Endless Trails - Steffi Marth and Richie Schley on a Swiss adventure

 The trail is so steep and too loose to climb, I have to stop pushing my bike up every few metres to desperately inhale all the thin air I possibly can to keep my pulse from going into overdrive. This journey through Graubünden in Switzerland is turning out to be a real challenge, but at least it’s a beautiful one…

Over an excessively stacked Swiss cheese platter the night before at the Hotel Belvédère in Scuol, it dawned on Richie Schley, Ale Di Lullo and myself that the last time we three actually did something together was a terrifying 10 year leap into the past. Back then Richie taught me how to do ‚this thing with the photos‘ and look my best on two wheels. Since then I have been trying hard to “schley“ my turns like the master himself. Our paths have crossed every now and again ever since and it seems pretty crazy that it has taken so long to find an opportunity to ride together again. We had a great laugh over a hearty and much too expensive bottle of red. Now, panting hard on the trail, I wish I’d had one glass less…

 RIDING ON THE MOON 

I’m surprised to realise, that I can still manage to appreciate the beauty of the unrivalled high-alpine views around me. This is roughly how it must feel to be an astronaut on the moon. The lunar landscape at this altitude doesn’t even bear a lonely tree, nor a welcoming mountain hut. Not to mention no single living soul…! We started today’s tour all the way over in Samnaun and already crossed almost the entire length of the destination Scuol Samnaun Val Müstair to get where we are now. The small town in the very east of Switzerland is one of five destinations nestled into the towering Swiss mountains of Graubünden and is the first stop on our three-day trip, which will also take us to Davos Klosters on day three for a point-to-point trail ride to Filisur, where will be taking the train back home.

We arrive at the foot of another towering wall of a climb – the dauntingly towering Fimberpass. Finally crowning the top ridge, there’s sadly no time to savour the amazing border-spanning views straddling both Austria and Switzerland, as we get caught in a brutal rainstorm. For some people, hell begins when they find themselves looking down into steep, technical terrain as the heavens open, but thankfully for me, I’ve always found it kind of fun. This trail does quite literally seem endless and although I am soaked to the bone, it’ll easily rank in my top 3 descents of the season.

The combination of having to work hard to even be able to embark on a breath-taking technical descent gives you a very rewarding feeling of satisfaction. Riding the natural trail with multiple line choices between towering mountains just beats nearly every trail there is out there. Further down the trail a super cute little wooden hut, decorated with a little sign saying “coffee and cake“ conjures smiles on our mud splattered faces. I don´t think I have ever enjoyed an espresso as much as this one now. Ale, Richie and I sit quietly on a bench outside in our filthy rain gear and embrace these calm, finally warm and caffeinated moments.

 THE RETURN TRIP  

After a good night’s sleep we are able to save a big chunk of energy right off the bat, as we take the Motta Naluns lift up the mountain in Scuol. To our delight, our guide, Werni, happens to know the guy handling the lift and he shuttles us up even higher into the majestic peaks in his truck. As we get dropped off in a lush green field, the thick clouds that worried us when we left the hotel lie behind us.

In the early mountain bike days, Scuol was one of the most famous downhill spots in Europe. None less than the Swiss downhill sensation himself, Claudio Caluori, had a house at the foot of the trails. Unfortunately the main downhill scene didn’t stay, but instead it moved on a few kilometres. You won´t have to look far to discover the world´s fastest going head to head at the Mountain Bike World Champs in Lenzerheide, another of the 5 big bike resorts in Graubünden, in September 2018.

It´s not easy to concentrate on the trail, with the mid-summer mountain scenery being so beautiful. The diversity is impressive and the 17000 kilometres of trails on 7000 km2 of alpine terrain even more so: A true trail paradise! But still, even though everything seems totally organised, Graubünden isn’t Disneyland. It’s authentic, untouched nature. Every trail in Graubünden can be taken on foot or on a mountain bike, offering endless possibilities to visitors from all over the world. Freeride enthusiasts like us never had it so good on the hunt for treasures deep in the Swiss Alps.

