There are many myths and attempts at interpretation surrounding the origin of the name "Montafon". The Latin mons (= mountain) is considered the basis of the name. Conceptually developed from Rhaeto-Romanic language roots, medieval documents show that once only the mountain ridge of Bartholomäberg and Kristberg or a hill there bore the name "Muntafun". As in other Alpine valleys, a local place name probably provided the starting point for the later naming of the entire valley.
Located in the south of Vorarlberg and at the south-western end of Austria between the high mountains of Graubünden and Tyrol, the Montafon is encircled by the mighty wall of the North Rhaetian Alps: To the north-west the striking limestone cliffs of the Rätikon, to the south the crystalline central Alpine rock of the Silvretta, which is still partially glaciated, and to the north-east the Verwall.
Striking peaks are adorned with illustrious names such as Schesaplana, Zimba, Drei Türme, Sulzfluh, Madrisa, Piz Buin, Vallüla and Patteriol.
We've just had our fill of them at the Falle viewpoint above the sunny Bartholomäberg and the Silbertal: we all - Claudia, Sabrina, Tibor, Vincent and myself - share a pronounced penchant for high-alpine trail adventures. We want to spend a weekend experiencing the glittering mountain world together on e-mountain bikes. Alex, a Dornbirn enduro biker and veteran of the Vorarlberg Xitrailers, will be joining us on Sunday to show us his favourite tour on the Hochjoch.
Download free of charge: The GPS data for the e-mountain bike tours presented in the Montafon area guide can be found in the download area directly below this article. Have fun following them!
- Around the Bartholomäberg
- Wormser hut
- Lindau hut
I grew up in Vorarlberg and have been cycling in the Montafon since 1985. Thanks to my Montafon father, I have naturally grown very fond of this beautiful mountain world. And even after 30 years of singletrail biking, I never get bored here!
30 years, how time flies. Fittingly, we are also travelling through historic mountain bike territory on the Itonskopf single trail tour. Because this wonderful circular trail tour with the famous
views of the Rätikon and Klostertal valleys has - it's hard to believe - officially been a singletrail tour of the Montafon since the early 90s.
At a time when people were still arguing about whether fully or hardtail was the superior MTB species, trail surfing was already possible on the Bartholomäberg, and the valley's cable cars had been transporting downhill, alpine and touring-oriented bikers for just as long. Naturally, the spark ignited - for many years, the growing mountain bike scene in the Montafon and Vorarlberg explored the alpine trails of the Rätikon, the Silvretta and the upper Rhine Valley, completed bike and hike tours and attempted spectacular first ascents. The Vorarlberg alpine biking scene is well represented in the Montafon, and with the very successful Bikepark Brandner Tal, there is even an option for gravity freaks!
So far, so good, but to be honest, there is one major limitation to the inventory: Only very few of the popular Montafon trail tours on the GPS portals are actually official and legal, but the many trails are used by locals and bike mountaineers without any major protests from hikers or official bodies. The hut owners have also long had their regular biker customers, and not just small groups, but hundreds of them on busy weekends. Whether hardtail freaks or enduro bikers, with or without an "E", they are all welcome in the Montafon.
But this article, like many others on the subject of biking in the Montafon, may be a tightrope walk in both senses of the word - between what is legal, what you are allowed to ride but perhaps don't want to, and what is fun and is actually ridden a lot. But things are developing: the Upper Engadin agency Allegra-Tourismus is currently working with the Silvretta-Bergbahnen to develop a new bike concept for the Montafon, which will certainly be very trail-heavy - the Bike Republic Sölden sends its regards. The concept should work, as a whole series of existing trails are recommended for the project - trails on which hikers and bikers have been co-existing harmoniously for many years.
In any case, we are now ready for the descent on our tour around the Bartholomäberg. Tibor can hardly wait and rolls down the trail to Lake Tora like a cat with his unmistakably smooth riding style. Vincent and the girls follow. In front of the handlebars, in the afternoon sun, is the incredibly beautiful panorama of the Rätikon: Sulzfluh, Mittagsspitze, Drei Türme, Zimba - they give the valley depth, the eye a vanishing point, and the picturesque landscape on the sunny balcony of the Montafon its unmistakable flair.
