How good is the idea of travelling to the Dolomites with children? In other words, where the landscape has tiktok and Instagram potential, but also climbs that drive even adults into a rage. My wife shakes her head resolutely. But I can rely on my two daughters Magdalena (14) and Sophie (12): they both shrug their shoulders, which can be taken as approval. They really do enjoy mountain biking - downhill and uphill, mind you. Unlike some of my neighbours who have never had to pedal a metre uphill thanks to their Gravity Card, my girls have earned their downhill fun right from the start. As a result, they now beat their parents uphill. I'm only their hero downhill. Still.
My old mate Arno lives in San Candido, at the foot of the Sesto Dolomites. There, where the famous Three Peaks stretch into the South Tyrolean sky and are surrounded by peaks called Elfer, Zwölfer and Einser, which replace your wristwatch in summer. This would be a great opportunity to go on a tour with your mate again after years. The hotel, which also impresses my wife Tanja with its wellness area, is quickly booked.
The Sesto region is actually ramp country
"Helmet! What a funny name," giggles Magdalena and presses her nose against the cable car window. Even though I'm a fan of the Dolomites and may have exploited my children's geographical gaps a little, I'm not a monster. Of course, I realise that the paths between the vertical, pale rock spires are the wrong terrain for a peaceful family holiday. Some of the climbs here are so steep that you could almost be thrown backwards off your bike. Even my children would have flipped me the bird after the first half tour. But of course I knew that if there was an almost seamless cable car network for bikers in the Alps, then it was in the Dolomites - and especially in Sesto. With respect, consideration and common sense, hikers and bikers get along really well here.
Nevertheless, I'm a little nervous, because it's not over yet at the top station. There are still 400 metres of ascent to the summit hut, which sits there like the icing on the cake on the 2434-metre-high mountain. And the gravel tracks to get there are not going to bore you with flat sections. However, I don't need many motivating words from me, Magdalena's ambition is wide awake as always. She bravely sets off and has soon left us behind by a few hairpin bends. She doesn't quite manage the high-percentage and increasingly scree-laden ramp without descending, but by the time the rest of the family reaches the Helmhaus, she has been looking at the summit celebrities opposite for some time and has already spotted the Three Peaks. They peek out somewhat shyly from behind the Einser.
What the kids don't know: We are travelling along historically interesting paths up here on the Carnic border ridge. A good 100 years ago, this was the front line of the mountain war. Austrian Kaiserjäger and Italian Alpini built these roads up to the 2000 metre high mountain ridges. "And where do we go from here?" Sophie has been looking forward to the advertised long trail descents for days, not any historical background. But unlike what I had told her at home, the wild rollercoaster ride comes to an end after just five minutes at the Obermahdsattel. "Oh yes, there's another climb up to the Sillianer Hütte..." My attempts to distract them while pushing up this extra steep ramp with all the bunkers, trenches and lookouts along the way fail. The girls aren't interested in the war, but in the peaceful things in life: the Kaiserschmarrn and the promised hammock at the Sillianer Hütte.
After the successful pit stop, the "Arnese Trail" down to the Klammbachalm is finally on the agenda. At the top at the start, I'm honestly not sure whether my three girls will have fun on this trail. It looks like loose scree. But after just a few metres it becomes clear: Arnese rules! Arriving at the next snack station happy and without falling, the girls look deep into their juices, Tanja and I are still fascinated by the view of the Three Peaks.
With us, you don't have to be ashamed of using the cable car. But some pros come here precisely because of our ramps. - Reinhold Tschurtschenthaler, Bikehotel Schönblick
A real South Tyrolean is either called Tschurtschenthaler. Like Reinhold, our bike-enthusiastic hotelier in Sesto. Or Innerhofer. Like Albin. I visited him years ago with my mate Arno on the Marchkinkele. Shortly before, he and his brother Andreas had just bought three completely dilapidated - and between you and me: creepy - bunkers from the Second World War up there. At the time, I secretly thought: Oh my God, what have they got pinned to their knees? But now, as we crank up the pleasantly ascending Pustertal border ridge road from the Thurntal mountain station to these bunkers, I can hardly believe my eyes: even from a distance, you can see a new copper roof gleaming in the sun. Inside, lots of wood creates a cosy atmosphere and in the restaurant, my eyes are immediately drawn to a large portafilter machine that does an excellent job. My girls are thrilled, plop down on the deckchairs and watch TV: "Look, over there is the helmet again, where we were yesterday at the top!" Magdalena proudly explains to her sister. Exactly. "And tomorrow we're going up the other side to the Stiergarten!" I add and immediately look into two frightened faces. Don't worry, of course we'll take the Rotwand cable car up the mountain. Tomorrow we'll spend the whole day shooting downhill on the Standschützen and Erla trails, I promise. "Is it really only downhill?" my youngest asks just to be on the safe side. And I confess: yes... almost.
The 3 top Sesto tours with children
Tour 1: Helm-Sillianer hut
- Length:19.1 kilometres
- Uphill: 521 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 1237 metres in depth
- Difficulty: medium
Tour description
If you want to get a taste of the Stoneman air, but don't want to cull 120 kilometres and 4000 metres of altitude, take on the spectacular passage on the Carnic border ridge between Helm and Klammbachalm. Thanks to the gondola, you only have to climb a good 500 metres in altitude yourself and can then look forward to over 1200 great metres of descent. The detour to the summit house on the Helm (2434 m), visible from afar, is brutally steep but worthwhile.
