"I like it really steep and really technical," says guide Elgar, looking uphill with glee. "Ah, right," I say, looking less happily at my plus tyres. But my fear of ramps turns out to be completely unfounded. The climb up to the Grubigalm is harmless and pedals wonderfully through the forest above Lermoos. Not even the smallest bump stands in our way. You almost feel sorry for Elgar. But that was just the start.
The GPS data for the best MTB tours in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena can be found below in the download area:
1st Blindsee & Barbarasteig: 31.8 kilometres / 1486 vertical metres / 4:30 hours
2nd Hochalm circuit: 31.2 kilometres / 1035 vertical metres / 3 hours
3rd Tuftlalm: 8.7 kilometres / 526 vertical metres / 1:30 hours (unfortunately closed in the meantime)
We are located south of the Zugspitze in the so-called Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, an association of seven Austrian villages at the foot of the mighty Wetterstein. The massif with Germany's highest mountain dominates the region with its rugged nature and is always persistently in the picture, no matter where you are. This is also the case on our tour around the "Arena West". We pedal over the Grubigalm to the famous Blindsee Trail, which leads down a rocky flank to the famous mountain lake, the bright blue wonder on the Fernpass. From there, we continue towards Biberwier to test the newly inaugurated Barbarasteig trail on the Marienberg. "And to finish, another easy uphill downhill back to Lermoos," Elgar assures us with an anticipatory grin. "The tour is simply perfect. You don't waste a single metre of descent on asphalt or gravel. You only have trails. Beautiful, technical trails." Ah, the technician is delighted.
It is clear from the start on the flowing Blindsee trail that he has mastered his bike. Elgar plays. His front wheel kicks small stones off the trail, his rear wheel makes sharp turns in the crisp bends - uphill. Rolling in is really fun. I'm looking forward to the trail legend. The level of difficulty of this descent is hotly debated. Some speak of pure flow, others of pure fear. While we put on our pads at the final trail entrance, Elgar tries to describe the character of the trail. "It's certainly not flowy," he shakes his head. A well-armoured full-face helmet troop rolls past us as ordered. Ah! "Yes, it has its challenging sections, but it's rideable for the most part, you'll see," says Elgar reassuringly. And just then, a father-son team lurches unsteadily into the descent in front of us. Discounter brand bikes. A car satnav wobbles on the father's handlebars, secured with rubber bands. Elgar falls silent. The crowd is already diverse. And the route? A contrasting nature trail par excellence! Sometimes really rough, sometimes fantastically flowing. It goes over wide rock steps and through tricky narrow passages. But the only really mean thing is the loose scree, which is best ploughed through with the rear brakes on. At the small waterfall, a sign warns of the sloping terrain. It's a recent addition, as the Blindsee Trail is legendary - but it only became legal this year.
Trail assessment or not, we're not just there to ride. I want to see. You can't just ride the seven kilometres because of the view alone. It would be a sin. For once, it's not about the mountain spectacle all around, but about the pearl in the valley. The Blindsee grabs your eye and won't let go. It shines up with an unreal radiance. A South Sea blue south of the Zugspitze. Elgar only persuades me to continue my journey by pointing out that we are about to land directly on its shore and that the lake remains a beauty even on closer inspection.
In fact, we soon end up right on the shore of the lake, and the trail, which was still steep a moment ago, turns into gentle waves. There's not much going on on the right-hand side, but there are plenty of nice spots. Down with the protectors, shoes and socks and into the Blindsee blue. We look up into the rock face, where you can partially recognise the course of the trail. I want to know how many times Elgar has ridden it. "I don't know," he huffs out. "Thousands of times." That's a lot of illegal rides ... "No one has ever said anything before," Elgar shakes his head. "We've always had a good relationship with the hikers here. We've brought them up well over the decades." Elgar is 36 and has been a bike guide for eleven years. "I've been mountain biking for as long as I can remember. We used to cycle up the mountains with what we had. In the beginning, of course, these were road bikes that complied with the German road traffic regulations. Until more and more of the bikes came off: mudguards, lights, kickstands - and in the end they were mountain bikes. Well, sort of, at least."
As we finally pedal on, we come across the Fernpass road. After our paradisiacal splash just now, the avalanche of cars rolling towards the valley seems a little surreal. So we quickly cross the tarmac and dive back into the forest. We head towards Biberwier, where all is right with the world again. In Biberwier, life is a pony farm. At least there are horses grazing on every corner, one shorter-legged than the other. And the little ones also seem to have the upper hand when it comes to people. The Marienberg ski area is very manageable and the atmosphere here is correspondingly informal. We head up the gravel road that jags up the open slopes to the Barbarasteig. Of course, we could have taken the lift both here and over in Lermoos. But we wanted an epic tour - including sweat. And so we let it flow while one or two bikers dangle their legs in the chairlift above our heads.
