The ideal starting point for the tour is Prad in the Vinschgau Valley. The first day of the Ortler circumnavigation leads over the royal stage with the Madritschjoch and the Fürkelescharte. Both passages are over 3000 meters above sea level. You start in Prad with the shuttle up to Sulden and then take the gondola lift to the Schaubachhütte. A steep ski slope road leads up to the Madritschjoch, most people push their bikes up. This is followed by the legendary and fantastic singletrail descent into the Martelltal valley. Unlike the classic route, you don't ride down to Goldrain, but start the crisp part of the stage from the Zufallhütte: the ascent to the Fürkelescharte. Here you have to push and carry 750 meters in altitude. The path to the hut is an alpine trail where you have to carry your bike. Then it becomes somewhat flatter again until you reach the passage where you carry your bike up to Fürkele on the edge of the glacier. There is no particular danger of slipping here, nor are you in the crevasse area, but it is still advisable to climb carefully. The last few meters to the pass are steep and slippery, but easily manageable on foot. The pass then marks the start of the long singletrail descent into Val di Sole. The top section up to the Rifugio Guido Larcher is high alpine in the S3 range with S4 sections. After the hut, things become considerably smoother and more fun until you reach the valley floor at a small reservoir. This is followed by a sensational high-altitude trail, but there are always a few crisp meters of ascent to master. Finally, you head downhill on a great forest trail, reach the gravel road to Peio and roll the final section on the asphalt road to Peio Fonti, the perfect destination for the first stage.

On the second day, you start with the Peio gondola lift, which makes the ascent to Lago di Pian Palü easier. However, you also have to master short sections of ascent on the fantastic high-level trail until you turn onto the small road that leads up to the reservoir. At the foot of the dam wall, the asphalt road turns into a gravel road and after the passage over the dam wall, the ascent turns into a trail. Now it's time to walk, this time up to Forcellina di Montozzo. The transition towards Ponte di Legno is a classic among mountain bikers, but in the opposite direction - our ascent route is marked as an Epic Trail in the direction of the descent. In our case, it becomes epic after the Rifugio Bozzi. An extraordinary high-altitude trail (S1) leads high above the valley floor of Ponte di Legno towards Passo Tonale. Before the traverse to the pass, our route turns into a path that rides quickly and variedly to Vescasa Alta. There is a short section of gravel road before descending to Ponte di Legno on the marked MTB trail. This is the finish of the second stage of the Ortler circumnavigation.

The third stage begins again with a shuttle, this time up to the Gavia Pass to start the fantastic, but occasionally exposed trail descent to Santa Caterina. This route is also a tough one with numerous short climbs. The difficulty is S2 to S3 with very few S4 sections. You reach the valley floor above Santa Caterina and thus the road up to the Pizzini hut. The steep and rough gravel road is a feat of strength, the shuttle is highly recommended here. Because after the Pizzini hut, there's another feat of strength ahead, the pushing passage up to the legendary Passo Zebrù - the third 3000 m peak on this route. The descent towards the back of the pass is initially high alpine and technical, but becomes increasingly flowy. At one point, the bike has to be carried down a slippery steep step. The overall difficulty is S3. After the Baita del Pastore, a longer section of gravel road descent is necessary to reach the fantastic high-level trail further down. The highlight is the section to Cadalbert: the path through the larch forests leads to the outskirts of Bormio, the third stage of the Ortler circumnavigation.

On the last day, you start again in the shuttle, now with the Stelvio Pass as your destination. The final stage corresponds to the famous Bimbam Tour. First you roll along the Goldsee trail, which you should head for before 9 a.m. according to the sign. A little after Lake Goldsee, turn right onto the Bimbam Trail (S2) to the valley floor of Trafoi. Take the chairlift to the Furkelhütte hut and continue on the high trail with two climbs that should not be underestimated to the Lichtenbergscharte ridge. Just below the inconspicuous saddle is the start of the great singletrail descent that leads to the center of Prad, where you started the Ortler circumnavigation four days earlier.

Conclusion: An exceptionally beautiful and high alpine multi-day tour with a fantastic singletrail section. Thanks to the use of shuttles and mountain railroads, the focus of this undiminished, very sporty tour is on the trail and nature experience.

Stage lengths

• Stage1: 30 km; 1300 m ascent; 2500 tm
• Stage2: 31 km; 1280 m ascent; 1987 tm
• Stage3: 32 km; 470 m ascent; 2670 tm
• Stage4: 27 km; 400 m ascent; 2840 tm