Bikepacking with the Marmots in the Swiss Alps.

[chriswoody]

"The Mountains are calling and I must go"
(John Muir)

DAY ONE.

I have always loved to travel and journey amongst the hills and mountains, I also lived in the Lake District for many years before moving to Northern Germany. Life on the Northern German plain is generally fine, but the mountains are always calling me so at the beginning of July, this year, I decided to take my new mountain bike and head to the high passes and valleys of the Swiss Alps for an adventure.

The route I had chosen was in the far Eastern side of Switzerland, bordering with Italy and would involve a lot of ascent and descent in a large figure of eight pattern. Whether I would have the strength to complete it was a question mark alongside the unsettled weather forecast. My time as always was limited though and I would just have to head down and see what transpires.

I chose to start in the town of Scuol at an altitude of 1290m, whilst I could comfortably speak in German with everyone I met, the official language here is Romansch and linked closely to Italian. The German spoken here is with a strong Italian accent and whilst tricky to understand, I could still get by. The first morning starts cool and cloudy and the route lets me know immediately what I'm in for with a steep 12% climb right from the off. Hairpin bends wind upwards for a couple of kilometers leading to a break in the mountain skyline.

As tarmac gives way to gravel the gradient eases and we make our way through a valley, shadowing a small river. This is actually a road leading upwards towards the village of S-Charl and I'm occasionally passed by the odd car and the regular bus that goes up this way. Whilst the air temperature is quite pleasant and a little cool, the sun is intense on its brief excursions out from behind the high tufts of Cumulus cloud. It's been hard to get into any kind of rhythm with the immediate uphill nature of the route, but slowly I'm settling in.

After 12 km the village of S-Charl at 1800m, appears and I ride into the centre, stopping at the village fountain to replenish my water supplies and take a breather. Aside from one year round resident, the village is only occupied during the summer months. It's an old mining town from the middle ages and today is peaceful and quiet. I go for a short wander amongst the houses then get back on the bike.

From here a smaller gravel trail leads me onwards and higher through open pastures ringing with the sound of the cowbells. Ahead on the slopes of a hill I can see the ancient forest of God da Tamangur, the highest continuous Swiss Stone Pine forest. The Stone Pine is the only pine species with five needles and examples here have been known to live for 700 years. It's certainly an impressive landscape with stunning views around every corner.

I'm still heading uphill, but the gradient has eased and for a short while I'm heading down on some lovely gravel single track. I'm well over 2000m high now and close to my highest point of the day. A small farm at the head of the gravel trail has a small cafe offering coffee and there are a few walkers partaking. I decide to join them and sit in contentment looking out over the mountainous landscape enjoying a lovely coffee.

From here the trail turns to narrow single track as the gradient eases considerable and the last metres to the col are negotiated, finally culminating at a sign proclaiming I've reached the Pass de Costainas at 2251m high. A well deserved break later, I point the bike South and start to roll forward and towards the descent.

I love these summit moments when after hours of uphill toil you finally get to see the view out into the neighbouring valleys and this one didn't disappoint.

From here a fine gravel road descends at breakneck speed at first before the gradient eased and changed from gravel to single track then tarmac roads. I emerge onto the valley bottom at the base of the Fuorn Pass, several road cycles fly pass and I'm intrigued to see a sign pointing to the Stelvio pass just over the border in Italy. The Stelvio is not my destination though and instead a few gentle gravel roads lead me onwards to the village of Santa Maria Val Mustair. Home apparently to the world's smallest whisky bar, sadly shut on the day I was there, so I was unable to check the validity of that claim.

At the edge of the village lies an idyllic and laid back campsite on the edge of the forest where I can buy an ice cold beer to go with my meal and celebrate my ride today.

Overall today was 39.59 kilometres with 1378 metres of Climbing.

 

[chriswoody]

DAY TWO

The day begins much the same as yesterday with a stiff climb on gravel roads through the forest. Today I'm heading up to what is purported to be the most beautiful valley in Switzerland, Val Mora. The climb to the valley entrance is a tough test and like yesterday, there is no chance to warm up on gentle trails, it's straight onto a 12% climb. Whilst the sun is intense I am riding out under the cover of Pine trees and the trail is pleasant and easy. I stop lots of times to soak in the views and just enjoy the experience of being out here.

At one point the trail splits, only to rejoin a few kilometres up, looking at the map I can see one trail breaks cover for a short while and I elect to take this one in order to see the views that are opening up around me.

