Hochwang Gipfeltour | Ride MTB

Hochwang Gipfeltour

Hochwang vom Ratoser Stein

The tour to Hochwang in Schanfigg has two peaks suitable for mountain bikers and also boasts an impressive panorama as far as the Bernina group. With the subsequent descent via the Schanfigger Höhenweg trail, there is almost continuous singletrail fun all the way to Chur on top.


Description

The best place to start the tour is in Chur and take the Rhaetian Railway train in the direction of Arosa to the St. Peter/Molinis stop. From there, follow the signposted Switzerland Mobile mountain bike route 630. This rides on an asphalt road via St. Peter and Pagig to Triemel, the middle station of the Hochwang ski area. The road then becomes steeper and turns into a small concrete road before only an alpine path remains at Alp Bleis. A further 100 meters in altitude are covered by riding, followed by an alternation of riding, pushing and carrying for the remaining 300 meters in altitude to the summit of Hochwang. The path is always easy to walk and does not present any difficulties worth mentioning. The view from the summit at 2532 m above sea level makes up for the ascent and offers an impressive panorama with numerous three- and four-thousand-metre peaks.

For the crisp but almost entirely rideable descent, you first follow the ascent route, but then keep straight on and tackle the ascent to Ratoser Stein. The second summit has to be earned despite only 80 meters in altitude. There is a short steep step on the ascent, but this should not be a problem if you are sure-footed. From the Ratoser Stein, you follow the ridge path to the east, which is easy to follow throughout, although the route is not always entirely clear in the lower section. A signpost now gives you the choice between the ridge path and an indistinctly visible meadow path on the right. Follow these tracks and markings until you reach an alpine road, which you leave just above the Hochwanghütte, following the hiking trail markings on the right.

For a good kilometer, you cross the slope from the Hochwanghütte on a gravel road to above Triemel. Riding straight ahead, you change to the Schanfigger Höhenweg trail, which you follow in a steady up and down for the next three kilometers. The single trail is demanding in terms of fitness, but first class in terms of riding technique. Where the signpost points to Lafet, you head downhill, reach a small road shortly afterwards and soon leave it again, where a narrow, slightly hidden single trail branches off to the left. You reach the road again, follow it downhill to the next bend at Mundaduris and then take the hiking trail downhill. A mixture of field, forest and meadow paths takes you to the village of Castiel. On the main road, you reach the Cholplatz junction above Maladers, turn right and climb around 60 meters in altitude on the road. At a crossroads, take the gravel path to the left, which rides directly to Maladers. Cross the Maladerser Höhenweg to above Chur, leave the path after around one kilometer before the Nasstobel and follow this old alpine path to Arosastrasse. The start is somewhat hidden and quite narrow for a few meters, but the path soon widens and turns into a real flow trail. Crossing the Arosastrasse, you take the hiking trail at the hamlet of Brandacker, which rides all the way to Chur. The entrance to the old town is reached via a staircase, from where you can reach Chur train station in just a few minutes.

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Map & GPX-Track

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34 km

1490 m

2070 m

588 above sea level

2505 above sea level

1 day

Chur

Chur

2477

limited

Jonas Spöring
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Dangers on 10.09.22
Conditions: Changeable, sunny on the descent

Ascent: The tour description doesn't lie. Much is easy to ride, some difficult and some not at all. The first 200 m and the last 200 m before the summit are perhaps worth highlighting. These are tough.

Descent: The tour description is deceptive, often euphemistic. The first section is actually almost continuously rideable. However, the ridge path from Ratoser Stein is no longer rideable throughout. Deep furrows made by the rain take the flow out of the ridge path. Then comes a wild passage across the farmers' meadows, where finding the way is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, this part is fun. The Schanfigger Höhenweg is where my opinion is diametrically opposed to the description. As a thoroughbred enduro rider, the trail is unfortunately a) boring and b) flow-free. I can imagine that this trail would be good to fun for CC riders. But if you were hoping for a master tail, you will be disappointed. The descent at the end to Chur makes up for it with a fun and flowy forest trail.

Experience: the landscape is breathtaking, the transition from Hochwang to Ratoser Stein is beautiful. On this tour, the focus is on the experience and not the trails.

Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.