Eisjöchl
Description
The ascent from Naturns up to the Eisjöchl is without a gait: Almost 2400 vertical meters have to be conquered in one go. This makes the route one of the longest mountain bike climbs in the Alps. The start of the tour is also not particularly exhilarating: the unavoidable tunnel from Naturns up into the Schnalstal Valley is not really a highlight for cyclists. Afterwards, you follow the road uphill and turn right at Karthaus into the Pfossental valley. This (asphalted) road is extremely steep and winds its way up to Vorderkaser. It remains as steep as ever, but after that the surface is gravel. The wonderfully idyllic Pfossental valley now opens up and offers an excellent backdrop. The next change comes at Eishof: the next 800 vertical meters up to Eisjöchl are on a single trail. Normally this means pushing and carrying. Nothing here! The trail is so wonderfully constructed that it is rideable. In places, stone slabs have been laid out like a parquet floor, making the trail an extraordinary ascent experience. Only the very last few meters up to Eisjöchl do you have to push your bike a few more meters. Immediately behind the Eisjöchl is the Stettinger Hütte, the ideal place for refreshments before the descent. This leads down into the Pfelderertal, a little bumpy in places, but particularly impressive after the lake plateau: a path has been carved out of the steep terrain in countless, easy to ride hairpin bends. A feast for the eyes and unparalleled riding fun. In Pfelders, the attractive part of the Eisjöchl tour is complete, now the long way back towards Merano follows. This leads along a mix of road, gravel paths and singletrail sections to St. Leonhard in the Passeier Valley. From here, you follow the cycle path along the Passer river downstream to Merano for almost twenty kilometers and finally get on the train back to Naturns.
Notes:
- The route is well suited for e-mountain bikes due to the long ascent, but a second battery must be carried due to the long climb. Even with an economical riding style, one battery charge is not enough for the entire ascent.
- Bike transport is not possible on the train from Merano to Naturno between 9 am and 1 pm and between 3 pm and 5.30 pm (as of summer 2021).
- Those who want to get the most out of the tour can be shuttled by bike cab on the ascent from Naturno to the Vorderkaser and on the way back from St. Leonhard to Naturno. The Oetzi Bike Academy offers this service.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
72 km
2485 m
2715 m
1 day
Naturns
Meran
1846
well suited
More information
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User comments (10)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Did the tour on 22.07.2025
Great tour that requires a lot of stamina. I had to push at the top as it was too steep. The path is very good and wide, almost excessively covered with stone slabs, which downgrades the natural charm. The bike has to be carried over the Jöchl in difficult terrain. It would be a great e-bike tour to the Jöchl and back.
Descent:
I master S2-S3, which is not enough. You should have a very good grip on S3 to have fun. It's a wide, steep and rough stony path with lots of hairpin bends and water barriers. There are many places where "falling is forbidden".
I'm not sure whether I pushed more on the ascent or descent.
There are also many hiking groups on the trail during the week.
Conclusion:
It is a wonderful tour in the alpine area, which is disturbed by the many people and the wide paths. As a circular tour, it provides a great overview of the region.
- 1 fall on the descent with a lot of luck
- Derailleur hanger crushed on the descent because I hit a large stone.
- Not a single meter of real single trail
Have fun and best regards, Nik
Just had a closer look at the tour. Unfortunately, it doesn't match the ambitious description at all. The route is mainly on forest roads or old, wide military paths. The proportion of single trails is negligible. The rest of the route is on asphalt cycle paths. Not particularly recommendable in my eyes. I'm used to better from Ride :-)
Completely snow-free at the beginning of September 2023. We rode the shuttle to Vorderkaser (Pfossental), which in our opinion makes perfect sense. The alternative through the tunnels and up the steep tarred road... is certainly better.
Oetzi Bike itself does not offer a shuttle service, but recommended Taxi Platzgummer or Taxi Pircher. We traveled with W. Platzgummer, it worked out great and is recommended.
Provided you are in good shape, the trail is steep but completely rideable apart from the last 20m. There are no technical difficulties worth mentioning. The path is currently being covered even further with stone slabs.
