Härmelekopf

Härmelekopf

The Härmelekopf near Seefeld, which is rather unknown among mountain bikers, offers impressive panoramic views and a varied, sometimes challenging trail descent down to Zirl in the Inn Valley.

Description

You start in the beautifully situated village of Zirl. First you briefly follow the Tiroler Straße before the route switches to forest and side roads as well as the official cycle route towards Seefeld. The uphill is characterized by southern flair with Swiss stone pine and pine trees. You stay on the cycle route through Seefeld before continuing on gravel. On a classic forest highway, you wind your way uphill towards Hocheggalm and on to Rosshütte through the Seefelder Bergbahnen ski area.

The trail is easy to pedal up to around 1850 meters above sea level. After that, the mountain bike is pushed as you ascend through the basin below the Reither Spitze to the Reither Joch. This section is particularly scenic and almost conveys Dolomite flair. From the Joch, the ascent to the Härmelekopf at 2224 meters above sea level is gentle and easy. The view is impressive and, especially in autumn, away from the hustle and bustle of the high season, extremely quiet and enjoyable.

The descent initially heads westwards via numerous hairpin bends. A clean rear wheel offset technique is an advantage here, as otherwise many bends will have to be pushed. The level of difficulty is between S2 and S3 and rides to the Reitheralmbahn at the ski slope. This is followed briefly by a karn path before turning into another trail. This alternates between difficulty levels S1 and S2, partly flowing, partly more challenging, up to the Reitherjochalm.

At the Reitherjochalm, you can stop for a bite to eat. This is followed by the next trail section at difficulty level S2, occasionally S3, with another southerly character downhill towards Seefeld. Above the B177, you cross the high plateau and reach another trail highlight. The historic trails past the ruins of Fragenstein Castle are mostly classified as difficulty S2, but once again require you to be able to shift well in the hairpin bends. Finally, the trail shows its teeth once again and leads over several steep stone steps on difficulty level S3 back to Zirl, where the varied loop comes to an end.

Note: The route is located on Austrian territory and leads over routes that are not approved for mountain bikers. Riding this route on a mountain bike is the responsibility of each individual, in full awareness of the legal situation.

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