1st La Romantica Trail (3 km / 700 metres / medium)
Gerhard Meyer, www.joko-bikereisen.de
80 consecutive hairpin bends. Some are so tight that you have to shift your rear wheel to get round, others are just about rollable - you need riding technique to find this romantic. And a head for heights, as the path scrapes against the abyss in places. But even bikers who have to descend in the upper section have shining eyes at the end of the trail - which could also be due to the good wheat beer waiting at the Hotel Sport in Santa Caterina. It is poured by Norberto, who spruces up the trails here in Valtellina every year after the snow melts. The start of the trail can be reached from Santa Caterina via two Tibetan wooden bridges, which lead up to the Rifugio Berni against a magnificent glacier backdrop.
2nd Fimberpass Trail (start: 12 km / 1300 metres / medium - difficult)
Eva Fünfgeld, www.hirsch-sprung.com
It's like an old, recurring encounter with the best cup of latte in the whole of the Engadin. The rugged nature trail and I have known each other for 18 years now, and we meet at least once a year. We change - both of us, every year. It, the trail, winds its way from the 2608 metre high pass through a surreal-looking, high alpine world. At the top, it is unshaven, with tricky stone passages. Loose rubble and gravel make the trail treacherously slippery in places. Then it's bumpy again but still gentle up to the Griosch-Alm. On further rooty nature trails, you reach Zuort with two suspension bridges (new since 2016). The spectacle continues to Ramosch, and if the weather permits, you can see the famous Uina Gorge opposite. Tip: be sure to stop off at the Griosch-Alm! GPS data for the four-day tour.
3rd Val Viola Trail (18 km / 1440 tm / medium)
Peter Brodschelm, www.Fahrtwind.de
You can incorporate the trail into a transalp, but also well into a two-day tour. The best route is from Livigno over the Passo di Val Alpisella to Arnoga. This is where the ingenious ride through the reddish rocks of Val Viola up to the 2430 metre high pass begins. At the top, choose the right (!) trail descent and surf through an alpine landscape with an unobstructed view. Only a few S2 sections disrupt the flow. The trail then dives into a sparse Swiss stone pine forest, curves past the Lago di Val Viola and later the Lago di Saoseo. Then follow the signs for "Angeli Custodi" and continue towards Poschiavo. Take the railway up to the Bernina Pass and return to Livigno via the new trail.
4th Chaligne Trail (40 km / 2000 tm / medium)
Andi Beger, www.alpenevent.de
The Aosta Valley in the Western Alps is a treasure trove of secluded sensational trails. 2000 metres of the finest flow fun - where else can you find that? Okay, the ascent to the 2608 metre high Punta Chaligne is a tough one. It's best to be shuttled the first 1000 metres in altitude (www.aostavalleyfreeride.com), then another 600 metres in altitude plus a 20-minute carry up to the summit await. At the top, you can look out over the snow-covered crème de la crème of the 4000 metre peaks, balance on a ridge and then shoot down the winding trail to Aosta. It's all flow - and I really mean flow.
5th Umbrail Trail (14 km / 1665 tm / medium - difficult)
Eric Haufe, www.ridealpinetrails.de
Even the high mountain experience on the 3033 metre high Piz Umbrail is gigantic, as the view sweeps in all directions. Over the Stilfserjoch National Park and far into the Graubünden summit world. But then the trail descent towards St. Maria in Val Müstair: steep and slippery at the start through a kind of lunar landscape. Further on towards "Lai da Rims", the trail becomes more flowy and playful. For me, the lake itself is the most beautiful that can be reached by bike in the Eastern Alps. The colour: surreal. This is followed by steep, sometimes slightly exposed biking terrain, which is sweetened by a few hairpin bends. If you like that, there's nothing better! After the "wall", the ultimate riding fun awaits. Perfectly coordinated combinations of bends and waves will put a big grin on every face. And don't miss the last section through the forest to St. Maria: Brain jogging in the fairytale forest. A dream come true!
6th Rabbijoch Trail (20.4 km / 1000 metres / medium)
Sascha Müller, www.Go-Alps.de
The trail on the Rabbijoch (2463 m), located between the Ultental and Brenta valleys, has often been part of the BIKE Transalp race route. A steep, tricky passage with lots of wooden beams used to be the key section. A bypass was built here a few years ago. After the Haslgruber Hütte, the trail winds along the slope and offers a few bumpy sections in the high mountains before flitting through meadows after a short counter-climb. Later, in the forest, the trail briefly drops a little more steeply, but then eases off again until it reaches the forest road. Stay on this road only briefly, then turn left onto the meadow path and flow down to Malé.
7th Valle Argentina: Trail conclusion (50 km / 2950 tm / difficult - medium)
Mathias Marschner, www.trailxperience.com
I love the Ligurian Western Alps. Between the Maritime Alps and the sea, you can ride almost anything downhill on single trails. My favourite is the trail combination on our last Transalp stage: from Colle Melosa high above the foothills of the Val Argentina, we ride up a military track to the Alta Via Monte Ligure, along old alpine paths around Monte Torragio and then on a seemingly endless flat path across the slope to Col di Muraton. On the other side, small, poisonous counter-climbs tempt you with trail rollercoasters. And almost the best thing at the end: the trail plunges into a small primeval forest and fires off all the flow it has to offer.
8th Monte-Oronaye-Trail (35 km / 2000 m / difficult)
Lukas Stöckli, www.lukasstoeckli.ch
The trail leads right through my personal biking heaven, the Valle Maira in Piedmont. The valley is full of scenic, cultural, culinary and trail highlights, but the Oronaye Trail really tops it all: It challenges bikers uphill! From Acceglio in the rear of Valle Maira, an old military road winds its way uphill and soon becomes a path. In the middle of an enormously impressive high mountain landscape, this little path climbs 1100 metres in altitude. Narrow hairpin bends, steep ramps and loose ground alternate constantly. For me, this route is "in principle rideable". The border with France is reached at Colle Munie, followed by four smaller passes in an extremely beautiful, high mountain lake landscape - with no sign of civilisation. And finally it's back to Valle Maira on a moderately difficult trail.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
