Plaine Morte
Description
The tour starts at the mountain station of the Plaine-Morte cable car. Here you are at almost 3000 meters above sea level with a fantastic panoramic view of the Bernese and Valais Alps. After a few meters of ascent, you descend along a good high mountain trail past the Pointe de Vatseret. To get to the actual descent, the bike now has to be carried 100 meters up to the Wisshorelücke. This is where the actual descent to Sion, almost 2,400 meters further down, begins. It starts very demanding to the Rawil Pass, continues without any problems to Lac de Tseuzier, leads through a rock face on the Bisse d'Ayant, then as a flow trail and finally on a forest road to Luc. A few meters after the village, a trail leads to a small dam at the bottom of the gorge. This is where the Bisse de Clauveau starts, along which you reach the center of Sion.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
32 km
205 m
2610 m
1 day
Crans-Montana
Sitten
1285
not suitable
More information
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User comments (27)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Those who like technically difficult trails can follow the hiking trail to the right at the end of the plain (Rawylebene) at the small lake (2364m above sea level) and carry the bike up 400 to 500m to the Schnidejoch (2784m above sea level). From there head towards Wildhornhütte and Elsigensee and then down Elsigenalp to Lenk railroad station. 95% rideable, but not easy...
The scenery is super beautiful and you will find out how a monkey feels in the zoo when you ride past the Wildhornhütte. This adds up to around 800m up and 2600m down from Plain Morte. It no longer has much to do with the original tour, but it's also great. I would say it is technically a Ride5.
Greetings Housi
Tour done yesterday. Simply great and varied with some pushing and carrying passages and of course super trails. Relatively new is that the hiking trail at the Wysshorelücke has been raised a little higher due to the risk of falling rocks, which means that the bike has to be carried somewhat exposed on chains/ropes. No problem for experienced riders. With e-bikes as I noticed quite tedious. A hefty price of 39 francs for the ride up the Plaine morte.
Is it also possible to ride up and do the tour without the gondola?
That works. There is a gravel road that rides up to Plaine Morte. However, it is extremely steep and even with a powerful e-mountain bike, the road is at its limits. However, you can easily push up the road.
Rode the tour today. Simply awesome!!! 🤩 Technically very demanding and you have to be pretty free from vertigo.
Note: the light in the tunnel doesn't work. But you can also manage with a cell phone light😉
There are currently no snowfields to cross.
Light in the tunnel is a matter of luck - always bring a light source (cell phone is sufficient)
I rode the tour today. Simply great! Extremely varied. Beats Argentinian by far!
Sure, I had to carry something down below Wysshornlücke (still some snow) and again below Wildstrubelhütte (in my opinion an unrideable detour). But what's that with 43km to Sion? You should be really free from giddiness below Lac de Tzeuzier on the abandoned bisse through the rock face! It has ropes for the right hand, the left hand carries the bike or guides it on the little boundary wall (don't let go ;-) ). Bisse de Clavesu further down is a nose water in comparison. There is no need to remove the front wheel (as has been written), only the handlebars have to be turned lengthways (take tools with you...). Light-time is good enough if you only press the switch when you start riding.
We rode the upper part of the tour up to the Rawilpass last Sunday. The scenery and the trail were simply incredible 🤩
At the Rawilpass, we turned right towards Iffigenalp. As we hadn't found a description anywhere of whether the trail was passable and how good it was, we were rather skeptical. Especially because we knew that the path leads down through a rocky ledge. But it was worth it - and how! A trail spectacle like no other 🤘
An excellent alpine trail up to the Blattihütte. To our amazement, the path through the rock band was also completely passable. The trail is very well developed, not particularly narrow and relatively easy to ride, but requires full concentration.
The section from Iffigenalp downwards was the crowning glory. Pure flow all the way to Lenk.
What a tour 🤩
We rode the tour yesterday, all in all a great tour. However, there are a few things to bear in mind:
- The upper part of the tour requires very good riding technique
- You must have a head for heights
Important:
The tunnel in the lower part of the route is still unrideable, we had to remove the front wheel to get through the tunnel with the handlebars turned down and crouched. Attention, the light goes out by itself and electricity is only available for a short time. It is advisable to keep a torch/mobile phone to hand.
Rode this great tour today. There are only a few small snow fields left. They take away some of the flow. But they don't make the tour any less attractive or dangerous.
Berneuse
I rode the tour on 11.07.2022. The start of the DH just below the summit was quite fun, even if the path was almost overgrown with long grass in places. From Col de Luissel then initially quite flowy. After that, flowy, steep, rough and boring sections alternate until Drapel, but all in all it was okay. From Drapel, there is another Saane section before you spike the trail back to Aigle. As a variation, I also tried the trail directly below the Berneuse gondola. This was very difficult at first and also blocked in places, but then became easier to ride from meter to meter. An okay tour for me, nothing more.
