Piz Ela Umrundung
Description
The ascent towards Piz Ela begins on the outskirts of Filisur. A steep little road rides up to Sela, but in terms of steepness, this is just the beginning. The route now rides up the Val Spadlatscha to theu Ela hut. Only very few people master this ascent by riding completely, as the path here always forces you to push. The ascent after the hut can only be ridden sporadically. The route here follows the singletrail up to the Pass d'Ela at the foot of the Tinzenhorn. This is followed by a first-class descent past the three mountain lakes, where the rugged mountain scenery is particularly impressive. After the Lai Grond, the bike has to be pushed again. A further 230 meters in altitude have to be conquered before the long descent into the Albula Valley begins at Fuorcla da Tschitta. This is extremely difficult at times in the initial phase. After around 200 meters in altitude, the roughest part is over, the path becomes increasingly flowy and finally leads to Naz in a fun and flowing way. Here you reach the Albula Pass road. Tired bikers now roll along this road to Bergün, while the more energetic take the single trail on the left side of the valley, which is very difficult to ride in places. In Bergün, you then climb a short distance again before riding down to Bellaluna on the official mountain bike route and along the Albula back to Filisur.
By the way: the Ela hut is not manned. There are drinks here, but no cook and no service. It is possible to spend the night in the hut and turn the Ela circular tour into an extraordinary two-day experience.
Note: This route leads through a federal hunting ban area. Riding this route on a mountain bike is the responsibility of each individual, with full awareness of the legal situation.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
39 km
2185 m
2185 m
1018 above sea level
2821 above sea level
1 day
Filisur
Filisur
1586
not suitable
More tours nearby
User comments (7)
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
In terms of scenery, this is an absolutely recommendable tour in the current good weather phase, although the ascent was exhausting for me as a regular endurance athlete. The descent into Val Tschitta is just as scenic, but the trails are rather boring. At the top, it is still very alpine with some deeply washed-out hiking trails, but further down, the trails are rather wide and stony. From a downhill perspective, I wouldn't ride the tour again.
I have another question: from the map, the continuation after the end of the trail looks rather boring back to the starting point. Alternatively, it looks good in the direction of Bever or la Punt. Has anyone already done this and how did the return trip / Postbus shuttle look like? Best regards
I rode the tour on 27.07.20 on an e-bike. I met someone at the Ela Pass who informed me that biking is no longer permitted in this region.
Everything up to Fuorcla da Tschitta is doable, but in Val Tschitta I was often overtaxed in terms of riding skills. I even ended up smashing a rim. Next time I would take the route towards the Julier Pass. Actually, I should have known, because I've already done this tour on foot in previous years.
There is no regulation anywhere that you are not allowed to mountain bike in the Ela Park. This is an assertion made by someone, but it has no basis in fact.
Thanks for the clarification. I was a little unsure after all.
Hello everyone,
Is it possible to ride the tour in the other direction? Or in which direction is the descent better and more worthwhile?
Thanks and regards
Andrea
The request is already old, but maybe other bikers will think of trying the opposite direction.
It makes no sense at all to ride this tour in the opposite direction. The ascent through the Val Tschitta is extremely steep and even downhill only halfway rideable for experts. The bike would have to be pushed and carried for very long stretches of the 1,000-metre ascent.
The descent from the Elahütte to Filisur would then be quite boring on an MTB. As an ascent route, however, it is ideal for gaining altitude.