All morning as I've been riding I've been surrounded by butterflies and stopping for a break they alight on my bike as I drink from my water bottle.

I've settled into a nice pace and know that whilst I have a lot of metres to ascend today, the overall horizontal distance is not so far, so I'm relaxed and taking it easy. Frequent breaks and a positive mindset is making the ascent pass pleasantly and all around the scenery just continues to get more stunning. There are a couple of other cyclists about, but otherwise I'm completely alone out here with the butterflies and cows.

After 9 kilometers of riding and over 800 metres of ascent I ride over the col and into the entrance of Val Mora. A sign proclaims I'm at 2234 metres high and I stop for a well earned break and to soak it all in. The views are truly breathtaking all around and I'm all alone here.

The ride is gently downhill now and the gravel trail provides a lovely surface to ride on. The bike is generally a quiet means of transport, but the hiss of the tires on gravel, wind in my ears and general rattles from the luggage make for a distracting soundscape. So I stop for a while and let the silence engulf me, slowly I tune into the soundtrack of the surrounding mountains. The ever present ring of the cowbells, birds and over it all a high pitched cry like the call of a hawk, but different. It takes me a while to trace it, then I see them, Marmots calling out a warning of my presence. Sitting quietly for a while and they start to venture out more, their brown bodies running from tussock to tussock and disappearing underground.

After about 9 km the route turns to single track as the valley narrows, the path traces a higher route over the valley and slowly traces a precarious path over the screes plunging to the river below. The exposure is a little unnerving and there is evidence of the continual movement of the scree all around.

Somewhere along this route I pass an unseen barrier, the border into Italy, where I will be spending the rest of the day. As the path slowly broadens back out, I ride on to a broader plateau and take a lunch break at a picnic site. The site is in complete contrast to the solitude of Val Mora, here are lots of folk on bikes and foot enjoying a day in the mountains, I find a spot a little off to one side and watch life go by.

After Lunch it's back uphill, I'm now climbing the 6 km up to Passo di Alpisella. At first the route is climbing steeply in switchbacks, then mellows out a little to 7% as we wind further up. The views as always are stunning, both back the way I've come and forward. There are noticeably more folk here in Italy and I'm passed by Mountain bikers going in both directions. Finally I crest the top at 2284 metres and take a well earned breather.

It's all downhill from here and I set forth, the descent is steep and unrelenting, there are also a lot of folk walking up and I need to take care and be respectful. At the bottom is Lago di Livigno, a large lake that wraps around two sides of the mountains, a beautiful place that is a complete tourist magnet. I ride on and into the town of Livigno as angry thunder clouds start to gather overhead, the place is teeming with hundreds of people.

In the winter this is a busy Ski resort, today it's a popular summer destination. Due to the impending storm, I elect to take a place in the town campsite, not the best of places, more like a supermarket car park dominated by motorhomes. Me and another bike tourist are perched on a pathetically small patch of grass that will barely take our tiny tents. As the storm breaks I take shelter in a Pizzeria with a lovely glass of beer to wash it down.

Overall I have rode 37.31 kilometers and ascended 1476 metres.

 

[chriswoody]

Day Three
Today I was heading back in Switzerland, however, it wouldn't be easy. I start with a gentle ride out of town, then all too soon the uphill starts. I'm on smooth tarmac for a change and the steep valley sides are dotted with houses.

My objective this morning is the Pass Chaschauna, a brutally steep ascent of over 25% on loose gravel and rock. These first few kilometers are more gentle though and i'm enjoying the ride so far. Soon though I'm resting in the field at the bottom of the Pass and from here the path rises at an initial rate of 12%, bringing me out of the valley quickly. The cry of Marmots rents the air and I stop to watch them running around me.

As before the views are stunning as I rise ever higher and I stop a while to look back at the way I've come.

Climbing this pass, as with the other days, is all about mindset. I know that most of the way I will be walking because of the steep gradient and loaded bike, however the bike is relatively light and not too unwieldy too push with it's soft bags. With that in mind I'm comfortable as I slowly plod upwards in the morning sun watching the stunning views unfolding around me.

The first kilometre or so are at a steady 12% gradient, then as I get higher it steepens considerably to over 25%. There are a few other bikers on the hill today and whilst most can manage the lower slopes, everyone starts pushing as the gradient steepens and the ground becomes looser. Eventually the gradient slackens again as the cooler air at altitude starts to bight and I mount the bike for a few short hundreds of metres.

