Sella dei Frugnoni – Obstanser See

If you want the best of both worlds, you should take the Austrian/Italian border circuit with the legendary descent over Lake Obstans under the studs.

Description

The tour starts in the picturesque village of Rabland in the Pustertal valley, near the Italian-Austrian border at Sillian. From here, you follow the Drau cycle path westwards in a relaxed manner, finally crossing the border into Austria and reaching the Monte Helm cable car. The cable car bridges the strenuous part of the uphill section, which saves a lot of energy for the legendary crossing of Monte Helm and the so-called Demutpassage. This barren terrain offers spectacular views of the Dolomites and the Sesto Red Walls.

The descent from Monte Elmo can be classified as S2 in terms of difficulty, with some challenging sections on the uphill having to be tackled by pushing. The further you get away from the lifts and the mainstream, the quieter the tour becomes. Below the Eisenreich summit, you will largely find solitude.

The next section rides along an old military trail to the former Vallo Alpino barracks and ends at the Sella dei Frugnoni, a pass on the Austrian-Italian border. The tour is also historically interesting due to the south-facing military installations of the Vallo Alpino from the Second World War and the north-facing Alpini climbs of the K&K army, which offer perfect infrastructure.

From the pass, the descent begins with a challenging rocky crossing and then turns into a descent with difficulty levels S2 and S3, all the way to the picturesque Obstanser See lake at 2300 meters above sea level, located below the Roßkopf and Maurer Spitze peaks. Past the hut, the spectacular trail at S2 level leads to Villa Yeti or Obstanser Boden, where the former cable car station of the First World War was located.

From the chapel, the next section of the descent starts, which is equipped with numerous wooden steps and can be tackled at difficulty levels S2 and S3 in dry conditions. It offers magnificent views and some challenging hairpin bends that ride down to the valley floor. From there, you descend a few meters on gravel, take a meadow path towards Kartitsch, cross the Lesachtal valley northwards to Hollbruck and take the last trail section back to the starting point.

This tour really comes into its own in autumn when the vegetation changes colour. However, it should not be undertaken too late in the season, as the wooden steps can become extremely slippery in shady locations.

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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