Barbarasteig and Blindsee-Trail have been ridden by bikers in the Zugspitz Arena for many years. According to Tyrolean rights of way, this was of course illegal. Now the trails have been officially opened and alternatives have been found for hikers. It's nice when things work the other way round.
Not so long ago, the Barbarasteig was still a traditional hiking trail. Today it is signposted as a bike trail. There are still hikers, "but most of them take a new path further back in the forest. We bikers were actually supposed to have a separate path, but we always thought the trail was great, and that's how this solution came about." The Barbara starts nicely - but shows its rough side around the first corner and lets me descend the nasty ramp of a gravel moraine. This is followed by an almost endless slalom course. The winding Barbara of Biberwier! For over 1.7 kilometres, we circle through the forest, shoot across meadow trails and rattle over roots. On the way back to Lermoos, the grin remains firmly cemented on our faces. This is also due to the relaxed Wachtersteig trail that follows, which provides a surprisingly fine finish.
We had decided that the pedalling day should be followed by a shuttle day to explore the new trails on the Grubigstein. And so this time the gondola takes us to the summit region. Once at the top, it smells like ... ah, the barbecue is being fired up at the Grubighütte. It's 9 o'clock in the morning. Elgar shrugs his shoulders. He knows nothing about a hearty morning pint. However, there are barbecue evenings here at an altitude of 2050 metres every 14 days in summer. And the lifts run longer? "Yes, until 10 pm," grins Elgar. Hm. Biking until the evening refreshment stop ... Hm!
We roll off the beaten track for a while to take in the mountain scenery in peace. Now the otherwise rather quiet Elgar really gets going and sketches countless ski and bike tours in the panorama. There is hardly a mountain that he has not yet skied (in summer or winter). "It has to be said: there's so much variety here. No matter where you look, there is the finest touring material in all directions. And you can take the lifts or pedal yourself." After a short pause, he says more to himself: "And I prefer pedalling."
The trail starts with the Grubigalm trail directly from the summit station. We quickly race downhill very steeply across open meadow slopes. The Diretissima rush is followed by short bends and beautiful forest passages. We land directly at the Blindsee trail entrance, but roll a little further to the newly built "Freeride 2". Its big brother, which leads from the middle station down into the valley, is already a few years older and is definitely crisp. The new 2 is much more relaxed with idyllic sections, playful berms and pump track waves through the forest. What is most challenging here is the measured riding on the gravelled surface. Only the last section becomes a circular task, but no problem for Elgar. Here, too, he makes his hairpin bends with delicate elegance.
As we all know, timing is everything. And of course this also applies to biking. We have therefore skilfully timed our test ride on the new ski trail for lunchtime. The short trail is actually a culinary feeder route to the Wolfratshauser Hütte. "Even the locals make a pilgrimage to Werner," Elgar had already made the food at 1751 metres tasty for us in the morning. "He cooks sensational food and you have a direct view of the Zugspitzstock." Elgar is a real stickler for detail: you can hardly eat in the arena with a better view. Werner has been serving his top cuisine against a top backdrop for 28 years. The meat comes from his own production, the ingredients from the region. Almost all of them. The white-haired and bearded landlord doesn't want to miss out on a few more exotic dishes. And so Elgar tastes the first couscous of his life at a DAV hut in the Lechtal Alps. Where else?
"But now take a look at this," says Werner, proudly presenting us with his new custom-built barbecue, a cooking grill "just like those used by indigenous peoples from Africa to Australia." The fire blazes at the top, the meat lies at the bottom - and cooks there for hours. "I switch on the barbecue every Sunday evening." But today is Tuesday. We try to persuade Werner to put in an extra evening. He just laughs and shakes his head. As a good guide, Elgar is able to calm me down a little: "Tonight is bike night on the Sunnalp over at the Marienberg lifts. They run until 9.30 pm."
And so we find ourselves back in Biberwier in the late afternoon. We let our legs dangle uphill on this day of deep metres. However, there's not much going on at Sunnalp. Bike evenings are obviously still a long way from the popularity of ski tour evenings. I look around me: We have the Handschuhspitzen and the Hochwanning behind us, the Wamperten Schrofen to the right and the Zugspitze massif right in front of us. Elgar points to a small hill. "Are we going to make it nice there?" Yes, Elgar, it's generally not difficult to make yourself beautiful here.
Sissi Pärsch, BIKE tour author, has often travelled in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena:
"I felt I had tested everything in the Zugspitz Arena: old classics, new trails, countless climbs, ascent aids and refreshment stops. And - after a small slip-up that left deep wounds - the excellent professional expertise of Dr Steiner in Lermoos."
