Kreuzjoch

Kreuzjoch (Zillertal)

The Kreuzjoch in the Kitzbühel Alps offers an impressive ascent from Zell am Ziller and a technical yet smooth descent.

Description

This mountain bike tour starts in Zell am Ziller at the valley station of the Rosenalmbahn. The first section of the route leads up the Gerlosberg on asphalt, with the ascent reaching an altitude of around 1250 meters above sea level. At this point, you can cross the mountain in the direction of Enzianhof before reaching the Rosenalmbahn mountain station. Alternatively, this section can also be easily conquered with the gondola lift.

From the mountain station, the trail continues on a gravel slope up the western slopes of the ski area. This passage is characterized by medium to high gradients, whereby the lifts are relatively inconspicuous in summer and hardly affect the panorama. The ascent rides up to the Übergangsjoch at an altitude of 2502 meters. There, the bike is carried further up via an artificial staircase until you finally reach the Kreuzjoch at 2558 meters.

The panorama from the Kreuzjoch is typical of the Zillertal, with views of the 3000-metre peaks, glaciated mountain worlds and deep valleys reminiscent of the Western Alps. The descent begins at the Übergangsjoch and is initially classified with a difficulty of S3, including a counter-climb. After descending the stairs, trail number 10 continues as a trail. Despite some sections being impaired by lift extensions, the quality of the trail improves significantly from the Arena Stadl, and a single trail with a difficulty of S2 to S3 follows, which leads to the Kreuzjochhütte.

From the Kreuzjochhütte, you follow an old alpine trail with a strong southern flair, which has a difficulty of S1 to S2 and continues towards Distelberg or Distelbergkreuz. Here, unfortunately, you have to cover a few meters on asphalt before an interesting mix of trail and side roads leads to Aschau im Zillertal in the lower area of the Distelberg. The route ends with a return to the starting point on the Zillertal road.

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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