I ride a Scott Genius Ultimate and am usually in the head group uphill; downhill I'm always the last one by a long way.
Attention, the cable car to the summit of Plein Morte only rides until September 5th!
Info at: https://www.mycma.ch/de/pages/offnungszeiten-sommer-77
We were there on 11.9 and stood in front of a gondola lift that was no longer riding :-(
I rode the tour again today for the first time in years. Super! However, there was probably a landslide just below the Wildstrubel hut (where the sloping rock slab is). You can only carry down there at the moment.
Thanks for the great description. Doing the tour in a week :-)
I can only agree with Maik.....the trail is awesome!
Very good except for a few places, it's an alpine enduro.
From Montana via Vermala to Violettes teins steep, then continue on the hiking trail into the valley of the Plaine Morte ski descent (descend a little), then on the road to Plaine Morte, where you often have to push, in total about 2.5-3h.
From Plaine Morte some snow at the beginning then dry.
Great welcome at the Wildstrubel hut, which also provides good information.
Then it gets a bit steep and you have to push a bit, but the landscape makes up for it twice.
From col Rawyl it's awesome, even if the ride up to below Lac Tseusier isn't so great, the landscape and exposure make up for it.
After that it's just flow flow flow flow....
Descent 4h at least.....
Meeeggaaaaaaa !!!!
Everything the enduro heart desires.
From technical sections just below the hut where I also had to descend briefly to flow trails.
Gigantic landscape, mega views.
Great tour!
Definitely do it!!!
Regards
Maik
Addendum
Upper gondola may not ride all summer
Takes longer than expected :D
Are the snow fields easily passable?
The track is open again. Lots of snowfields up to Wildstrubelhütte (from the ascent point, certainly 50% on snow that probably won't melt completely), then a few more weigere.
But generally quite disappointed. My overall impression was rather 2/6. I had expected an enduro tour, but everything was ok to bad on the descent (except from luc). Conclusion: All 4 in the group don't need to do the tour again. I'm really surprised by the description.
Incidentally, there is a much better option from the lake according to a local guide, who only confirmed our opinion. However, I didn't ask any more questions as I would never do the tour again anyway...
if you like pushing, you'll love the tour. if you like trialing, you'll love the tour. if you're looking for flow and riding fun, you'd better leave it alone or strap on your mountain boots! amazing scenery, I'd do it again in a heartbeat as a mountain hike.
That's your opinion. I rode the tour and loved it. Maybe you need to practise your technique a bit more.
Currently (information yesterday 27.7.21) no transport of bikes to Plaine Morte. There is too much snow.
Anyone who likes riding technical trails will love this tour. I rode it on 15.8.20, everything was perfect until Sion!
Checked 14.8.19
I rode the tour on August 03 - a few facts
-Generally a great tour.
- The lower part of the tour is closed, on the one hand the entrance to a tunnel is buried (but it is possible with twisted handlebars or a removed front wheel)
On the other hand, the path afterwards is critical, railings are not fixed and wooden planks are missing, you should not be afraid of heights.
-The last few kilometers are quite boring along a water channel through the vineyards and you can actually save them for a shorter ride home.
-Train from Sion back to Sieders for 6.80 CHF +3.40chf for the bike
-We completely underestimated the time and took about 4 hours
-All in all a great tour, to be recommended.
29.08.18
At the turn-off to the Bisse de Clauveau, there is a no-passing sign for pedestrians and bikers. A landslide has probably damaged the path. Bypass this spot by rejoining the hiking trail in the vineyards further down.
We left Crans Montana on the first cable car at 09.15 in the morning and were able to enjoy a leisurely coffee on the Plaine Morte before climbing the first few meters to the summit and then descending rapidly on the rocky desert to the glacier.
As there was still snow at the beginning of August, we had to cross snowfields several times and the ascent to the pass was a little more difficult. ( The webcam on the summit can help to assess the amount of snow before the journey )
From the pass to the Wildstrubel hut there were a few more snowfields and from the hut it was a clear ride. The upper part of the trail is steep and has some tricky passages in loose gravel, the continuation to the Rawilpass is then a pleasure.
From the Rawilpass there is a rather flat singletrail that turns into a trail with technical passages above the reservoir, the rest to the lake is then a path with lots of loose rock, but easy to ride, the faster the better...
At the end of the lake at the dam wall, the trail initially turns into an alpine road which then turns into a nice singletrail.
The trail is quite exposed in some places and runs along a rock with ropes. The highlight was a small tunnel 50 cm x 1 meter, which could only be passed with the handlebars turned down and crouched. (Pay attention to the light switch)
Up to Sion it was a wonderful long singletrail, but it was still a bit challenging with roots and rocks in between and never seemed to end.
In Sion you can take the post bus directly back to Crans Montana (45 min ride, 20 Fr.).
A mega tour, you should plan enough time as it's not just downhill but also long trails straight ahead.
Many greetings Dani