GENERAL INFORMATION
The precinct
The Zugspitz Arena is an association of seven Tyrolean villages in the Außerfern (Reutte district) and borders directly on Bavaria. There are tours in all directions and at all levels of fitness and difficulty. At the centre is Lermoos (1000 m) and the Grubigstein cable car, whose summit station is at 2060 metres above sea level. The technically challenging Blindsee Trail leads to the Fernpass on the back side, while the newly created trails can be found on the ski area side. Some of them are challenging, others are fun and flowy.
Journey
From Munich (110 km): A95 Garmisch-Partenkirchen near Griesen over the Austrian border or from Stuttgart (250 km): A7 to Kempten near Füssen over the Austrian border towards Reutte. By train to Garmisch and on to the railway stations in Ehrwald, Lermoos, Lähn-Wengle, Bichlbach or Heiterwang am See.
Guides & bike shops
- Elgar leads tours six times a week and works at the largest and oldest bike school in the region: Bikeguiding Zugspitz Arena in Lermoos, tel. 0043/664/4519963, www.bikeguiding.at
- Nagele Sports in Bichlbach is an excellent bike shop. On 300 square metres there is equipment, expertise and a top selection of rental bikes, which can be delivered directly to the hotel on request. Tel. 0043/5674/6411, www.nagele.cc
Accommodation
- The Bike-Hotel Ehrwalder Hof is highly recommended: lovingly designed, uncomplicated, chilled, and good food to boot. Tel. 0043/5673/2364, www.ehrwalderhof.at
- Also specialising in mountain bikers: Sporthotel Loisach in the middle of Lermoos. It has a sporting family history: senior manager Josl Rieder was Toni Sailer's best friend and won World Championship slalom gold in 1958. The junior manager once taught the English princes how to ski. Tel. 0043/5673/2394, www.unser-loisach.at
- More bike hotels can be found at: www.bike-holidays.com
Maps & Literature
- "BIKE Guide: Zugspitzregion" by Daniel Simon and Armin Herb (Delius Klasing), price: 14.90 euros, www.delius-klasing.de
- Supertrail-Map Zugspitz Arena (1:50000), price: 16,95 Euro, www.supertrail-map.com
General information
Tourismus Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, Tel. 0043/5673/20000, www.zugspitzarena.com.
REVIER HIGHLIGHTS and SCENE SPECIALS
The seven villages of Ehrwald, Lermoos, Biberwier, Bichlbach, Lähn-Wengle, Berwang, Heiterwang and Namlos have joined forces on the south side of the Zugspitze to form the Tiroler Bike Arena. Here, bikers will not only find authorised trails, but also hidden little oases.
Ehrwalder Hof Even if you're not staying at the Ehrwalder Hof, it's worth stopping for a bite to eat. It is located not far from Ehrwald's main road on the Zugspitze side and offers magnificent views and tranquillity. The large terrace and adjoining garden are one big chill-out lounge, and the house itself is decorated with handmade, lovingly crafted details. For coffee or dinner. Tel. 0043/5673/2364, www.ehrwalderhof.at
Café Golfino Right on the road between Ehrwald and Lermoos is this café with its sun terrace and stunning views. www.restaurant-golfino.at
Holzer Stubn This is the locals' favourite place to go. The Holzer Stubn serves authentic Tyrolean cuisine. Make sure you book! Tel. 0043/5673/3323.
Wolfratshauser Hütte (1763 m) A highlight in terms of location and cuisine. You can reach the hut either on foot from the valley or by bike (750 metres in altitude) or with the Grubigstein cable car. On Sunday evenings there are the famous meat specialities from the cooking grill. Tel. 0043/664/9058920, www.wolfratshauser-huette.com
Sunnalm On the Marienberg in Biberwier, the bike evening takes place on Tuesdays. The lifts also run longer on this occasion. Tel. 0043/5673/2363.
The ice cream parlour on the church square in Ehrwald serves homemade ice cream and has a branch called "Italia Due" directly on the main street in Lermoos. In addition to the classics, there are Manner and Nutella scoops, frozen yoghurt - and of course pizzas. Tel. 0043/5673/21990, www.alcastagno.at
WAS-Lounge is the name of the grill & chill place in Biberwier. Top-quality burgers, wraps and steaks in a relaxed atmosphere. Jacket potatoes are available for vegetarians. Closed on Mon/Tues. Saturday barbecue session with live music,
Tel. 0043/5673/20348, www.was-cooking.com
Sporthotel Loisach In the centre of Lermoos, you can sit here in a quiet courtyard and enjoy a relaxing coffee. Tel. 0043/5673/2394, www.unser-loisach.at
WineLounge The fine cuisine is accompanied by exquisite wines, and the recipes of renowned award-winning chefs are interpreted in the so-called "Copyshop" on a monthly basis. Tel. 0043/5673/2424200, www.winelounge.at