This is one of those hills with false summits, each time I convince myself where the Col will lie, only for my hopes to be dashed as I round a corner to see the trail continuing ever upwards. I'm now seeing patches of snow in sheltered corries and my breath is becoming more laboured, until eventually I round a corner and see up ahead the signpost that signifies I've finally made it.

At 2694 metres, Pass Chaschauna marks not only the high point of my route, but my re-entry into Switzerland. From here there is only one way to go and that is down. From here a newly built flow trail leads down into the hanging valley below, in 3,4 kilometres I will lose over 300 metres of height. I look down onto the valley, but whilst I can see the valley floor trail, no trace of my route down can be seen, I'm a little anxious for what lies ahead.

I needn't have worried though, the next kilometres were amazing, the trail narrow and winding as it contoured around the hills, the drop to my side constantly nagging at my conscious, but the bike felt fantastic, riding the bumps with ease, this was an amazing reward for all of the hard work getting up here.

Eventually I reach the hanging valley below, the trail widens out and I roll to a stop. I sit in the long grass listening to the sounds of the Marmots and the cowbells, eating my lunch and reflecting on the ride so far. It's really hard to describe the emotions I was feeling, elation, chief amongst them. Eventually I stir and lift my bike up, the bulk of the ride may be over, but I still need to reach camp. I reluctantly set forth and away from this amazing place. The descending was far from over though, I'm still well above 2000 metres and from here good wide gravel trails lead me down and into a more populated valley.

When I reach the valley floor I'm faced with some tough decision making. I'm now at the middle of the figure of eight, from here I can go two ways, either close the top loop of the eight by returning to the start, or carrying on and riding the smaller 60km lower loop of the eight. The original plan had been to continue today up to the Kersch pass and on to the town of Bergun, however that would entail another 900m ascent. I just have to face the fact though, that I really don't have the strength in my legs these days and coupled with the weather forecast predicting a thunderstorm later the more sensible decision would be to find a campsite now. I could in all probability do the lower loop if I had the time, but I only have two days maximum before I need to return home which sadly is not enough. Overall though, I'm comfortable with my decision to cut the ride short, I've had a fantastic time and I really don't need to turn it into a sufferfest.

With the decision made I find a fantastic little campsite in the valley, in complete contrast to the previous night, this one is quiet and relaxing. I buy a bottle of beer from reception and settle down in the evening sun with some good food.

Overall I've covered 29 kilometres today and 1045 metres of climbing.

 

[chriswoody]

Day Four

So with the decision made that I would be closing the loop today , I set off from the campsite in lovely sunshine to head back up the valley and the start in Scoul. The ride starts pleasantly enough through a small valley with some impressive limestone rock formations, unlike the other days, I'm not instantly climbing and it's nice to just be warming up gently on quiet trails.

The trail soon turns to gravel forest roads gently rising and falling and even though I'm not up high the views are still impressive.

It's an absolutely beautiful day in the valley and I'm having a lovely relaxing ride, soaking up the scenery. The whole place has a very old traditional feel from the old farms and farm buildings spreading up the hillsides to the ancient covered wooden bridges spanning the river at the bottom of the valley.

For most of the morning my ride is mostly flat and meanders from one side of the river to the next, I'm also segregated from the traffic on the main road, which is quite busy. This would be ideal gravel bike territory as well, but the mountain bike still feels good on these roads.

After about 11 kilometres I come to one of the main towns of this region, Zernez and was planning on stopping for a coffee, but to be honest, I really don't like the feel of the town. Far too busy with traffic and nowhere calm and relaxing to enjoy a coffee in the sun. So I turn round and head out of town. The trail follows the banks of the River Inn and meanders pleasantly along in the early afternoon sun, before heading uphill at the village of Lavin.

My destination is the village of Guarda, which is perched on an outcrop overlooking the valley below.

The village houses are tightly packed, no cars are allowed through the narrow streets and all of the buildings are beautifully maintained. It is a tourist magnet and left this way to attract folk in, but it is a fascinating insight into the style and look of houses dating back to the 1600's. Each house has a unique painted facade which is quite typical for the older houses in this region.

I ride on a little way from the village and find a place to sit and enjoy my lunch in the afternoon sun, some fresh bread from the campsite this morning and locally made cheese I'd purchased earlier.

