Cool tour. Alpine at the top, partly technical, more flowy at the bottom. Highly recommended.

Rode the tour today, everything was great. Timber is currently being felled in the middle section and there may be partial detour. Caution is advised here.
Otherwise everything as described.

The tour is definitely impressive and a great experience. Riding technique 4 out of 6 is an understatement. Translate "very technical" with "blocked straights and partly blocked hairpin bends"

For comparison - we rode the "Ducanfurgga" tour, which is also rated 4 out of 6, without any problems and never or very rarely had to dismount. But this tour was quite different. We are two reasonably experienced bikers - not DH or enduro pros, of course, but we usually manage quite well and we also enjoy technical passages. On this tour, we certainly had to carry the bike down 4-5 short sections in the very first section. Even after the Illsee we had to dismount and push the bike down several times. The whole thing remains so over almost 1000 meters of altitude and not just short.

You have to recognize the line very quickly and then ride it consistently. If you hesitate, you've lost - I'd rather get off than try something. Anyone who crashes here will almost certainly have a problem. The rocks are numerous and sharp. Fortunately, the path is not exposed. Nevertheless, you should have your ego under control.

The section from the lower Illalp is really flowy. If you only want to ride this part, you can ride up on the forest road.

Conclusion: Great tour but very technical and demanding over several hundred meters in altitude. If you are not an excellent rider, you have to be prepared for some carrying and pushing passages. If you know that and don't mind, it's definitely a very worthwhile tour.

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Checked

We tried variant 2 at the weekend. Everything remains the same up to Illsee, from there there is a 200-metre running section along a steep hiking trail. This is the transition to Ober Meretschialp. From there, follow the hiking trail towards Agarn.
Like variant 1, the trail is very varied, with lots of loose rock in the upper part and technical passages, and towards the bottom in the forest, the ground is peppered with firm, sharp stones. Sufficient tire pressure is an advantage here.
Overall, I found the trail smoother to ride than variant 1, which had more bumpy sections in the upper part.
However, both variants are fun and if you like riding alpine and natural trails then this is the right place for you.

Best regards Dani

We started the tour in Sierre and climbed comfortably up to Chandolin. The ascent is long, but the gradient is ideal, and if you start early the traffic is no problem.
From Chandolin we decided to take the chairlift to Tsape (10 Fr.) We could see the alpine path from Chandlin to Tsape from the lift, which would also be easy to manage in terms of gradient, and from Tsape a nice trail leads to the Illsee Pass.
From the pass there is a crisp descent to the lake, blocked in the upper part by rough steps and stones, with lots of loose rock along the way.
We then opted for the descent directly from the Illsee to Susten, followed by a fun trail from the dam wall, which in the upper part always contains individual technical passages so that you are always challenged.the further you get into the valley, the smoother the trail becomes, first along the slope with short counter-climbs and then from above Meschler a trail that cuts the road.
All in all a great tour where you can decide for yourself how many meters of altitude you can manage on your own. (The post bus stops at several places in the direction of Chandolin)
Many greetings Dani