[Closed] The Dolomites, Sud Tyrol & Alta Badia...anyone been?

There's good mountain biking on the East side of the Stelvio pass and over on the West side are Bormio and Livigno which also give lots of options.

You can get uplift to the top of the Stelvio and ride all the way down to Glurns off road.

I was there for the Maratona Dles Dolomites a couple of years ago.

I flew into Innsbruck and hired a car which was pretty straightforward and not too far off.

The area is incredibly well set up for road biking. Only place I've been where drivers actually pull over to let cyclists past to have a free run at the big switchbacky descents.

There are hire shops everywhere. Corvara might be a better place to base yourself in as it's a bit bigger and has more accommodation and bike hire options. It also has has one of the celebrated Alpine passes straight out of your back door - the Campolongo(?). If you want to test yourself going up the way the Passo Giau is an absolute beast. Of the descents I liked the Passo Valparola which was very swoopy and cruisy.

I also did the lift-assisted Sella Ronda circuit on a hired mountain bike, starting in Canazei, with a guide from Fassasport, whom I would recommend. You could probably end up pretty far out of your intended trajectory without a guide.

I am often in South Tirol biking, it's superb, both road and MTB. I only take the MTB, highly recommend it.

Checkout [url= http://www.stoneman.it ]The Stoneman[/url] , not in English so use Google to translate if your German or Italian is rusty. That should keep you busy for min 2 or 3 days.

Avoid Treviso airport at all costs would be my advice it's an absolute shambles.

A really beautiful part of the world IMO.

Only ever done Sella Ronda on skis but would imagine it's also worth doing on an MTB. Corvara & Colfosco are possibly the best placed entry points.

Kronplatz is just along the valley and they have some lift accessible stuff that might be worth a day out too.

North end of Garda not far either and worth a few days if you've not been. Van uplifts from Torbole.

Re travel, I've flown to Treviso, Burgamo and Munich to access that area. Innsbruck would be fine too but few flights there.
Burgamo would probably be my recommendation, based on flight and car hire costs and autostrada connectivity.

It is a great area, we stayed near Merano, Hotel Gartner.
I was with mrsdts and we didn't do any riding but the walking was great. There did seem to be a good hut system in the area.
The roads were great.
We didn't do our homework and were surprised how Germanic it was in the area.
Neither of us did much History at school.. 😳

Thanks for suggestions so far....

Ive been looking at these websites so far
[url= http://www.cyclingdolomites.com/ ]http://www.cyclingdolomites.com/[/url] & [url= http://www.altabadia.org/en/summer-holidays/cycling/mountain-bike-holidays-alta-badia.html ]http://www.altabadia.org/en/summer-holidays/cycling/mountain-bike-holidays-alta-badia.html[/url] but would be interested in anyone knows of similar websites for other nearby areas.

Also, anyone offer anyone other bucket list rides or hikes to investigate?

Sorry for the slight hijack... My Brother is going to be working out in Corvara/Alta Badia area this summer so going to go and visit him.

I intend on doing the Sella Ronda circuit, do you reckon it's doable on a 120mm full suss? Not after comfortable just no long sections of 2ft drops! Few locals that have offered to lead me have said they normally use 160mm+ bikes 😯

I'll be following this thread with interest as will also be hiking in the area but likely end up going with the company he's working for.

^ You won't die. I did it with [url= http://www.fassasport.com/en/summer-activities/mtbike/ ]Fassasport[/url]. Local guide and random, mixed ability/nationality group, all on full sussers of varying travel. Everything was rideable. I'm sure there's plenty of terrifying route choices for gnarcissists if that's what you want, but it doesn't have to be like that.

Checkout The Stoneman , not in English so use Google to translate if your German or Italian is rusty. That should keep you busy for min 2 or 3 days.

