THE HIKES - How to cover 17,000 metres of altitude in five days:
DAY 1: Prien am Chiemsee - Grassau - Entenlochklamm - Going - Steinberghaus - Filzenscharte - Neukirchen am Grossvenediger
After a leisurely start through meadows, forests and upland moors, you pass the Austrian border at the Entenlochklamm gorge. At the end of the day's stage, you head up to the 1686 metre high Filzenscharte. At the top, make sure you take the right turn-off onto the hiking trail and forest path towards Neukirchen.
DAY 2: Neukirchen am Großvenediger - Oberkrimmel - Krimmler Tauernhaus - Krimmler Tauernscharte - Kasern (Ahrntal)
Difficult stage to the 2633 metre high Krimmler Tauern Pass. It's best to stop off at the Krimmler Tauernhaus for refreshments beforehand. There are also e-bike charging stations here. This makes it easier to manage the two-hour push up to the pass and the long downhill into the Ahrntal valley.
DAY 3: Kasern - Kematen - Bruneck - St. Lorenzen - Rastner Hütte - Würzjoch - Kreuzkofeljoch - St. Ulrich - Seiser Alm - Tiers
Fantastic South Tyrolean trails from the Würzjoch (1987 metres). There is also a nice hut there for a break before continuing via Malga Göma and the Peitlerwiesen meadows to the Kreuzkofeljoch at 2340 metres. The Schlüterhütte hut at 2297 metres above sea level is a good place to spend the night.
DAY 4: Tiers - Predazzo - Passo Sadole - Valcia - Rifigio Carlettini - Strigno - Selva - Rifugio Barricata
Up to the Alpe di Siusi, or later from Predazzo, you can choose the lift alternative if you are pressed for time. This is a more relaxed way of tackling the difficult downhill stretches on the stony path down to Tiers and later from Passo Sadole into Val Cia.
DAY 5: Rifugio Barricata - Bivio Italia - Malga Larici - Passo di Vezzana - Carbonare - Vielgereuth - Besenello - Rovereto - Torbole
The longest stage in terms of kilometres and a difficult downhill from the 1853-metre-high Monte Maggio. At the Rifugio Stella D'Italia, you have the choice of completing the last passage over the Pasubio or cycling directly to Torbole via Vielgereuth and Rovereto.
INFO
The route
An Alpine crossing with Western Alps format through the Kitzbühel Alps, Hohe Tauern and Dolomites. Special highlights: Krimml Tauern Pass, Peitler and Geisler peaks, Seiser Alm, Schlern, Lagorai and Lake Garda. A total of over 17,000 metres uphill and 17,000 metres downhill. 625 kilometres in length. 9 passes over 2000 metres. Highest point: Krimmler Tauernscharte at 2633 metres.
The requirements
A special Transalp in the Eastern Alps with lots of single trails, but also some pushing sections. The route requires a good level of fitness and a lot of technical riding skills. As the route is calculated at nine days with a "normal" bike, you can customise or increase your personal daily riding performance with the E-MTB and thus reduce the number of tour days required.
The schedule
Completing the entire route in five days is very ambitious. In addition, bad weather, breakdowns, fatigue and orientation problems can throw a spanner in the works. It is safer to plan an extra day.
Batteries and energy
These are long days on an e-MTB, as you have to factor in the charging times for the batteries and the time spent at mountain huts. Always take a second battery and charger with you. In autumn, as daylight gets shorter, think about lighting.
Maps and navigation
Despite the satnav, maps on a scale of 1:50000 were indispensable for us: Kompass hiking maps no. 9, 10, 29, 38, 54, 56, 75, 76, 78, 82 and 101. The GPS data for the tour in nine stages can be found here: https://www.gps-tour.info/de/touren/detail.126606.html
