1. from Val Gardena to the Rasciesa hut
- Length: 69.7 kilometres
- Uphill: 3327 metres in altitude
- Difficulty: S0-S1
The Raschötzhütte is located at an altitude of 2164 metres on a mountain pasture in the heart of the South Tyrolean Puez-Geisler Nature Park. With the Sassolungo, Sella and Odle peaks, almost all of the South Tyrolean Dolomite celebrities are towering at eye level in front of its windows. This spectacular panorama actually accompanies the entire tour: From S. Cristina in Val Gardena, the route leads via Selva di Val Gardena up to the Danielhütte (2266 m) and down to Ortisei on a potpourri of trails, forest tracks and dirt tracks. From there, either take the cable car or climb another 900 metres up to the Rasciesa hut under your own steam. We recommend the latter, as the hut landlord David Piazza is an excellent cook and host!
The second stage starts the next morning with a short shaking section on a stone field before the gentle Tschanwiesen trail takes over and leads back through the forest into Val Gardena. Change of valley side, up to the Alpe di Siusi! Via Mahlknechthütte and Rifugio Zallinger back to St. Christina, but on really beautiful trails.
2nd Rifugio Rosetta: Dolomites picture book
- Length: 48.0 kilometres
- Uphill: 1225 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 2986 metres in depth
- Trail section: 14.6 kilometres
- Difficulty level: S2
You really can't pack more picture book into two days of touring: roughly explained, this route takes you halfway around the famous Dolomite massif Pale di San Martino, across its high plateau and down again in the military road zigzag of its east face.
On day one, you wind your way up the dazzling white gravel bends of the Val Venegia and watch the rock towers of the Pale rise into the sky. On a forest and meadow trail, you shoot down the Passo Rolle to San Martino di Castrozza and get on the lift there. When the lift opens its doors at an altitude of 2,600 metres, it's like landing on the moon: a white trail on white rock - the high plateau of the Pale di San Martino! In the middle of it all, the Rifugio Rosetta awaits with excellent cuisine and home-distilled herbal schnapps, surrounded by a stunning bird's eye view of the Dolomites, which begin to glow red in the evening hours.
However, technical riding skills are required for the second day. The stage starts with a few ramps on the high plateau and then leads to the precipice with a view down into the valley to Garès. A slightly karstic old military path jags down the steep face, which turns into a meadow floor furrowed by water channels. This is followed by a long forest passage with steep steps, hairpin bends and slippery roots - you'll be busy here for quite a while until you can get back into the saddle on the first gravel road at the bottom of the valley and roll out the last eight kilometres to Canale d'Agordo in a relaxed manner.
3rd Traunsteiner Hütte: Alpine lakes and Kaiserschmarrn pancakes
- Length: 101 kilometres
- Uphill: 2430 metres in altitude
- Difficulty: S0-S1
What is so special about the Traunsteiner Hütte (1160 m) on the Winklmoosalm? The house stands on a beautiful high plateau with an idyllic alpine pasture in front of the rocks of the Steinplatte, which begin to glow at sunrise and sunset. At night, you can experience a veritable rain of shooting stars up here thanks to the low light pollution. Especially in August. It is said that landlady Jeanette Lorenz makes the best Kaiserschmarrn in the Alps.
The tour up there starts in Ruhpolding and soon winds past the Dandl Alm through a fairytale forest. A trail later winds down through the Wappachtal valley to the Drei-Seen area: Lödensee, Mittersee and Weitsee lakes doze in the alpine meadows here. Then it's uphill on the other side of the valley to the Nattersbergalm, home to the most beautiful hens in Chiemgau. After crossing the border into Salzburger Land, you pass Steinplatte and Muckklause before the route switches back to the German side and heads towards Winklmoosalm.
The next morning starts at the Winklmoosalm with a fine, but unfortunately only short trail section (there are also many no biking signs in Chiemgau), then it's down into the valley on the forest road and with sensationally beautiful views of the trio of lakes along the Seetraun river until you turn right at the Chiemgau Arena to the Schwarzachenalm. The route remains flat and Ruhpolding seems to be within easy reach, but then things really get going: the Zinnkopf is the trail area of the locals and offers some fine trails. Via Maria Eck and Rabenstein, the big loop finally turns back to Ruhpolding.
4th Briol - a four-poster bed above Bolzano
- Length: 59.4 kilometres (day 1: 25.4 km / day 2: 34 km)
- Uphill: 2036 (day 1: 1149 metres / day 2: 887 metres)
- Downhill: 2956
- Difficulty: S0-S2/S3
- Lift: Rittner cable car, Bolzano
The Ritten is one of Bolzano's local mountains and perhaps one of the most beautiful panoramic mountains in South Tyrol. On its flanks, the Bauhaus-style Albergo Briol, built in 1928, awaits with 13 spartanly furnished rooms, historic washbasins, hot showers, a fireplace room and four-course evening meals. Time really does seem to have stood still here. Perfect for a two-day tour with an overnight stay in a hut!
The tour starts with the Rittner cable car in Bolzano. This takes you 1000 metres up from the city to the green Oberbozen. You now climb 1200 metres in altitude over the wide, open alpine meadows towards the Barbianer Alm and Rittner Horn (2261 m). You can see the Schlern and Sellastock, Lang-, Platt- and Peitlerkofel, Geislerspitzen, Rosengarten and Latemar. Once you reach the Rittner Horn, you can even see the Brenta rocks to the south and the Grossglockner to the east. The descent on trail no. 4 starts off brutally blocked, but becomes increasingly rideable and ends after 900 metres of descent in front of the Albergo Briol.
Day 2: Over the Huberspitze, we head back over the lonely ridge of the Ritten. And again, after a quiet ascent, an eternally long, sometimes technically demanding, sometimes flowing descent on a narrow path awaits. For 12 kilometres down to Atzwang, then back to Bolzano on the Eisack cycle path.
5th Marchhütte - Spend the night like a border soldier
- Length: 75.5 kilometres
- Uphill: 2980 metres in altitude
- Difficulty: S0-S2/S3
The three buildings below the Marchkinkele summit were built under Mussolini. Soldiers were supposed to watch over the national border here. Because you can see so far from here. Today, bikers can cycle up the pleasantly ascending military roads, admire the growing panorama of the Sesto Dolomites and, after 1450 metres of altitude, move into their beds in the now comfortably furnished former barracks.
Practical: the route follows the already well signposted Stoneman Dolomiti route. While day 1 is practically all uphill, day 2 starts with an eternal descent to Vierschach, then climbs up to the Sillianer Hütte and finishes at the Klammbachhütte with an 11-kilometre super trail to Sexten.
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