Key points: The descent from the Obermahdsattel (2470 m) on trail 134 and later the 133 down to the Klammbachalm contain a few S3 sections.
Retreat: The Monte Elmo restaurant at the Helmbahn mountain station; the Hahnspielhütte; the Sillianer Hütte (overnight stays also possible) and the Klammbachalm
Tour 2: Rotwand-Stiergarten circuit
- Length:14.6 kilometres
- Uphill: 43 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 1241 metres in depth
- Difficulty: easy
Tour description
Two exciting, hand-shaped single trails await in the southern district of Moos: the Standschützen Trail and the Erla Trail. Both end at the Henn Stoll après-bike pub. Take the Drei Zinnen gondola lift up to the Stiergarten or the nearby gondola lift to the Rotwand.
Key points: Countless nice S1 and S2 sections on the two single trails.
Retreat: Rotwandwiesenhütte and Rudihütte at the Rotwand mountain station; Restaurant Henn Stoll at the valley station of the Drei Zinnen cable car.
Tour 3: Marchkinkele
- Length:28.9 kilometres
- Uphill: 579 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 1573 metres in depth
- Difficulty: medium
Tour description
What do the Ligurian, Carnic and Pustertal Alps have in common? Exactly! An old military road runs right at the top of the ridge. The Pustertal Valley border ridge road is perhaps the least known, but by no means the most boring border ridge road in the Alps. And thanks to the cable car support from Sillian, it's not even a particular struggle.
Key points: Sliding route from Lake Thurntal to the bunker under the Hochrast summit and the steep descent to the Silvesteralm.
Retreat: The Thurntaler/Gadein mountain station; the Marchhütte (open from 9 June, overnight stay possible) and the Silvesteralm
Info MTB area Sesto
The precinct: The Sesto Dolomites form the heart of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Three Peaks are a world-famous landmark. They are forbidden to bikers from the Auronzo hut onwards due to the high volume of hiking traffic. But that doesn't matter, because the main towns of San Candido (1175 m), Sesto (1310 m) and Dobbiaco (1256 m) are a real treasure trove for mountain bikers. Sesto's number one hotspot is the eastern part of the Carnic border ridge between the Helm summit and the Kreuzberg Pass. From San Candido, the Pustertal border ridge with the Marchkinkele peak (2545 m) is particularly attractive.
Travelling by car: From Munich via Kufstein, Innsbruck and Brenner to Brixen and through the Pustertal (often slow-moving) to Innichen and Sexten (300 km/4 hours from Munich). From Ulm via Füssen and Fernpass to Innsbruck and continue as above (370 km/5 h from Ulm).
Travelling by train: For an environmentally friendly journey, take a long-distance train in the direction of Verona, get off in Franzensfeste and take the Pustertal railway to Innichen. The hotel shuttle will pick you up here by prior arrangement. Information and booking: bahn.de
Overnight stay: From (luxury) campsites and apartments to top wellness hotels, Sesto has the perfect accommodation for everyone. We stayed at the "Schönblick" hotel (hotelschoenblick.com) at an altitude of 1340 metres in the district of Moos. As a long-standing member of the "Bikehotels Südtirol", hotel manager Reinhold Tschurtschenthaler and his team have fully catered to the wishes and needs of mountain bikers. Anyone checking in here can look forward to an unforgettable biking holiday. Wellness after the action included.
Bikeshop: The first address in the region is the Bikeacademy Sesto Dolomites. The shop is located in Sexten, directly at the valley station of the Helmbahn cable car, Dolomitenstraße 45, Info: bikeacademy-sextnerdolomiten.com. Here you can hire high-quality bikes and e-MTBs from Scott and Rocky Mountain - and buy all the accessories you need. Then take the Helmbahn cable car up to 2040 metres above sea level in just a few minutes and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of the Carnic border ridge!
Guided tours: Nobody knows the Dolomites in general and the Sesto Dolomites in particular better than Arno Feichter from San Candido. The head of the Bikeacademy Sesto Dolomites and his team offer tours for all abilities and of course have a few secret trails up their sleeves. The guys also know the historical background of the old military roads and wartime buildings, bikeacademy-sextnerdolomiten.com
Area highlights around Sesto
Stoneman Dolomiti: Roland Stauder's original giant circuit (120 km/4000 m elevation gain) has long since achieved legendary status. Every real biker must have ridden the home course of the former World Cup pro from Niederdorf at least once in their life. Starter packages for one, two or three stages are available between 1 June and 3 October. Info: stoneman.it
Small bike park: If you prefer downhill to uphill, you should try out the two trails that wind their way to Bad Moos. The "Erla Trail" (6.8 km/660 metres) starts at the Stiergarten mountain station, the "Standschützen Trail" (4.2 km/485 metres) at the Rotwand mountain station.
Three Peaks: The Rienza Valley to the world-famous Three Peaks is strictly forbidden by bike. But the hike to the Three Peaks is also spectacular. A shuttle bus runs from Lake Misurina to the Auronzo hut (50 min).
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