Rotbachlspitze - Nordvariante
Description
The start of the day tour is the Breitlahner parking lot at 1257 meters above sea level. From here, the route follows the official cycle route towards Schlegeis with a medium gradient. The Zillertal valley already shows its most beautiful side here and gives an idea of what is to come. Most of the ascent to the reservoir is on asphalt, although you should start early here as there is a lot of tourist traffic, especially in the summer months. From the Schlegeis reservoir, the uphill ride is only possible to a limited extent. Now it's time to push, as you reach alpine terrain here and find yourself on an old historic network of paths. From the Lavitzalm at 2095 meters above sea level to the Pfitscher Joch (2248 meters above sea level) or the Pfitscher-Joch-Haus on the Italian side, the ascent is relatively steep and bumpy. At the Joch and thus at the national border, a huge panorama opens up that is more reminiscent of New Zealand than the Zillertal Alps. From the Joch to the Rotbachlspitze, the bike has to be carried and pushed along its entire length. It should be noted that at an altitude of around 2600 meters, the bike must be carried up to the last meters of altitude on the uphill and downhill sections. In other words: In the summit area, the first 150 vertical meters are generally rideable, then the traverse follows as a pushing section and from 2600 vertical meters an almost endless downhill starts up to the "Eternal Hunting Grounds". Before the downhill fun, however, a rest at the summit is a must in order to save the mountain panorama for eternity.
The downhill from the Rotbachlspitze to the Pfitscher Joch is rated S3 in terms of difficulty, with flow sections in between. The Pfitscher-Joch-Haus is a good place to stop for a bite to eat or a cake and cappuccino at the Lavitzalm. The trail section on the 524er path between Pfitscher Joch and Lavitzalm is difficult and is classified as an upper S3. From the Lavitzalm to the Schlegeisspeicher, however, flow is the order of the day, surfing at S1 to S2 level for all eternity. A relatively bizarre section awaits from the Dominikushütte (1805 meters above sea level) or the Schlegeisspeicher at the bottom outlet. Here you ride along the wall and have a queasy feeling as to whether it can withstand the masses of water. So far it has, so nothing should happen. The Schlegeisweg or family hiking trail is a must. This trail section along the Zamser Bach stream is pure flow and then leads onto the 530 trail down to the Breitlahner Karlshütte. It should be noted that Austria is characterized by relatively strong bike bans, but 95 percent of this tour takes place on official mountain bike routes and the summit descent is on the Italian side. This means that nothing stands in the way of a legal trail adventure in a beautiful valley in the middle of Tyrol.
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.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
32 km
1495 m
1495 m
1249 above sea level
2817 above sea level
1 day
Rauth
Rauth
2030
limited
More information
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User comments (1)
About the author: Martin Depauli
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Skied the Rotbachlspitze on August 2, 2026, starting in Stein in Pfitsch. A wonderful high-mountain tour with long sections where you have to carry your skis. The descent from the summit is very steep and slippery for the first 60 meters of elevation loss; for me, it wasn’t completely skiable all the way down. After that, everything is rideable except for the traverse in the middle section. The descent from the Pfitscher Joch to the tree line is easy, but then becomes increasingly challenging all the way to the parking lot on the pass road (end of the road, where cars are prohibited); awesome! Then it gets easier again.