The mining era has also left its mark on the Montafon. If you look closely, you will come across historical evidence everywhere in the sunny Wiesenmatten area of Bartholomäberg: The numerous spoil heaps of long-defunct silver ore tunnels still characterise the picturesque landscape today, and one of them can even be visited as a show mine at weekends. The long overgrown spoil tips are clearly visible on tours between the Maiensässen on the gentle mountain flanks. Maiensässe or Maisässe are the names of the beautiful mountain huts in the Montafon, which date back to the Walser people. In an endeavour to use all available vegetation up to the high altitudes, the Walser introduced the so-called three-tier farming system. This principle is still followed today: in the cold season, people stay in the valley with their cattle, in the warmer months they are on the Maisäss and finally in the hot summer on the Alps.
We are greeted in a friendly manner by many of the corn farms we pass. It is a sign of the times and of structural change that quite a few of the maize fields have also been used and rented out as holiday homes in the last 20 or 30 years, but in this way they have escaped partial decay. However, enough of them are still used in their original sense.
The trail meanders smoothly along the slope. We meet a few good-humoured hikers and, after a pleasant chat, roll past Lake Tora and on to Lake Fritzensee, where a few children are splashing around happily. The pillars of the Drei Türme (Three Towers) shine unmistakably enchanting in the sun, the day before we had travelled towards them on the tour to the Tilisuna hut. At the Drusentor and Schweizertor gates, the classic mule track trails wind their way along - these crossings were already used in early Christian times and became even more important from the Middle Ages onwards. Over the centuries, many a herd of cattle was stolen from the Montafon high Alps into the Prättigau - and recaptured the following summer. The rutted crossings such as the Swiss and Drusen gates were also ideal for smuggling tea and tobacco, as the long border could only be monitored with difficulty by a few customs officials.
With a load of up to 60kg, the most daring Montafon smugglers crept along the steep mountain paths in pitch darkness. They knew every stone by name - which is why there is a humorous way of interpreting the name Montafon, says Alex with a grin: "Mir munt davun." We have to get away! He says, and continues hurtling towards the beautiful valley.
AROUND THE BARTHOLOMÄBERG
The tour around the Bartholomäberg (or "Itonskopf", as the locals also call it) is particularly relaxed on an e-MTB. Whether on the ramps to the Alpengasthof Rellseck or to Alp Legi, the ridge before Alpe Latons, the motors provide a good push when needed. Incidentally, you should take enough water with you on this tour in midsummer, as not all fountains are always in operation. The sunny balcony of the Montafon and its south-facing slopes are not called that for nothing.
From the beautiful Bartholomäberg baroque church (parking available at the church), the route initially climbs comfortably past south-facing slopes characterised by medieval ore mining and ancient maize fields on asphalt to the gate above "Worms", where the gravel road to Rellseck begins. The ramps are really tough, so if you want to train, switch to eco or tour mode here.
At the vantage point of the Alpengasthof Rellseck, there are wonderful views of the Rhine Valley, the Hoher Kasten and the Rätikon and Verwall. The route continues uphill on sometimes steeper ramps to Alp Legi - another crossing into the Klostertal valley alongside the Christbergsattel.
A stop at the Alpe Latons is recommended: fresh cheese, bread and a snack on the mountain pasture are always a great thing, because time stands still here, far away from everyday life. The views here over the Klostertal valley with Gamsfreiheit and Rote Wand are completely different again. You roll briskly on to the start of the singletrail to the trap. Most of it is very easy to ride, except for a small, rocky section in between - good if you have enough air between your pedals and the ground. From the Falle viewpoint, the trail flows very smoothly to Lake Tora, and then it's a lively ride back to Lake Fritzensee. If you still have some electrons left in your battery, you can speed back to the Alpengasthof Rellseck. The food there is legendarily good. The return journey is relaxed on gravel and tarmac again. You can round off the day on the sun terrace of the Bergerhof. Perfect!
Tour dates
Distance 20 km
Uphill 900 hm
Journey time net 2 h
Demand
Driving technique medium
Condition medium
Battery 1 x 500 Wh
WORMSER HÜTTE
This challenging big mountain tour is an absolute classic among local trail riders and just right for experienced e-enduro bikers. Please note: Downhill singletrail riding technique up to S4 (difficult to extreme) is required on partly blocked terrain as well as stable 200-millimetre brakes.
