Johann Hettegger, bike-enthusiastic hotelier from Grossarl, is a self-confessed connoisseur. Of course, anyone who runs a four-star superior hotel has to have good taste and a sense of quality. A skill that he demonstrates impressively with the exquisite red wine from Austria that he serves to a small group in the evening. Austria's youngest award-winning chef, who will be holding a cookery seminar at the hotel the next day with his assistant, is also sitting at the table - for the avowed connoisseurs among the guests. This is not intended to be a hotel report, but this example shows just how much enjoyment in Grossarltal is part and parcel of biking. And Johann Hettegger is this combination in person. The manager loves it when there is time in the morning to get on his bike and pedal up the 800 metres in altitude to the Bichlalm, the hut set in a dreamlike location against the Tauern backdrop, which is presented on the next page.
"An Alpine snack like this is typical of the Grossarl Valley," explains Johann, listing some of the delicacies that you can savour at the top as a reward for the ascent. Like the red wine in the evening, they also fully satisfy the taste buds of a hotelier with high standards. It doesn't have to be haute cuisine if the quality is as good as the cheese and bacon, which is produced exactly where you are eating it. With the smell of the meadow in your nose where the cows are grazing. A cliché? Perhaps! But a very harmonious one.
Johann Hettegger has now further underpinned his passion in business terms. Since this season, the Hotel Edelweiss has been a member of the Mountain Bike Holidays association because it fulfils all the criteria and additional services for mountain bikers. Mountain biking is becoming more popular in Grossarltal, especially in this particular form. There are no enduro routes here, it is not the area for single trail fans. But the region certainly has nothing to hide with its outstanding variety of mountain huts.
Johann Hettegger, hotelier and bike guide from Grossarl
"With an hour and a half of ascent in your legs and the sunrise in front of you, the time for breakfast at the Bichlalm is perfect. Home-baked bread, savoury bacon, golden yellow alpine butter and aromatic cheese taste particularly good at the tables simply grouped in the meadow. The sour cheese, a type of grey cheese matured for around six weeks without the addition of rennet or other coagulants, which is only available in the Grossarl Valley, is very tasty."
Top tip in Grossarltal
There are 40 serviced mountain huts in the Grossarl Valley. They are the trademark of the tourist region, and a stop at at least one mountain hut per tour is a must for bikers and hikers. It is impressive to experience how natural and original these mountain huts have remained. For example, the Bichlalm presented here or the Karseggalm with its centuries-old patina. There's no fuss here, just honest and down-to-earth hospitality, with the products of the region served on the snack board or in the soup bowl. All alpine pastures are presented on the internet with pictures and text: www.grossarltal.info
Bike tour: Bichlalm panorama
19.03 km ● 2:00 h
838 hm ● 838 hm
This is a leisurely tour to one of the many mountain pastures in Grossarltal, which you can also take as an after-work tour. The route up to the Bichlalm is easy to find as it is well signposted. From Grossarl, first take the little-used local road into the Ellmautal valley and turn right uphill before the Lammwirt until you reach the spruce forest soon after the last houses. After a steady climb, the aha moment comes at the top, when the Bichlalm comes into view and presents itself as a marvellous postcard motif in front of the three thousand metre peaks of the Hohe Tauern. Before heading to the sun terrace for a hearty snack, a visit to the panoramic benches just 150 metres behind the alp is a must. It's worth taking some time for this tour so that you can spend as much time on the mountain pasture as you do on your bike. Return to Grossarl along the ascent route. Perhaps with a worthwhile stopover at the Lammwirt?
Info about the Grossarl Valley
The precinct: The Grossarl Valley is rightly known as the "Valley of Alpine pastures". Around 40 catered mountain huts, each more rustic than the last, are worthwhile tour destinations for bikers and hikers. Everything you need to know about the Grossarl Valley can be found on the page www.grossarltal.info
Tour information: On the side of the tourism association there is also a link to all the official mountain bike tours, which are shown on an interactive map - with GPS data to download. The Grossarl Valley hiking and cycling map with the 15 most popular bike tours in the valley is also available from the tourist office for EUR 6.50.
Bike guides: Interested parties meet on Fridays for a guided alpine pasture tour. Registration the day before at the tourist office. Hotels catering for bikers also have their own bike guides.
Bike hotels: The tourism association offers bike packages in cooperation with hotels in every category. The Hotel Edelweiss in Grossarl is a new addition to the Mountain Bike Holidays network, offering all the required additional services.
Bike shops: Intersport Lackner in Großarl, contact: www.sport-lackner.at
E-bike: E-bikes can now also be hired in Grossarl. Every Monday there is a guided e-bike tour to a mountain pasture. Book the day before at the tourist office.
Have you already got to know one of these spots? Then let us know about your experiences in the comments box below.
