3-Day Mountainbike Adventure

After a long period of waiting and planning, we packed our mountainbikes and backpacks for three days of up and downs in the Austrian Alps. All together, the tour was about 130 km long and more than 4.000 meter in altitude difference were to climb.

The main regions we traveresed were Großes Walsertal, Lechquellengebiet, Hinterwald, Mellental and Dornbirn.

The first day started in Nenzing, a small town down in the valley of Walgau. After a few km, you start climbing as you enter the Großes Walsertal in direction to Raggal, a tourist attraction in winter. The road is pretty good as paved, as well as you continue to Marul (a steep climb) and further in to the valley at its end - the Laguz Alpe.

From there you will soon push and carry your bike for an hour. The road became a path, and is too steep and not suited for bikes - rough rubble all the way. Finally you will enjoy a view to the Formarinsee, a beautiful lake in the Alps. One hour later on a good road with a fast downhill passage as well as a final 200 altitude meter climbbrings you to the Spullersee, another nice lake. From there it is a breathtaking climb to the Ravensburger Hütte, a middlesized hut for you night stay.

The second day starts with foggy views from the hut to the Spullersee and a short climb to the Stierlochjoch, from where we have a great downhill drive to Zürs and Lech, the top ski regions in Vorarlberg. Take care at this part of the track - rocks comes down from the peaks all the way...

In Lech, you will pass through the lively center and head to the top of this village - at Oberlech for some fantastic views of this valley. Next is a great up and down single trail to the Auenfeld, and further a superb downhill drive in further distance of Warth just in to the hearth of Schröcken, another top ski region in Vorarlberg.

Your downhill race continues all the way through the Bregenzer Wald to Au, the next bigger village in this part of the region. By this time of the day, the sun is pretty strong, so you will sweat your way up to the 2nd day finish Gasthof Edelweiss, a beautiful situated mountain pension some 700 altitude meters above Au.

The third day is not as long as the other two parts, but as hard as them: first, you will have to traverse the ridge above the Gasthof Edelweiss all the way back to the end corner of the Mellental. Second, you will climb up on the other side of the valley to the top of the First, a chain of peaks around Dornbirn, and last you'll have to carry your bike down for an half an hour because of steep, very rough trails.

On the way up to the First, there is a passage of an half hour or so where you will get really muddy (when it rains) - your bike will jam because all of the mud. But that's a part of it, and on the other side in the valley, you will be happy to wash off all of this in a clear creek.

From this point, it's only fun to downhill at 60km/h to the city of Dornbirn to complete your 3 day mountainbike tour. At al, it's feasible also with a middle-sized backpack, drink a lot and take powerbars as many as you can carry with you!