Endless trails in Graubünden with Steffi Marth

Photos: Ale di Lullo

In Issue #167 of Australian Mountain Bike magazine, we have a story from the far eastern corner of Switzerland, in the canton of Graubünden. Legendary mountain biker Richie Schley and Germany’s ever-versatile Steffi Marth tackled some big days on endless trails. Here’s a little more about Steffi Marth – find the full story in our next issue.

Can you give us insight on the bike you used to travel in Graubünden and why you chose to take this bike and not another one?

“I used a Trek Slash 9.9 with 160mm travel. It´s a bit harder to climb because I have pretty beefy tyres and a soft setup but we did descend a lot, also on technical trails and my priority is more into having fun downhill than being fast uphill.”

Tell us about yourself. When and how did you get into mountain biking?

“I started riding BMX when I was 12 years old. About 10 years ago I tried mountain biking for the first time and enjoyed it a lot straight away. In comparison to doing laps on a closed circuit in BMX, mountain biking is something I can do almost everywhere. I enjoy the nature and the views I get when I am on a mountain.”

Do you remember your first ever mountain bike trip?

“My first big mountain bike trip was to the World Champs in Fort William. I remember how new and exciting everything was for me. I remember when we first drove into these amazing, unique mountains. The roads were so narrow and windy and I felt like in a movie. The racing was exciting and very different to the BMX races I was used to before. Looking back now I never enjoyed my mountain biking enough back in the day when I did 4X races as I was too tight up into competition. On some later trips I discovered the beauty of the highlands more and it´s still one of my favorite places to visit and ride bikes.”

When was your first big trail riding trip outside of your home country as a pro? Where did you go to? What has stuck from that trip?

“My very first big trip was with my first team, which I am still part of: Trek Gravity Girls. We went to Mallorca and I remember it being one of the most fun things I have ever done. Everything was new for me – taking professional photos, being on a team, riding a DH bike, staying in a fancy hotel. I love these memories.”

What made you want to go pro?

“I never really wanted to be a pro or thought about it. It just happened I guess. I always liked competition and racing but did a normal learning/ studying career besides that. After finishing my M.Sc. degree in Architecture I figured that my only real passion is mountain biking and I had already earned money with it before so it was a really natural transition to being a pro officially. I love the nature, the freedom you feel on a bike, the exercise and of course the traveling and meeting all these amazing people along the way. It´s just an awesome ride in general since I turned to be a mountain bike professional.”

Can you describe the feeling you get when you are hitting the trails? Is there anything else in life that gives you a similar feeling?

“When I hit a trail it is always exciting and I look forward to it a lot. This feeling gets even stronger when I work my way up to the top by pedalling or pushing my bike. The harder it is, the greater the pleasure to ride down. At the same time I am always nervous because there are challenges along the way; a jump, drop or technical section. I love the challenges.”

As a professional rider you have travelled to all sorts of places, hit thousands of kilometers of trails. What do like most about heading to different countries and seeing what the destinations have to offer?

“Especially after having faced some injuries, I enjoy every minute on a bike and exploring new places is an added bonus for me. I feel that we don´t really have that much time on our planet, so we should use our time wisely. I just want to see as many places and ride as many trails around the world possible.”

Do trails start to become repetitive or in which way do you still find uniqueness on each trail you ride?

“I don´t know any trail, which is like another. Every single path is unique by it´s nature. That is the great thing about mountain biking. It´s a constant adventure.”

Some people say travellers are running away from something, others say they are running towards something. What does travel mean to you personally?

“I think it´s important that you know where your roots are, where your home is. Some people really seem to just run away from not feeling home somewhere. I am lucky to say I have a really strong feeling of where my home is and just enjoy all the traveling in between. We are so fortunate today, to be able to travel wherever we want to easily and I think we should make the most of it.”

Do you sometimes feel the need to chill out and settle down? Do you have a home base you like to return to, which let’s you calm down after weeks of travelling?

