"Mountain biking on Mount Etna is completely different to anything you've ever experienced before." With these words, local volcano guide Peppe welcomed the film team of "Bergauf-Bergab" presenter Michael Düchs last June. Mathias Marschner from Trailxperience, who experienced his first time on Mount Etna eight years ago and has been organising guided bike trips on Europe's largest volcano together with Peppe ever since, had arranged the whole thing.
During their trip, the group would realise just how vital a local guide like Peppe is on Mount Etna. Peppe was born and raised on Mount Etna. Even as a child, he learnt that "Mamma Etna" is not a silent mountain, but a living one. She can give her inhabitants a lot of fruitful things, but in the next moment she can also brutally snatch them away again.
Someone like Peppe therefore listens to the moody mountain with every turn of the pedals. Especially near the crater, where you have to shoulder the bike and your feet seek a foothold in the vibrating ground. Is it still a friendly vibration or do irregular popping noises already herald an eruption? Are the sulphur vapours changing colour? Etna has driven many a seismologist to despair because its lava eruptions can never be predicted one hundred per cent, even with high-tech equipment.
As the volcanic giant with its 3400 metres, but sometimes less, height is isolated from the Mediterranean winds, the weather up there can change abruptly. Squalls are suddenly followed by the thickest fog and you can't see your hand in front of your eyes. In this respect, the BR film team was extremely lucky. They made it to the summit and were able to experience the special bike descent that never fails to upset even an old trail hand like Mathias Marschner. Or as his young guide colleague Leni puts it in the film: "It's like riding deep snow on skis. No, that's not true, it's much better than deep snow skiing!"
Unbelievable how versatile just this one mountain is
But what comes across particularly well in the film is the diversity of this southern mountain giant: On the one hand, the high alpine experience at an altitude of over 3000 metres with the barren, black and completely pathless lava rubble, but further down you are immersed in extremely green vegetation. There are now trails here, but still with loose ash scree.
A cable car awaits on the other side of the mountain, which in turn leads to trails with lush forest floor. Or you can follow a never-ending descent past buried villages and newly planted apple orchards all the way to the beach. Mamma Etna really does have the touring potential for a whole week in her flanks - if she is in a good mood. If the film crew had arrived just one day later, they would have seen the mountain from the café below. At night, however, with photogenic firework fountains - and these are the pictures that make it into Ingo Zamperoni's "Tagesthemen" programme.
Here is the whole film in the BR Mediathek:
Want to experience Mount Etna for yourself on a bike?
Trailxperience offers the bike trip to Mount Etna four times a year together with local guide Peppe. For groups of 4 or more people, extra dates are also available on request. With overnight stay and partial catering in a typical agriturismo. Cost: from 1925 euros. Information and details about the Etna week: trailxperience.com
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