Just had a look at that website which is more a triumph of presentation over content. Lots of moody b&w photos and slow-mo arty video!!!
Anyway, it looks like a multi-day, alpine tour but mostly on double-track/gravel roads and, presumably optionally, you can pre-register and get a little trophy if you pass through various checkpoints...
Is that correct, or is it an event???
I might be interested but not if it's just double track and gravel!
More research required!

I've only skied there but friends have done a lot of Via Ferrata climbing/walking routes so in addition to the biking there are plenty of other things to do.

From what I remember the food was sadly more German influenced rather than Italian. We were based was in Corvara (I think) other towns may be different.

I did it with Fassasport

^Via Ferrata is also on the to-do list but I'm terrified of heights so anything I do will need to be suitably wimpy 😳
Re: food...luckily, I'm not a foodie...As long as it's filling and provides enough calories, I'm good!

Mrs B and I have been to the the area quite a few times in the last 25 years, and have done a mix of mountain biking, hiking and climbing. It's worth bearing in mind that the amount and accessibility of bike trails can vary depending on which valley you are in. For instance, the local tourist office in Selva/Val Gardena never used to be that keen on MTBers, but in the last few years, they've seen the potential and there's now a decent lift accessed trail straight out of the village. I can't recall which valley it is, but one of the guides mentioned that the local tourist office in one was quite anti MTB (one of the valleys that's more popular with climbers and hikers).

Selva is one of the better start points for the Sella Ronda MTB 'Tour'. If you're not aware, there are different variations of the Sella Ronda route, from up and down gravel roads, to more 'all mountain' type options with bits of man made flow trails thrown in. I've done the 'gravity/enduro' version (with a guide) and it was brilliant - something like 800m pedalled ascent, 5 or 6 chairlifts and well over 4000m descending in a day. Terrain included everything from easygoing gravel roads, steep natural singletrack, and even a big snow filled couloir. If you get good weather, the views are stunning - and there are loads of decent mountain huts. I've ridden over there a few times on a 140mm travel 29er, but you could easily get by on 120mm full sus, or even a slackish hardtail - Good brakes are the most important thing!

The thing with the Sella Ronda MTB tour is that it's well worth hiring a local bike guide, as it only works out slightly more expensive hiring the guide than just buying the various lift tickets. As an incentive for tourists to use the guides, they get a discounted Sella Ronda specific lift pass which effectively subsidises the cost of the guide for the tourists.
I was glad I hired a guide, as a farmer had decided to close a section of trail, and without the guide, I'd have been screwed. I also got the feeling that, once the guide has an idea of your skill and fitness, they can tweak the route to suit your ability.

If you have the time and fancy something a bit less developed than Selva/Corvara etc., I can recommend Val Pusteria/Puster Valley. we've stayed in a bike friendly hotel in a village called Gais a couple of times, and the riding is superb. At one end of the valley is Kornplatz, with lift accessed blue and red trails, and at the other end, the Dolomites bump into the Zillertal Alps. There are shed loads of natural trails, but to find them you really need a guide around here.

Tut.....I'll stop rabbiting on! If you want the name of the English speaking guide that I used for the Sella Ronda, or the details of the bike hotel and guides in Gais, just let me know.

Oh, as a p.s., you can hire decent full suspension bikes in Selva - also a bike shop & hire in the Puster Valley at a place called Sand in Taufers (very nice spa and swimming pool there too!)

Bowglie: brilliant & much appreciated the effort to do that. Feel free to continue rabbiting on if you want 🙂

Also thats very useful to know about potential pro/anti MTB sentiments across different valleys.

I hadn't been planning on using guides as I'll be mtbing by myself so not sure what the cost implications are. I don't fancy having to join a group of numpties! I was hoping to trawl through Strava to harvest gpx files and follow those instead.