 DESTINATION:DAVOS 

We are told that the next bike destination in Graubünden hosts one of the most famous and longest trails in the world: The Alps Epic Trail Davos – a trail in Davos Klosters. Davos lies an altitude of over 1500 metres, the highest elevation of any city in Europe. The German-speaking region has spectacular singletrack to offer and we are ready for the most epic of all – all 45 kilometres of it. We take the first lift up to Jakobshorn where we’re welcomed by the first of the day’s warm and golden sun beams, lighting up all the peaks around us.

High expectations are quickly matched by reality head on, as the first few kilometres of trail escort us through some of the most impressive terrain I’ve ever ridden. Alps Epic Trail Davos is a super technical ride with rocks large and small and everything in between. I try to ride it like a giant pump track but of course it isn´t easy to keep smooth legs and arms for long. The scenery changes dramatically with every other turn as we make our way down into the valley.

Together with our guide, Michi Wild, we decide to leave out a bit of the climb and take another gondola up to Rinerhorn instead. The infrastructure in Graubünden seems perfectly geared towards us bikers when all too often we’re very much an after-thought of the winter tourism. Although we thought we’d skipped the hard part, Michi tells us that it´s about to get seriously physical now. And as I said before, from the mouth of a Swiss guide… Time to buckle up!

After a super physical 2 hours, I’m developing tunnel vision. Nothing else matters, other than trying to survive and keep on Ale´s back wheel. About another hour later we stop for a long overdue lunch break. Perfectly synchronised, we fall into our chairs and order food and drinks without even looking at the prices. Switzerland is really a little economic island in Europe; people here earn more to spend more. A tough call for tourists from other countries, but honestly this is definitely case of “you get what you pay for“. I get to ride all around the world and I am sold on the high alpine experiences we had over the last couple of days. It seems so easy to get around with your bike and to access this amazing, world-class terrain.

To finish we only ride downhill and we’re going crazy fast in places. It’s fun and at the limit, let’s say the most addictive kind of riding. To reach the next train on time we need to hurry though, because it only leaves once an hour. After finally seeing the Rhaetian Railway train station in Filisur with its traditional architecture and a friendly little kiosk with tables and chairs outside, I think to myself: “Ok, maybe this does look a bit like Disneyland after all.” Although the train is already at the platform ready to leave, we can’t board without something cold and refreshing: ice cream and beers should do it. I can only hope it doesn’t take another ten years until I get to ride with these guys again! If that’s the case though, I hope we come back here.

Getting there
You can fly to Switzerland from any major airport in Australia, landing in either Geneva or Zurich. Zurich is your best choice for travel to Graubünden and tends to have more flights – but both airports a train station, which means you can headstraight to the station and into to the Alps – in as little as two hours.

When to go
Don’t expect to ride too high into the big mountains until the very end of June – but late July and August tend to be the best. However to avoice the crowds, a visit in September and sometimes into early October can reward you with empty trails and changing colours in the Swiss Alps

Getting around
Switzerland sometimes seems like the ideal train set in a hobby shop, with numerous railways connecting to buses, ferries and mountain transport with telecabins and lifts. But it all exists in the real world, it runs on time and you can take your bike on just about all of the options.

myswitzerland.com/rail

See more
It’s not just all of  Graubünden that seems built for mountain biking, almost the whole of Switzerland offers something special for the visiting mountain biker. There’s a whole website full of itineraries and inspiration for your next holiday.

myswitzerland.com/mtb

Swiss Bike Hotels
Swiss Bike Hotels are the ideal place to stay when travelling with a bike. From bike storage, to great breakfasts, route suggestions and kit washing they have it all!

myswitzerland.com/bikehotels

Words: Steffi Marth    Photos: Ale Di Lullo