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Heaven on Earth for cyclists and mountain bikers
Mountains and cycling go hand in hand – especially here! Ratschings and its surrounding valleys are a bona fide paradise for cycling and mountain biking, with picturesque valley cycle paths and trails that keep everyone happy, including families, e-bikers and leisure cyclists.
Recommended tours in Ratschings
Guided panoramic e-bike tour of the Ridnauntal valley
When? every Friday, from 28 June to 4 October 2024
Meeting point: Rent and Go bike hire shop, Ridnaun-Maiern
Start: 10 a.m.
Total time: approx. 5 hours (including breaks and refreshments)
Registration: required
Tour description:
The tour starts in Maiern by the Rent and Go bike hire shop. From there, we will make our way towards Bergl, passing the birthplace of the Ridnaun giantess and continuing to the Martalm pasture. Then we will follow the forest road to the Gewingesalm pasture, where we will catch a short breather before continuing our journey to Entholz and taking the Erzweig trail back to our starting point.
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To Martalm and Gewingesalm and back
Easy tour to the Martalm pasture (24 km - 850 m elevation gain - 2 ½ hours)
The first section of this tour, leading to the Martalm pasture, is easy and unchallenging. The second section to the Gewingesalm pasture, however, requires stamina and a good fitness level, as it covers 400 metres of elevation gain over a distance of 8.1 km. The starting point of this tour is the car park by Hotel Schneeberg in Maiern. Leaving the hotel to our left, after 100 metres we will turn left onto the asphalt road in the direction of Martalm. At the next turn-off, we will follow the tarred road to the right until we reach a farm, continuing past a forest barrier and on towards Martalm. At the next crossroads, we will keep to the right and follow the direct route to Martalm, where a cosy hut will provide all we need for a well-deserved break. The way back will lead us downhill to a fork in the road, where we will continue straight on to avoid going back by the same route. After about 400 metres, the path branches off to the right to the Gewingesalm pasture. This is the section that requires strength and stamina. If you prefer to keep a more leisurely pace, you can simply turn left towards Hotel Schneeberg.
To Moarerbergalm and back (same route)
Difficulty: intermediate (13.8 km – 700 m elevation gain – 1 ½ hours)
This MTB tour of intermediate difficulty is suitable for experienced mountain bikers. The route leads through picturesque landscapes to the historic Poschhaus* and passes close to the former miners’ settlement of St. Martin am Schneeberg. From there, there’s a themed hiking trail to the Kaindljoch pass that we highly recommend.
The starting point for this tour is by the Ridnaun-Schneeberg Mining Museum. We will start at the barrier and ride up the asphalt road. Don’t let the initially steep incline put you off: after about 800 metres, the way becomes significantly flatter. When we reach the bridge, we will bear left and follow the signpost to Moarerbergalm. Behind the ruins of the Poschhaus wall, we will turn right and continue for about 200 metres to the Moarerberg-Alm hut, where we can take a break and recharge our batteries. The way back to our starting point, near Hotel Schneeberg in Maiern, is along the same route.
*a building with stables and an ore box an altitude of 2,112 metres, which was used for centuries to store ore after the arduous transport over the Schneeberg wind gap or the Sandjoch pass.
