Älpliseetrail

Today we really let it rip at the end! And Madame was able to persuade me to take her on this very demanding tour. And what can I say: She did extremely well and only had to push very little (there were a few people on the Älplisee Trail who would have listened far less than my Madame, of whom I am very, very proud today! 💪😍 Unbelievable how she has evolved in the last few weeks!). We started from Lenzerheide with the gondola all the way up to the Parpaner Rothorn (2,861m). This is where the sensational "Dark side of the Moon" (S2) begins in a grandiose, high-alpine lunar landscape over numerous rock slabs and steps, an absolute feast for the eyes and for biking! The Älplisee Trail then branches off at Gredigs Fürggli and things get serious: the first few hundred meters are quite exposed, although not too difficult in terms of driving technique (S2, but with nickel narrow sections and, of course: with a risk of falling). The trail runs along the valley wall with mostly little gradient and the scenery becomes more and more epic: Canadian outback feeling in the middle of Switzerland. In front of this backdrop, the trail goes a long way, approaching the valley floor in serpentines (here: S2), always requiring concentration and good bike control in alpine terrain. After the Älplisee, which gives it its name, comes the key technical section of the trail: in rough, narrow serpentines peppered with steps, it now goes steeply downhill (S3). Great to drive - but quite proper. To my amazement, Madame managed almost the entire section while driving! After that, the trail becomes easier and more flowing, finally ending in the Hörnli Trail (S1, flow trail with adjacent curves) and this is how you get to the valley station of the gondola in Arosa: perfect for a break or playing in the skill park there :-) We then went along with it the gondola up to the Hörnli (approx. 2,500m). Instead of taking another cable car over to the Urdenfuggli, we decided to cross the high valley in between on the Urdental Trail (S2) by bike: a beautiful descent into the lonely valley was of course followed by a longer section of pushing the trail up on the other side of the valley. But that's not all: after we had seen the flow trail beginning at the top (yuck! XD), it was clear that we would cycle and push up another 150hm on a gravel forest path to get to the black, relatively new "The Great White" -Trail to reach: This other absolute dream trail runs long and consistently challenging down to the top point of the Lenzerheide bike park. It mainly comes up with massive slabs of rock and big stones, high heels and a consistently bumpy character, whereby a continuous driving flow is helpful for coping and the trail also rewards this with a really "flowy" driving feeling (S2, but with a hard pace). At the end of this grandiose trail monster, we were no longer looking for bigger adventures in the bike park and decided to go down the actually pretty awesomely shaped Flowline (S1), which comes up with exciting combination of curves etc. (and unfortunately also with brutal ones in places). brake shafts). An awesome tour with an overwhelming landscape and absolutely creamy trails throughout, but of the demanding kind! Madame had forgotten her cell phone today and we were also concerned about the flow of the ride in order to stay in rhythm with the trails, so today there were hardly any classic "key point pics" or similar. And more shots in the long shot. I hope the present description in combination with it gives a sufficiently good impression of the character of the trails. Now we've earned a big portion of cheese fondue! :-)

I wanted something new again – and the Komoot suggestion "Bike Ticket to Ride – black" in Lenzerheide sounded just right. Technically demanding, scenically impressive – and definitely no walk in the park. I started with the Weisshornbahn cable car at 2,500 m. The start of the Great White Trail was tough: rocky, steep, and tight switchbacks. My bike and I worked hard – a few scratches were a given for both of us. The last third of the route took me over the more relaxed Pipe Trail (S1) to the mid-station: refreshments at the Charmoin restaurant – well-deserved. On to the Parpaner Rothorn, then onto the Dark Side of the Moon Trail: barren, rocky, at times moon-like – beautiful, exciting, and technically not to be underestimated. Next came the Älplisee Trail: a narrow, sometimes exposed panoramic route with fantastic views of the turquoise-blue lakes – Älplisee and Schwellisee – two real highlights. Even more was planned: via Hörnli Hut, Arosa, Weisshorn, Chur, and back to Lenzerheide. But just before the Hörnli cable car – total failure. The e-bike's control unit was gone – lost during a jump. No more motor power. Tour over. Nevertheless: a fantastic tour. Challenging, alpine. And full of lasting images.

At the 👑 end of our vacation in the 🇨🇭 two black trails: The Älplisee Trail, which is particularly impressive with its magnificent panorama, and The Great White, which feels like it only leads over rough 🪨🪨 and really rumbles until your arms almost fall off . Splendid. 😁