My Journey is nearly over and I'm feeling contentment tinged with a little sadness that it's almost all over. It's been a hard and demanding route, my overall fitness has been good, but my legs have struggled with the demands. I vow to try and improve as I have many more plans that I'd love to achieve. For now though I still have a few kilometres to go and I swing a leg over the bike and head down to the next village where I find a sign proclaiming my chosen road is closed. Dilema time, do I mix it with the traffic on the main road or head up into the hills and see what happens? No contest really, I head up to the construction site a few kilometres on, I have the road to myself and the silence is lovely. At the construction site the road is completely ripped up and the side of the hill being reinforced. I chat to the construction workers and they stop the diggers and kindly let me pass. Onwards to the village of Ftan and from there I can see Scoul in the bottom of the valley, the end point of my ride.

I ride down to a nice coffee in town and reflect on another amazing time in Switzerland. This has been the first major Mountain bike tour on my Sonder and I've loved it, it's been super comfy and capable I can't think of one thing I'd change, overall it's been much more capable than me. The bikepacking setup has been really good as well, I was missing nothing from my kit and the bags didn't alter the handling at all.

Today has been 44 kilometres and a gentle 750 metres of height gain.

Overall on this trip I've covered just 150 km, but gained 4650 metres of height. Not the longest of trips and at four days it really was a leisurely pace, however, the amount of height gain really made it a challenging ride. I'm really pleased though with the pace I adopted even if it did mean I couldn't complete the full planned ride it was a nice laid back trip in a stunning location.

 

[chriswoody]

A few more random photos from the various days.

 

[EltonFrog]

That was a lovely read. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Lovely writing and pics, thank you. We rode in the same area, in June but on road. Would recommend highly!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Absolutely fabulous! Thank you for taking the time to share. It really is a very beautiful part of the world.

As always..... A few questions

I decided to take my new mountain bike and head to the high passes and valleys of the Swiss Alps for an adventure.

How did you get down there?

The ever present ring of the cowbells

Not a question but just highlighting one of my favourite sounds.

The exposure is a little unnerving and there is evidence of the continual movement of the scree all around.

Is that your trail?

I sit in the long grass listening to the sounds of the Marmots and the cowbells, eating my lunch and reflecting on the ride so far.

(Day three)
What's the situation with wildcamping where you were? Could you have stayed if you wanted (and were provisioned?)

This has been the first major Mountain bike tour on my Sonder and I've loved it, it's been super comfy and capable I can't think of one thing I'd change,

Just curious. What are the fundamental differences between the MTB and your other bike? Just the suspension?

Overall on this trip I've covered just 150 km, but gained 4650 metres of height.

"Just" 150km??? It's a whole other world!!
Just curious - what were the temps like?

It seems pretty clear that you did a whole lot of research for that route? Any particular resources you used? Was everywhere "open" for bikes or were you on hiking trails at times?

There's a lovely, contented vibe coming off your posts. Those numbers are intimidating to me but I thoroughly enjoyed dipping my toes into Switzerland and a little of Italy over my morning coffee.

Gracias!

 

[matticus]

Brilliant, jealousy-inducing report of your little ride, Chris.

 

[chriswoody]

Is that your trail?

Yep, just part of it. There was a couple of kilometres like this, snaking across the scree slopes providing some interesting riding where it really focuses you into the here and now.

(Day three)
What's the situation with wildcamping where you were? Could you have stayed if you wanted (and were provisioned?)

I was fully set up with tent, stove, sleeping bag etc. So wild camping was potentially an option. The problem comes in that wild camping within the Swiss national park is absolutely forbidden, I knew that Val Mora falls within the park, however, I struggled to find exactly where the boundaries were. Outside of the park boundaries, camping above 2000 metres is generally allowed for one night, the anxiety that I had was for the weather forecast, each day had big thunderstorms predicted for the evening, though in reality I only really saw one. Italy was the one place where I could have wild camped successfully on a lovely wild camp spot I passed, but a big storm came through that evening and the town campsite proved a more alluring option.

Aside from the Italian campsite, there was a lot of lovely campsite options in the Swiss Valleys, so ultimately it was a no brainer, a warm shower and cold beer at the end of a day's ride helped contribute to the relaxed vibe.

Just curious - what were the temps like?

It was about 20 degrees every day, however the sun was intense when it was out and I needed to be careful, lots of factor 50 every day and tried to cover up where I could. It was comfortable shorts and lightweight top weather and for the most part dry.

Just curious. What are the fundamental differences between the MTB and your other bike? Just the suspension?

