The high valley owes its dry climate to its isolated location in the centre of the Alps. No matter which direction the weather comes from, the clouds hardly stand a chance of penetrating the centre. In addition, the 3000 metre high ridges of the local mountains provide additional protection against precipitation. The statistics of the climate stations in the lower Vinschgau Valley hardly record any more rain than in parts of Sicily. This also explains the curious fact that apples thrive at an altitude of around 1000 metres. Goethe also noted over 200 years ago when he travelled through South Tyrol on his trip to Italy: "Everyone likes to sunbathe today." Our guide Martin Pirhofer is also seldom at a loss for a quick wit. For example this one: "We South Tyroleans never lie, we just don't always tell the truth."
This is particularly good when - like the next morning - the promised "nice climb" turns out to be a steep, high-percentage ramp. The stone statue of a saint at the side of the road looks pityingly at our bikes. "Helmet off, for prayer," says Martin sarcastically and immediately throws the chain onto the lowest gear. However, the minutes of silence that follow have less to do with silent prayer than with our panting endeavours to get our heart-lung apparatus into an acceptable working rhythm. Luckily, we are on the north-facing flank of the valley, so the sun, which has regained strength, is not quite so hot.
These MTB tours from Latsch can be downloaded as a PDF below:
1st Annaberg Trail (14.6 km/660 m elevation gain)
2nd Latscher Alm (26.9 km/1370 metres altitude)
3rd Marzon Alm (28.0 km/1400 metres altitude)
You can also download the GPS data for the three tours free of charge below.
