Tell me more… any ideas yet? I fancy Austria but don’t know where to start.
Not sure yet. Rode in Zillertal this year, we’ve been tempted by Achenkirch/Achensee area having passed it on our way further south…
Dave, have a look at the area around Zell am See. bout an hour south of Salzburg on the train. very picturesque. also got a massive lake which feels more accessible than Achensee. it is also far enough away from the blot that is Inntal. Saalbach-Hinterglemm is just a 4€ bus ride away if you wanted to mix it up with a with the park rats.
went there a few years back and are already planning on another trip this year….
Morzine for my brothers wedding then leaving the alps for Lake Garda. Anyone been riding around there?
Lake Garda is in the Alps…. :/ personally i find the place a bit over-hyped. spent lots of time down there with work and have had a chance to ride many trails in the area.
my feeling is, is that if you have a big bike with 6-8″ of squish and double ply tyres then you’re laughing. the trails are very rocky. i like technical rocky riding, but 1000m descent of thump-thump-thump gets bit boring and tiring (DB Alpine w/Lyrik). after a few days you begin to get the feeling it is all a bit samey. not that the riding is overly hard, you just never get that “flow-zone” feeling. there are some gems, like up above Pregasina, where there is more flow/speed but they are the exception rather than the norm.
if you’ve not got a big bike and don’t like long rocky descents, you may not like it. lots of very pretty “pista” to ride if you like epic XC ride with spectacular views, mind.
if you have not already booked have a look at getting to Meran/Vinschgau region. riding is much more varied and the climate is generally better than down by the lake. lots of marked trails. lots more flow. guided tours/shuttles up to 2700m-3100m with trails ending around 800m.
also a few cable cars in the valley so one day climb & descend and one day lazy works, too…
also planning on a trip there around september time (when the kids are back at school and prices are 2/3 of what the were a week before).