On the gravel bike I run 47mm tubeless tires, the Mountain bike runs 61mm wide tubeless tires at a lower pressure, 30 PSI for this trip. So combined with the front suspension, the mountain bike cushions you a lot more from the rough ground. The riding position is also a lot better for singletrack, for the entire descent from Chaschauna I was standing up on the pedals, with the mountain bike my weight is centred on the bike, with the gravel bike I would have been in the drops for control, which pitches my weight over the front wheel much more. So for rides like this where there is a lot more rough technical singletrack, the mountain bike is far the better bike. Whilst the gravel bike is a lovely long distance touring bike, the mountain bike is also surprisingly comfy on a multi day trip.

The route itself just combines lots of recognised combined walking/mountain bike trails, most of which are signposted, so whilst there were a few hikers around, they weren't purely dedicated walking trails. A couple of the tracks were actually roads, much to my surprise when I saw bus stop signs or even buses passing me! The descent from Chaschauna is also a graded mountain bike trail that has been specially constructed in 2019 to replace an older much more technical, steeper descent, surprisingly though, it wasn't that busy.

Overall I approached the whole thing with a different mindset, I saw it as an adventure that I would also be taking my bike on, rather than a bike tour. I knew that there would be lot's of hike a bike and it would be physically tough, the trade off would be reaching some amazing places and testing my skills.

The cowbells are great though, on the one hand so loud, but on the other a quintessentially fundamental part of the Alpine experience.As before, I drove there and left the van parked up in a campsite there. I'm always on the lookout for public transport options, but sadly unless your much more flexible with time, they are incredibly difficult to find.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thanks, Chris.
I always feel a little guilty asking questions of you because I know you'll give such comprehensive answers.

Yep, just part of it

Wow!
That's the first bike path I think I've ever seen that I wouldn't contemplate doing on my usual setup.
Kudos!

each day had big thunderstorms

I've experienced September thunderstorms in the Tyrol area and they were pretty ferocious!

The explanation of the different bikes is very interesting to me, especially the part about positioning and weight placement. Thanks.

I'm getting my regular doses of cowbells - but on goats and sheep

Thanks again for a great write up.

 

[matticus]

After about 9 km the route turns to single track as the valley narrows, the path traces a higher route over the valley and slowly traces a precarious path over the screes plunging to the river below. The exposure is a little unnerving and there is evidence of the continual movement of the scree all around.

I'm pretty sure this track achieved brief notoriety last week, when several TCR riders took it (free routing section, most riders took longer tarmac options, involving the Stelvio IIRC!!!). If I'm right, this should link to it:
https://www2.followmychallenge.com/live/tcrno9/?46.568935,10.263706,12.87
Hit replay and you can see the various routes taken. Note that the leaders were mostly on very "roadie" setups, certainly not like Chris' !!!

 

[wafter]

Not had chance to go through the whole thread yet, but that looks absolutely amazing

 

[chriswoody]

Thanks, Chris.
I always feel a little guilty asking questions of you because I know you'll give such comprehensive answers.

Don't feel guilty, one of the big reasons I like to write about my trips is to hopefully provide inspiration to people. You're questions and my answers hopefully bring more depth to my accounts and helps explain why I make the choices I do.

@matticus that's interesting, I've not been following the TCR like I normally would and hadn't realised CP1 is in Livigno, the Italian town I stayed in. As you say, looking at that tracking page a number of riders rode through Val Mora, however, in the opposite direction to me. Fair play to them riding on gravel bikes, that first section is a steep precarious old route. The photo of the screes is actually looking back on myself in a North East direction, so the direction they would have rode it in.

Edit: Just checked out the dotwatchers page and seen this from the recap, the same photo as I took!

 

[matticus]

@matticus that's interesting, I've not been following the TCR like I normally would and hadn't realised CP1 is in Livigno, the Italian town I stayed in. As you say, looking at that tracking page a number of riders rode through Val Mora, however, in the opposite direction to me. Fair play to them riding on gravel bikes, that first section is a steep precarious old route. The photo of the screes is actually looking back on myself in a North East direction, so the direction they would have rode it in.

Would you call it a "safe" passage on two wheels? Just unnerving due to the exposure? [It's certainly not somewhere I'd trifle with in bad weather!] It's clearly a maintained trail.

p.s. are you aware of this https://torino-nice.weebly.com/updates-and-news.html ? I couldn't find the longish thread on CC about it.
VERY similar riding, but obvs to the S+W of this report. I've done the Col de Tende (on totally inappropriate tyres) and it was perhaps my most amazing couple of hours a-wheel.
You can either join in with the "officlal" ride in September (well, except this year!), or ride the route/variants ad-hoc.