“It´s interesting to see new places, meet new people, get to know foreign cultures. I like everything about travelling but also am very happy when I have a couple of days at home. I love my home place in the east of Germany. All my family is there and all my childhood memories, including my BMX track where everything started. Although it´s a very flat area we have built up quite a bit of mountain biking around the area and I enjoy to work with the local kids.”

How important are traditions and culture to you personally?

“Today all the people get mixed up around the world. The freedom of travel makes it possible and I like that we all share our planet. I think it´s important, though, to remember where you come from and carry your traditions and culture with you to make the world even more colourful.”

Experiencing Graubünden

On the first day of riding you travelled from Samnaun via the Fimberpass to Scuol. You rode enduro trails, which are normally covered by snow for the most part of the year in the skiing area of Samnaun, took a flow trail to the Greitspitze and rode trails in the gorge of “Val Sinestra”. Can you describe your first day?

“That was a big day! I didn´t really know what to expect from that day and was really amazed by the beauty of the high alpine scenery. We were a bit unlucky with the weather which actually made for some adventurous feeling as there were not too many other people out. It was interesting that we made quite a long trip by bus and gondolas to get to the riding and then were able to ride all the way back to the hotel in Scuol. I have to admit I was very tired at the end but also very happy about the amazing riding. The best part was probably the really long downhill from the Fimberpass down.”

The weather was challenging and the clouds look very dramatic. Can you describe why the weather was a challenge and the scenery?

“The weather was a challenge because on this tour, you can´t really turn around or take a short cut… you have to finish it. So preparation was key as always. We had enough food and water and waterproof clothes. I think weather challenges also make it more of an adventure.”

Do you like to ride in wet, dramatic conditions? Or is riding in sun and beneath blue sky more your kind of thing? Maybe you can draw a comparison between both alternatives?

“I quite like both, depending how bad the weather is. It can be really cool to ride in bad conditions as there are not many people out and you feel really special to face the conditions anyway. Of course you need to right equipment to not end up cold and/or wet. I also love the really hot, sunny days of course and yes, maybe more than the rainy ones ;-)”

There are photos showing a tyre change on the border to Austria. Is there a story to go with that scene?

“Haha…yes there is! I was in the back of the group when I noticed my tyre went flat and the others where too far away to let them know so I eventually caught up with Ale and Richie. I started working on my tyre which got a cut open because the rocks are really sharp in the high alpine. I do work with tyres a lot and quite like to repair them. After a while though I figured that no-one really tried to help me (laughs). That wasn´t a problem though – more like a compliment that it looked like I have it totally under control. In the end Richie did help me (laughs). The same scenario happened to me every day on that trip!”

On day two from Scuol to Motta Naluns you rode flowy looking trails in green pastures. You rode natural trails from the Alp Laret to Valmalla and along side the river Inn. Can you describe the experiences of that day?

“On day two we ride in Scuol and from the top of the lift we had a spectacular view because we came out on top of the clouds and the scenery was stunning! After some high alpine riding we stopped for a coffee break in a really nice privately run hut and had delicious food. From there on the trail was really fun, through the woods … very flowy.”

Looking at the photos it looks like a considerable amount of riding in very different landscapes in a short amount of time. Can you describe the changing scenery and landscapes during riding and what you thought about it?

“The riding on day two was quite different to day one. We had less/ almost no climbing and the trails were a bit less rough and had more flow. The weather was also better which made for more fun riding. On day one we had a lot of cow tracks on the trail which made the ride quite bumpy but that´s how it is in the nature. The guide told us there was a DH race a long time ago on this mountain in Scuol and I could totally imagine that this site would be amazing for a DH track.”

On the final day in Davos you hit the longest single trail in Switzerland – The Alps Epic Trail Davos. You descended from Jakobshorn into Sertig. You climbed from Sertig to Äbirügg and took the trail from Rinerhorn to Monstein. The final stretch took you along the river Landwasser to Filisur. Would you describe the trail as “epic”?

