When Pro Mountain Bikers Ditch Their Carbon Fiber for Real-Life Mario Karts

If you spent any part of your youth clutching a controller and screaming at a friend for throwing a red shell at you right before the finish line, I have fantastic news: the spirit of real-life Mario Kart is alive, well, and currently taking over the Austrian Alps.

During the Swatch Nines Bike 2026 event in Sölden, Austria, professional freeride mountain biking athlete Sam Pilgrim and a crew of fellow riders decided to set aside their high-end, custom mountain bikes. Instead of tackling the mountain trails on two wheels, they loaded up a gondola with something a bit more nostalgic: three-wheeled mountain carts built for gravity-fueled downhill action.

The Alpine Mushroom Cup

Picture this: some of the most talented freeriders on the planet, people who routinely pull off mind-bending aerial tricks, packed tightly together on low-riding, three-wheeled vehicles. They rode the gondola to the top of the mountain route and launched themselves down narrow dirt tracks and wooden features in a full-throttle, close-pack race.

Without any pedals to worry about—thanks to gravity doing all the heavy lifting—the focus was entirely on navigating sharp turns, staying close in the pack, and keeping those three wheels firmly on the ground. Watching a crew of top-tier athletes jockey for position elbow-to-elbow on miniature carts feels like a live-action video game come to life.

Why Pro Athletes Need a Play Break

There is something delightfully relatable about watching elite sports pros step away from the high-stakes pressure of their discipline just to mess around on trikes. Freeride mountain biking at this level demands intense focus, surgical precision, and serious risk management. But put those same athletes on low-slung mountain carts, and competitive drive instantly blends with pure childhood nostalgia.

It turns out that even when you have access to some of the finest mountain bikes in the world, the simple thrill of racing your friends down a mountain track on three wheels is impossible to pass up.

The Otterly Interesting Part

What makes mountain carts so fascinating is how riding posture changes your sensory experience of speed. Because you sit just inches off the dirt, your eye level is dramatically lower than it is on a standard bicycle. Going twenty miles per hour on a three-wheeled cart feels fast enough to warp space and time. Add in a narrow track winding through the alpine scenery, and you get an arcade-style rush powered entirely by gravity.

So the next time you find yourself bogged down by adult responsibilities, take a lesson from Sam Pilgrim and his crew: sometimes the best way to unwind is to grab some friends, head up a mountain, and embrace your inner video game racer.

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