The first highlight of the Osterhorn tour awaits right after the first ascent - at least if you started at the bottom of the Sommerau in St. Koloman. Hannelore, the landlady of the Neureithütte, serves home-made dishes that you simply have to try - with a certificate of authenticity. The ladies from the valley also enjoy what she conjures up in the soup pot. This is the final element in the taste sensation, the unmistakable proof that there is nothing reheated up here for a quick buck with hungry tourists. It's not for nothing that the Neureithütte is on the Salzburger Almentour, a three-day nature and culture experience by bike with a decent grip.
The Salzburg mountain pastures are rustic and cosy. No frippery disturbs the original mountain experience, which you have to honestly earn by bike on this tour. But it's worth it. Immediately after the Neureithütte, another treat awaits: the descent down to Hintersee, which is peppered with a few casual trail sections. Alber Ebner, the landlord of Gasthof Hintersee, has put up a tube machine for the roughest section of the tour. Cyclists like to use it, explains the innkeeper, who also counts many cyclists among his guests. There are plenty of great places to stop for refreshments along the route. That's a good thing, because only very few people cycle 1900 metres in altitude in one go. At the top of the Genneralm, the Posch'n is the next hut that invites you to take a break. It is located in a special place. The Genneralm rises as a broad meadow ridge above the equally wide Ackersbach valley at the end of the valley. Despite the mountains to the right and left, the alp offers a wide horizon - and a view of the rest of the route, which now leads into the Lammertal valley.
The last of the three mountains on this tour is finally reached at Seewaldsee lake. The lake, idyllically situated in a spacious hollow with alpine meadows, adds yet another facet to the already sporty, scenic and culinary variety of this tour, which really whets the appetite for the big, three-day alpine tour.
Hannelore Siller, landlady of the Neureithütte on the Bergalm
"If you cycle past us and don't stop in, it's your own fault. Because they miss out on our speciality, the hearty Taugler soup pot with our own beef, carrots and white bread. It's a tradition with us. Just as it is a tradition to prepare the delicacies ourselves. We smoke our own bacon in winter and bake our own bread. Every day we serve fresh Pofesen, a typical dessert of the region, and of course fresh strudel. So make a stop! It's worth it, we promise!"
BIKE tip: The Salzburg Alpine pasture tour
This is the Osterhorn-Runde hoch 3, a three-stage Salzburg alpine tour covering 146.3 kilometres and 4170 metres in altitude, which takes in everything the region has to offer in terms of high pastures. The first stage leads over 52.2 kilometres and 1330 metres in altitude from Annaberg via Seewaldsee and Bergalm to Hintersee, on day 2 it goes from Hintersee via Sausteigalm and Zwölferhorn to Strobl (35.7 km/1100 metres in altitude). Finally, 58.4 km and 1740 metres of ascent from Strobl via Postalm and Edtalm to Annaberg. There are 30 mountain huts along the way, 14 recommended huts. Everything about the route, refreshment stops and overnight accommodation can be found at www.almentour.com
Tour tip: Osterhorn tour
50.57 km ● 5:30 h
1881 metres in altitude ● 1881 metres in altitude
The Osterhorn tour is a varied and strenuous exploration tour in the Salzburg Alpine pasture region. A big advantage is that you can start the tour from three valley towns: 1. in St. Koloman/Sommerau as described here, 2. in Hintersee and 3. in Pichl in the Lammertal. The route offers various views of the landscape of the Tennengau and the neighbouring Salzkammergut. From Sommerau, the route initially climbs quite steeply up to the Bergalm with the Neureithütte, which is definitely worth a stop. The descent to Hintersee is the most technically exciting section with a few trail sections. At the bottom, you can stop for refreshments at Gasthof Hintersee, which incidentally (top!) has an automatic tube dispenser.
Before the second, difficult ascent up to the Genneralm with another hut, the Posch'n. Now begins the long descent, initially on bumpy cart tracks, later on forest tracks down into the Lammertal valley. In Pichl, the ascent to Seewaldsee begins, with a panoramic high-level trail on the last few kilometres, one of the highlights of this already very scenic tour. At the beautiful Seewaldsee lake, another hut invites you to take a break. After the lake, the route continues briefly on the road before offering another technical treat with a short trail in the forest. The last few metres are then ridden back to Sommerau on the tarmac road.
MTB information about the Tennengau
The precinct The Tennengau is a large bike region at the foot of the Dachstein, reaching almost as far north as the state capital of Salzburg. Thanks to its central location, it is also connected to the bike regions in the Salzkammergut, Berchtesgadener Land and the Salzburger Sportwelt. The route network knows no boundaries and has a typical regional focus: alpine pastures, alpine pastures, alpine pastures.
Tour information Over 20 tour descriptions in the region, an interactive mountain bike map and all GPS data for downloading can be found on the website www.tennengau.com
Bike hotels The Tennengau with its 14 villages between the city of Salzburg and the Dachstein offers a comprehensive range of hotels. The Guest service helps with the search and puts together attractive package deals for bikers.
Bike shops There are competent shops in some towns. Those that also hire out bikes can also be found on the Internet at www.tennengau.com
E-bikes WM Sport 2000 (www.wmsport2000.at), Michi's bike shop in Kuchl (www.radladen.at) and the Bergspezl in Puch (www.bergspezl.at) have e-bikes (including e-mountain bikes) for hire.
Have you already got to know one of these spots? Then let us know about your experiences in the comments box below.
