Maxi Dickerhoff's trail favourites: My top five favourites with the E-MTB

Text: Maxi Dickerhoff

Adrenalin factor, flow factor, nature factor: single trails can inspire in so many different ways. It is therefore difficult to rank them. However, real super trails offer a varied mix of all three factors. So here are my five favourite super trails. Each one is definitely worth a trip in its own right.

1st Lago dei Sette Colori / Val di Susa (Piedmont, Italy)

Just under 100 kilometres west of Turin, an inimitably varied single trail winds its way across the French-Italian border. The starting point of the tour is the French winter sports resort of Montgenèvre. From here, you can either take the lift or make your own way up to the Sommet des Anges, the summit that is also the source of the Durance. Surrounded by the huge World War II installations on the Sommet des Anges, the route takes you once around the 2648 metre-high Monte Gimont. The route is mainly on well-maintained hiking trails. The highlight of the tour is the colourful Lago dei Sette Colori, which reveals its splendour of colour, especially in the evening sun. The descent back into the Val di Susa provides adrenalin and flow.

2nd Piz Umbrail / Val Müstair (Engadin, Switzerland)

The summit of Piz Umbrail is a challenge for mountain bikers of all abilities, as the ascent from the Umbrail Pass to the summit is no walk in the park. Without a motor, you need a lot of riding skills and an enormous amount of stamina - and yet there are still many pushing and even carrying passages. With an e-MTB and the right uphill riding technique, most of the way up is passable. Once you reach the summit, you are treated to a special view. To the east, there is a marvellous view of King Ortler, at whose feet a surreal hustle and bustle takes place on the Stelvio Pass road. If you look to the west, on the other hand, the power of an unspoilt natural backdrop is revealed. The trail from Piz Umbrail skirts the banks of what is probably the most beautiful mountain lake in the Swiss Alps, the Lei da Rim. Caution: the trail is challenging throughout. So don't let yourself be distracted by the beauty of the lake.

Trails can inspire in many different ways. - Maxi Dickerhoff

3rd Monte Carone / Lake Garda (Trentino, Italy)

A rather unknown e-MTB tour on the otherwise well-developed Lake Garda leads from Limone over the Passo Nota to the 1621 metre-high Monte Carone. The ascent to the summit of Monte Carone starts from Passo Nota just before Passo Guil. The route leads through a beautiful high valley on a partly challenging S2 trail up to the summit. Not only old World War II bunkers await you there, but above all a fantastic view of Lake Garda. The descent is also on an S2 trail with some tight hairpin bends back to Passo Guil. From there, you return to the shores of Lake Garda via Pregasina.

4th Mollau Marathon Trail/ Vosges (Alsace, France)

Enduro racers have long been familiar with the tranquil town of Mollau, but for many e-mountain bikers it is still a blank spot on the map. Wrongly so, because although Mollau only has 339 inhabitants, it is virtually surrounded by single trails. The small village lies in a valley basin, flanked by the classic low mountain ranges of the High Vosges. Hidden in the forests on the mountain slopes are numerous magnificent MTB trails, each more beautiful than the last. My favourite: the marathon trail. But be careful: the trail is not always open. Be sure to ask the locals beforehand whether the trail is open to bikers.

5th Piz Chavalatsch / Vinschgau (South Tyrol, Italy)

The monumental Piz Chavalatsch, 2763 metres high, is enthroned right on the border between the Italian Vinschgau Valley and the Swiss Münstertal Valley. Accordingly, this extensive tour can also be described as a two-country tour. The starting point is the small village of Santa Maria in Val Müstair. The postbus takes you to the actual starting point of the tour, the Stilfserjoch. From there, you take the Goldsee Trail to the Furkelhütte. This is followed by the long and tough ascent to the summit of Piz Chavaltsch. The ascent is a tough one. Experienced e-mountain bikers should be able to ride most of it - but there are plenty of pushing sections. You will be rewarded with a gigantic natural backdrop and marvellous solitude. The trail back to Val Müstair requires very good bike control, as there is a risk of falling on some of the steep slopes.