If you want to save battery power (otherwise two 500 Wh batteries are required), you can complete the first 1100 m ascent by cable car (bike transport costs extra). Either way, from Schruns there is a long ascent on tarmac and gravel, even with an e-MTB, which gets really steep after the cable car mountain station and the ski tunnel. The first battery is usually empty below the tunnel. After replacing the battery, however, it gets really steep and fun, and by the time you reach the Wormser Hütte, you will no longer be surprised at the ramps you can ride on an E-MTB with a good gear ratio and riding technique. 11-48 at the rear and 14 teeth at the front are recommended - then everything is rideable uphill on this route.
Manfred serves delicious food at the hut and the panoramic views in front of the hut are superb. We sunbathe and wait until after 16:30 (cable car closing time) to head downhill. If you like technical descents, turn left at the avalanche galleries, otherwise go straight on. Later, below the mountain station, from the short gravel road passage and a small plateau, things get serious: the legendary Lifinar Trail stretches almost all the way down to Schruns. If you already have problems at the start of the trail, please turn round now. It remains just as steep for quite some time.
Please pay attention to an appropriate, trail-friendly riding technique, and not only here. Skid marks are to be avoided on this trail, as it is not a bike park, but an alpine trail. Thank you!
Tour dates
Distance 20 km
Uphill 900 hm
Journey time net 3:30 h
Technology
Driving technique heavy
Condition high
Battery 2 x 500 Wh
LINDAUER HÜTTE
When we talked about "official" and "unofficial" trails in the Montafon at the beginning, here is the official tour to the Lindauer Hütte. We didn't miss the opportunity to try out the various, sometimes toothy, tour options offered by the locals to the hut - which of course only make sense before the Golm cable car opens or after it closes or not on busy hiking weekends, otherwise you're guaranteed to have a slalom of hikers, and that doesn't have to be the case.
From the Latschau reservoir, the route first takes you on tarmac and then climbs steadily on steep forest road ramps, before taking a few hairpin bends to the Lindauer Hütte. The panorama is fantastic. The hut's popular viewing terrace fills up very quickly in summer. You can pass the waiting time with a walk in the neighbouring Alpine garden.
Legendary Vertrider tours were made through the Rachen to the Sulzfluh and over the "Bänke" back to the Tilisunahütte, the tour around the Drei Türme via Schweizertor and Drusentor is also legendary, but super strenuous and technically demanding.
After stopping at the hut, you can either take the forest road or use small singletrail/barrow track variants along the road. Please be considerate of hikers.
Tour dates
Distance 13 km
Uphill 750 hm
Journey time net 1:30 h
Technology
Driving technique light
Condition low
Battery 1 x 500 Wh
MOUNTAIN AND CULTURE
The Montafon not only has a lot to offer bikers. The historical diversity of the valley can be experienced at every turn. From the baroque churches to the elaborately designed woodwork on the houses.
Travelling by car
- From Germany Pfänderunnel - Rheintal motorway A14 - Ambergtunnel - Bludenz/Montafon exit - L188 Montafoner Straße (Silvrettastraße)
- From Austria via the Arlberg - S16 Arlberg motorway in the direction of Bludenz - Bludenz/Montafon exit - L188 Montafoner Straße (Silvrettastraße)
Travelling by train
German railway or ÖBB. The MBS (Montafonerbahn Bludenz-Schruns) runs every 30 minutes during peak times. www.montafonerbahn.at
Accommodation
- Hotel Krone, Schruns. Lovingly prepared breakfast buffet and great food. Wonderful Montafoner parlour. www.kroneschruns.at
- Hotel Alpenrose Aktiv- & SPA Hotel Alpenrose. www.spa-alpenrose.at
- Hotel Montafoner Hof. www.montafonerhof.com
Restaurants
- Active & SPA Hotel Alpenrose, www.spa-alpenrose.at
On the Bartholomäberg, south-facing and with great views:
- Hotel Bergerhof, www.hotel-bergerhof.at
- Alpengasthof Rellseck, www.hotel-bergerhof.at
Tourism Association
Montafon Tourismus GmbH, Montafoner-Str. 21, A-6780 Schruns. Telephone +43/50/6686, e-mail: info@montafon.at, www.montafon.at
