Piz Umbrail vs. Madritschjoch: Which has the longest downhill run?

No trail is good simply because it’s particularly long. If that were the case, it would apply to almost all the trails on the main ridge. The landscape, the views and the climb up to the trailhead are also crucial. It’s the overall package that has to be just right. Take these two trails, situated opposite each other in the Stelvio National Park: Madritschjoch and Piz Umbrail. One is a classic from the early days of the Transalp, the other a local’s insider tip that only came to light a few years ago. Both lead through epic, high-alpine landscapes, and yet opinions are divided as to which of the two is the even better trail. So let’s take a look at the facts:

The rise, in a direct comparison

Both passes are perched on the main Alpine ridge at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. In other words: this is where the longest trail descents are to be found, where the air is already thin and the longest and toughest climbs lie in wait. However, in both cases there are lifts:

Madritsch Pass

At 3,123 metres, the pass between the Vinschgau Valley and the Ortler massif is considered the highest pass in the Eastern Alps that can be cycled over. That said, this ascent is anything but pleasant: First, you climb 1,250 metres in altitude from Prad in Vinschgau along a busy pass road to Sulden, then a 20 per cent scree slope takes over all the way to the Schaubachhütte (2,581 m, currently unstaffed). After that, you’ll need enough energy left for the final 500 metres of elevation gain up the steepest ski run and the final, somewhat exposed trail to the top of the pass. It’s a gruelling slog that only extremely fit mountain bikers without electric assistance would attempt. Most riders take a shuttle or regular bus to Sulden, hop on the cable car there, and find themselves already struggling with the final 500 metres of ascent, as the air up there becomes noticeably thinner.

Cost of the ascent: 24.50 euros per person with a bike

• Regular bus from Prad to Sulden (journey time: 30 minutes) approx. 4 euros
• Cable car: 16.50 euros plus 4 euros for the bike.

Piz Umbrail

Here, too, you can start the climb in Prad in the Vinschgau Valley. From there, you climb the famous 48 hairpin bends up to the Stilfserjoch (2,757 m) and then ride three kilometres down the other side to the Umbrail Pass (2,501 m), Switzerland’s highest road pass.

Alternatively, you can set off from Sta. Maria in Val Müstair, Switzerland. This route is less well-known, but offers a direct (and steeper) 1,130-metre climb. However, unless you happen to visit these two mountain passes on the one car-free day of the year, neither ascent is much fun. There’s simply too much car and motorbike traffic. That’s why it’s best to take the regular bus or bike shuttle and start the tour at the top of the Umbrail Pass.

From the pass, the route continues straight onto the trail, but it soon becomes very steep. Without motor assistance, you’ll soon have to push; with the motor on, you can ride for about 300 metres of elevation gain. Then a wall looms up ahead of the handlebars: a rocky climb with a safety rope! What follows is quite a feat of balance and strength, especially when you’ve got a heavy e-MTB dangling from one shoulder. You’ll have to haul yourself uphill like this for just under 200 metres of elevation gain until you finally reach the summit at 3,033 metres. Bing! Bonus points for the Umbrail Trail. How many alpine descents actually start right at the summit cross?

Cost of the ascent from Sta. Maria: 22.80 euros per person with a bike

• Postbus from Sta. Maria to the Umbrail Pass (journey time 30–40 minutes) 4 CHF (approx. 4.30 euros). The alternative route by regular bus from Prad to the Stilfserjoch is only available from mid/late June to October.
• Bicycle transport on the PostBus: a day ticket costs 15 CHF (approx. 16.30 euros) and you must book a place for your bike, which costs a further 2 CHF (approx. 2.20 euros).

Which panorama is more beautiful?

​Madritschjoch

The scenery on the ascent to the Madritschjoch really comes into its own from the gondola: you glide straight towards the mighty grey rock faces of the Schrötterhorn (3,388 m) and the Königsspitze (3,851 m). Glaciers still cling to their summits, whilst below lie the scree slopes of the moraines that were once filled with ice. Meltwater rushes down the rock faces, with King Ortler towering in the background. The view opens up over the final 500 metres of ascent to the pass, but you can tell from the scree-strewn alpine meadows themselves that they serve as ski slopes in winter.

However, this changes abruptly the moment you take the final step onto the narrow saddle. Especially if you’re out early in the morning: on the other side of the pass, the sun is just beginning to illuminate the vast basin of the Madritsch Valley. A vast valley basin, above which the eastern flanks of the Cevedale (3,769 m) glisten to the right. You sit speechless on the narrow pass and can now follow the trail down over three gigantic terraces to the Zufall Hut at the head of the valley.

Piz Umbrail

A 360-degree panorama from the summit: it stretches from the Bernina Range across the Silvretta to the Ötztal Alps and, of course, the nearby Ortler massif. Later, you’ll be treated to a view of the Lai da Rims, which lies like an infinity pool on a rocky ledge. Up here, you spend a long time moving through a high-alpine, rocky, lunar landscape until you descend into the forest down in Val Müstair at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

A comparison of the two trail descents

Madritsch Pass

The descent begins at an altitude of 3,123 metres with tight hairpin bends on a steep, sandy to rocky slope. Despite the gradient, the brakes must be applied sparingly to prevent the tyres from skidding. Only a few scattered rock slabs provide proper grip over the first 100 metres of descent. But then the ride flows smoothly over velvety alpine pasture. In the second section of the terrain, there are tight but grippy hairpin bends, before you have to power your way up a short counter-climb at the foot of a climbing rock face.

After descending 860 metres, you reach the Zufallhütte, where the valley takes a 90-degree bend. You then follow the Marteller Talweg, which winds its way down into the Vinschgau Valley – sometimes as a wider track, sometimes as a narrower path, with short stretches of gravel and asphalt.

In total, this descent has:

• Length: 28.5 kilometres
• Downhill: 2,603 metres of vertical drop
• Proportion of trail: 15.3 kilometres
• Difficulty: medium

Piz Umbrail

The trail from the 3,033-metre-high summit is in no hurry to reach the valley. It winds its way gently downwards in sweeping hairpin bends. However, the ground is sandy to muddy, and slipping up here – over a drop of at least 100 metres – is not a good idea. After that, the tyres grip much better, but the going gets rockier.

After countless hairpin bends and steps through this silvery-grey rocky landscape, the path finally emerges into the first green alpine meadows, where the Lei da Rims basks in the sun at an altitude of 2,400 metres. The small mountain lake lies on a plateau from which the trail must then descend. And it does so via hairpin bends that are almost stacked one on top of the other on a steep slope. This is the crux of the route; you mustn’t fall here.

Over the remaining 600 metres of descent, however, you can ease off the brakes again. Especially once you reach an altitude of 2,000 metres, where the forest floor takes over and you have 100 per cent grip again.

In total, this descent has:

• ​Length: 11.3 kilometres
• Downhill: 1,651 metres in altitude
• Proportion of trail: 10.8 kilometres
• Difficulty: difficult

Conclusion:

​The Madritschjoch comes out on top in terms of total length, metres of descent and total trail kilometres. The Piz Umbrail, on the other hand, has a higher percentage of trail, but is also the significantly more challenging descent. Essentially, both are epic trail experiences that you really ought to treat yourself to at least once.

BIKE subscribers (digital and print) can find the GPX data for both trails at bike-magazin.de Available to download free of charge under ‘My Area’.

Which of the two trails do you prefer to ride?