The descent is high alpine with gravel and a few hairpin bends. There is a place with a fixed rope where it is better to descend. A fall at this point would be disastrous. The rest is easy to ride with solid riding technique. However, if you don't like hairpin bends and gravel, you'll always have to walk a few meters.
We took the shuttle back from Merano. The Vinschgerbahn is currently still using buses.
If you are thinking about riding the tour in the other direction, it makes no sense unless you like hiking.
All in all, a great tour, top scenery.
The description is very good and very accurate. I rode the tour on June 22, 23. I didn't know how much snow there was and there was still a lot: over 400 meters in altitude, there were always carrying passages (ascent and descent) and the hut was closed. This had a considerable impact on the duration of the tour. Even the local bikers I met were surprised at the conditions. I rode the loop from the "Wald" campsite, Naturns. The tunnel section is a high price of admission for a wonderful day, as the morning commuter traffic shows little consideration for MTB riders. There is a good cycle path from Merano to Naturno, where a long and impressive day comes to an end.
Mega great tour, thanks for the top tour description.
In the first 1200 meters of the descent there are two or three difficult sections, but actually everything is rideable
The train service between Meran and Töll is currently interrupted. The bikes are brought to the individual stations by an extra transport, you first ride a bit by bus and then continue by train. Works great, you just have to check the last departure time at Merano station, I think it was 17:30......
A real must-do classic, ridden for the first time as a "dessert" after 43 years of active racing and alpine touring biking. I recommend getting off at the Schnalsthal train stop and not in Naturns, so you can drive directly into the Schnalstal tunnel and go up on the road with lights for your safety.
The RIDE tour description is perfect up to Pfelders. However, to encourage trained e-bikers about the range of the battery; a 625 watt battery is sufficient up to the summit which is only not rideable for the last 50 meters. We rode 90% in ECO mode (Bosch drive/625 watts/Scott E-Genius E-Ride/we were 68 years old, the rest over the steps and very steep climbs in Tour mode (remaining power at the summit still 30%).
The Stettinerhütte behind the summit is completely new and modern, built in rusting steel and inside with light, cozy wood; a modern architectural achievement that is concisely but rock-related on the rock plateau.
The endlessly long, rather wide single trail descent offers good technicians a serpentine-rich technical riding menu with many protruding waterfalls, but practically everything is rideable in an incredibly impressive alpine landscape.
The route description from Pfelders to St. Leonhard in the Passeier Valley is too poorly described without GPS data. Please ask someone to improve the description, we will be back next year.
A shuttle to Vorderkaser is definitely worthwhile. The ascent through the Pfossental valley is very beautiful at the beginning with a few flat sections, perfect for a short rest. The ascent to the Eisjöchl then requires very good fitness levels. Contrary to my companions, I had to push a few sections as I simply didn't have the stamina, but it was still worthwhile.
Two of us took on the tour on July 13, 2022. First with the shuttle to a few meters of altitude before Vorderkaser. The description in the ride fits. With the exception of a few places, we were able to ride all of the wonderfully designed switchbacks. Even the last few meters of altitude can be ridden almost continuously. Of course with a few short passages of pushing.
The mountain experience (transition with a stop at Stettinger Hütte) and the view are superb. The descent is okay and absolutely corresponds to the description with a 3 in riding technique. Everything is rideable!
Thanks Ride for the detailed description!
First of all I would like to say that I am an absolute ride fan! I rode the tour on 25.6.2022 and it only partially corresponded to your report ... from my point of view I have to say that this tour needs a 5 star technique, even the last ascent is certainly not rideable, especially not on the last 300 hm (1 hour walk).
Unfortunately, the Stettingerhütte is still closed and refreshments are only available at 1800 m after the descent.
The report on Passzwang.net is more like what I experienced, but you can and must certainly speak of a dream tour :-)
Have fun and an accident-free season
René
Eisjöchl
I rode the tour on 27.6.2022.
But I rode the whole tour from Marling (near Meran) to Marling.
Km: 93
Altitude difference: 2600
Duration: 7 hours (pure riding time)
-I had to push the bike quite a bit for the last 300 meters in altitude.
The descent is very demanding and requires a really good riding technique, is very steep in places, with sloping rocks and lots of scree, down to about 2000m.
But it is an absolute dream tour for bikers who love technical trails.
Have fun
René