can vote on the Retailers Choice Board Design award by BoardSportSource. From 4:00pm the Aftershred Gathering in the Indoor Area kicks of with DJs creating a relaxed vibe, and Tyrolean cuisine crafted by star chef Stefan Fankhauser will be served on Sunday and Monday evenings.

Indoor Brands

On Tuesday, SHOPS 1st TRY will introduce a new highlight the Backcountry Accessories Day with the Indoor Area hosting a curated selection of backcountry gear, including splitboard bindings and boards, as well as other essential accessories. Brands will offer activities such as guided tours, transceiver courses, and more. Adding to the excitement, an entertaining podium discussion will feature backcountry and freeride heroes sharing their expertise and stories. This special program is not to be missed for those looking to dive deeper into the world of backcountry riding

Indoor layout

Before your visit you should also go online to SHOPS-1st-BASE.com to explore a curated preview of the products you can test live at the event.

To go between Hochfügen and Fugen, the organisers recommend taking the ski bus or the specially arranged Shops 1st Try shuttle buses, which will run regularly between both locations. In the late evening the action is all in Fugen. The night before the event opens the industry dinner will be held at the Kosis Pub at the Hotel Kosis in Fugen Ort, this is open to all brands. Then for each of the next two nights there will be an official Shops 1st Try party starting at 9pm, on the Sunday at the Pizz Pub, Hotel Kohlerhof, Fugen Ort and on Monday at the Kosis Pub at the Hotel Kosis in Fugen Ort. Both are open to all event attendees.

Fügen is easily accessible from all directions. It’s only a 10-minute drive from the Wiesing/Zillertal/Jenbach motorway exit. Closest airports are Innsbruck followed by Munich or take a train to Jenbach and then catch a taxi or Zillertalbahn public transport to Fugen.

This is the biggest single gathering of the snowboard community on the planet with many riders and industry figures flying in from North America and beyond.

Haven’t signed up yet? There’s still time to register! Head to shops-1st-try.com to secure your spot and find out more. See you on the mountain.