“This trail is truly epic and deserves it´s name to the fullest! The first bit down from Jakobshorn was for sure one of the Top 5 trails I have ever ridden. It was set just perfectly in the landscape and had a bit of everything…technical section, sweet berms, nice little jumps. I enjoyed every meter. The rest of the ride was no less epic but a bit less flowy. It was a very challenging trail uphill but I loved the competition with myself… I just fought through even if I was very tired from the 2 days before. When we stopped for the lunch break, which was behind Monstein I guess, everybody was pretty much done. It was a super cute little place that we had our break in. Also privately run with local food. The best part of the ride was yet to come though. We arrived at this big rocky bit with the tiny, narrow path leading through. I had a real thrill riding that with Richie. It was so epic! A really astonishing experience. On the way back we grabbed an ice cream at the train station and sat down in the train back to Davos – super exhausted but very happy!”

What were the locals like? What was the food like?

“I really liked our guide. He knew everything about the region and the trails and we even stopped at his house on the ride to have a drink with his wife. Very friendly! Also we were invited to have some great wine in Scuol, which was super nice. It was a great time! The food in both hotels was superb! To be honest, we were no easy customers as Richie and Ale were gluten free and lactose free and me vegetarian… but the chefs made all the exceptions for us. Brilliant!

You visited two different destinations during your short stay. Did you notice the different language, architecture?

“As I have a degree in architecture of course I had an eye on that. I really liked the architecture in the villages around Scuol where we rode down from our big ride on the first day. I enjoyed the atmosphere. It was totally new for me, I haven’t seen this style before. It almost looked southern European to me. The paintings on the houses and the little wooden details were really beautiful.”

How did navigating your routes go for you? What was the infrastructure like? Was it easy to find your way?

“It was definitely good that we had the local guides. I didn´t even look on a map but I guess it would be easy to find if your plan your trip beforehand. The infrastructure with all the lifts, busses and trains is excellent. That way you don’t really need your own car. I liked that was normal to bring your bike on the public transport! I wish we could also have seen the train from Scuol to Davos but for getting to the starting point on day one and back from the Epic Trail Ride in Davos it was very comfortable and a great experience.”

Would you rather recommend the trip you made to novices or experienced riders? Or is there enough for both skill sets to ride?

“I think for any MTB trip it´s important that you know about your skills and where your limits are. The tours we made were definitely physically demanding and I would not recommend it for riders who haven´t done big tours before. Regarding the technical level I think everybody could ride everything at their own speed.”

Bottom Line: How would you summarize the three days of riding in Graubünden?

“It was a lot of time on the bike and definitely made me want to come back to explore more in Graubünden. As I mentioned before I think the Swiss Epic Trail in Davos is one of the Top Trails in Europe, if not worldwide and make for a brilliant day of riding. In general it seems like Graubünden does offer a whole package for bikers.”

How was it to ride with Richie and working with Ale?

“It´s funny because actually my first ever mob photo shoot was with Ale and Richie about 10 years ago in Val di Sole, Italy. Since then I have worked with both of them occasionally but never us three together. That was special for me, because it made me realise how far I have come in my career since that first photo shoot. In general Ale and Richie are both super professional and very funny – a great team to work with. Richie is one of the most iconic Freeride legends ever. His riding is really good and he loves to travel to new places too which gets harder for him because he has been almost everywhere and I can still learn a lot from him. He sees Freeride lines everywhere and although he is not the youngest anymore, it does not seem like he would ever think about retiring. I also like his Californian style… he is pretty laid back and always has a smile for the people. Ale is the most classic Italian I know which makes him really funny. Nothing goes without his Espresso. He is super professional and very very talented. His photos are stunning and he works really hard all year long to get the best shots of the best riders. It´s always an honor to shoot with him and I was very excited about the results of this shoot. He has also developed to become a very good mountain biker. His riding skills are pretty remarkable. Although we are all pretty professional when it comes to making a good job, we also had tons of fun. We killed a delicious wine bottle ever evening and talked about the good old times. I would work with them any time again.”

Want to experience Graubünden for yourself? Find the details online.