Cost wise, the guided Sella Ronda cost me 70 euros, and that was 1:1 including the days lift pass (something like 60 odd euro to buy lift passes separately). The hotel we've stayed at in Gais do packages that cover so many days of guided rides per week, or you can pay as you go to join a guided ride - or, they'll load a route onto your gps. (You can hire a GPs from them if needed). One of the owners of the hotel is a guide who has been riding in the area for donkeys years - between her and the other two guides, they know all of the real hidden gems in the area. I think the last hotel in Selva that we stayed at was also a bike friendly hotel that would load routes onto guests GPS's.

If you fancy a go at the routes on the Kronplatz, I'd recommend hiring a DH bike from the lift station bike shop if you want to do 'The Hernnsteig'. I did it on my 29er trail bike, and for the most part was fine, but when I got to the bottom, I could appreciate why every other rider was on a DH bike!

To give you an idea of what the guides are like, one of em said "if you've done the Herrnsteig on that bike, try this off piste route". The route was proper wild & steep, but a lot of fun (in a 'have I really just ridden down that?!' way). I managed it, with no GPS, just a paper map and a bit of sketchy German at a bar when I got lost. Oh yes, a bit of German language can come in useful, as it's generally more commonly spoken in South Tyrol.

HTH:)

Sorry to highjack the thread, but whilst there's some knowledge around...

Are there any companies/guides out there that do groups?

I'm looking for a summer holiday with my girlfriend. She's not been biking too long, and I'll be running instead of biking; so would be good to have a group of other riders that she could tag along with.
i.e. she can bike during the day without getting lonely, I can do my runs during the day, and we still get to see each other in the evening.

From what I remember the food was sadly more German influenced rather than Italian. We were based was in Corvara (I think) other towns may be different.

The only time we asked which language they prefer, it turned out the waitress was Dutch. Normally I'd default to German there.

On the German MTB forums, Kronplatz and the bit of Dolomites that I think is towards Stelvio way seem popular.

Ooh, food for thought there. I've skied the Sella Ronde and the idea of a lift assisted MTB circuit definitely appeals.

I have done the Sella Ronda, on road, on my Nicolai. Not sure I have got the hang of this? But I did manage to pass several cars returning into Arraba by taking the steps rather than the hairpin bends which was fun.

Had several fantastic holidays in this area, always stayed in Arraba and make sure you do some via ferrata while you're there. If you're not too sure of yourself then try the Brigata Tridentina near Corvara, spectacular but not scary. But be warned it is popular so get there early, good luck.

Rugbydick - check out this place http://www.hotel-innerhofer.com/en/hotel-innerhofer.html

My OH and I have had a couple of 10 day stays there in the last 3 years - staying in the garden apartment, with evening meals in hotel.

I've done a few of their guided rides and they cater well for groups with mixed technical ability. You need a reasonable level of fitness for the ascents, which can be 800-1200m, but the guides try and spread the ascents throughout the day, the pace is steady and there are decent snack and lunch breaks. If your partner is happy riding UK trail centre blues and reds and is used to a bit of natural singletrack, she'll be fine. What's a little unusual about the Hotel Innerhofer is that one of the ladies that owns the hotel is also a very experienced mtb guide, and with larger groups, they also employ another female and a male guide. There are normally some couples on the rides too. I got on well with the vibe, as the mix of ages and gender on the group rides give them a nice relaxed feel.

(Don't let the relaxed vibe fool you though, the guides are proper strong riders, and the lead guide is a crazy skilled technical rider - his partner joined us for one ride on her day off, and she was skipping about down tech alpine trails on her XC hardtail when some guys on All Mountain/Enduro rigs were really having to concentrate:))

Running wise, Gais sits in the base of the valley and there are lots of options, including flat(ish) runs along the valley. My OH runs more often than she bikes there, and its easy to put together a 5 to 10k circuit on easy going trails and quiet lanes. If you want some forest trails on the hillsides, there's a lot of options. Hotel has a sauna and steam room, and there's also a small swimming lake in the village and a couple of nice spas in the next village for recovery days;)

Other thing we like about that area is the fairly reliable weather for a mountainous location.

If you want any more info., just let me know.