Characteristics
This short, in parts technically demanding tour leads through the “City of Stone” to the Salei Hut: thanks to the cable car to Ciampinoi, little climbing is required. Only real experts will be able to master some of the sections up to the City of Stone while remaining the saddle, but even pushing your bike for a few metres still allows you to admire the magnificent views of the Langkofel/Sassolungo towering above you. There are also two opportunities to get refreshments and appreciate the breathtaking panorama over the Dolomites, while a fantastic trail on the upper part of the descent also offers something to look forward to.
Just a short distance from the start of the tour near the Tourist Information Office in Wolkenstein/Selva is the bottom of the cable car to Ciampinoi, which takes you up the first 700m. From the top station a hiking trail initially leads steeply downhill then, after a climb, you arrive at the Comici Hut at the foot of the imposing Langkofel/Sassolungo. It is probably too soon to enjoy a refreshment stop, but the food on offer here is excellent. Perhaps you can have a quick drink and admire the panorama before continuing the tour. The path proceeds in the direction of the City of Stone, turning into a marvellous trail with some particularly steep sections and curves obliging most bikers to get off and push. An easy descent through the City of Stone takes you to the car park for the cable car up to the Langkofelscharte/Forcella del Sassolungo gorge, admiring the huge rocks that centuries before fell from the Langkofel/Sassolungo, silent witnesses of a bygone age.
A climb of 50m in the direction of Col Rodella brings you to the Salei Hut: as the tour is now mostly downhill, you can savour a long and enjoyable break.
Afterwards you return to the car park for the Langkofelscharte/Forcella del Sassolungo cable car, where the most interesting part of the tour begins in terms riding technique: a wonderful, narrow trail with a few tricky hairpin bends runs along the lower reaches of the City of Stone in the direction of Plan de Gralba before turning into a wide gravel path. From here, the trail is on the ski piste down to the Grödner Tal/Val Gardena, with the last section following the old railway line back to Wolkenstein/Selva.

Variations
1. Omitting the Salei Hut: you can slightly shorten the tour by not turning sharp right towards the Salei Hut at the car park at the bottom of the Langkofelscharte/Forcella del Sassolungo cable car (waymarker 15) but instead bearing left downhill in the direction of Plan de Gralba. This omits waymarkers 15-20 (-1.5 km, -50m altitude).

2. Longer approach via Monte Pana: from the starting point in Wolkenstein/Selva, follow the “Sella Ronda anticlockwise” tour. Proceed towards Monte Pana via the village of La Selva then take the lift up to the top and from there to the Comici Hut. At waymarker 8 you rejoin the tour described above (+5.2 km, +310 m altitude).

Physical condition Overall condition 2,2 Total height variation 2,0 Total distance 2,0 Maximum altitude 4,0

Riding technique Overall riding technique 3,7 Surface 3,4 Average climb gradient Ø 4,0 Average descent gradient Ø 4,0

Getting there
A22 motorway: coming from the north, take exit Innsbruck-Brennero; coming from the south, take exit Verona-Bolzano.
We recommend you exit the A22 at Klausen/Chiusa – Grödner Tal/Val Gardena: after 20 minutes on a well-signposted Alpine road you reach St. Ulrich/Ortisei then, after a few km, St. Christina/Santa Cristina and Wolkenstein/Selva.

Starting point
The tourist information office in Wolkenstein/Selva is located some 500 m after the entrance to the locality on the left.
Parking facilities: at the start of the centre of Wolkenstein/Selva, before the Piazza Nives, take two consecutive left turns to reach the car park of the same name.
The tour begins at the tourist information office in Wolkenstein/Selva.

1

0,00

0,17

1557

Tourist information office in Wolkenstein/Selva

Straight on uphill

A 5%

00:00

00:00

2

0,17

1,79

1566

Bottom of Ciampinoi lift

Take cable car

X 26%

00:00

00:01

3

1,96

0,05

2247

Top of Ciampinoi lift and restaurant

Right

S -6%

00:05

00:11

4

2,01

0,08

2244

Junction to ski piste Sasslonch

Straight on

S-17%

00:05

00:12

5

2,08

0,57

2231

Top of chair lift

Left to Comici Hut (path being rebuilt)

00:05

00:12

6

2,66

0,47

2127

Tieja-Sattel (2.128m)

Bear right to Sellajoch/Passo Sella, Naturonda

W -3%

00:07

00:15

7

3,13

0,22

2116

Junction to ski piste

Straight on

W 9%

00:08

00:18

8

3,35

0,11

2137

Intersection near Comici Hut

Left towards Comici Hut

S 13%

00:09

00:20

9

3,47

0,02

2153

Comici Hut

Strait on to Passo Sella, City of Stone

S -5%

00:09

00:20

10

3,49

0,74

2152

Junction

Straight on

S -0%

00:09

00:20

11

4,22

0,53

2148

Junction

Bear right to City of Stone

P 16%

00:11

00:25

12

4,76

0,06

2226

Beginning of pushing section

Straight on

P 14%

00:12

00:28

13

4,82

1,27

2235

End of pushing section

Straight on

W -5%

00:13

00:28

14

6,09

0,06

2183

Bottom of Langkofelscharte gorge lift, end of City of Stone

Straight on

S -4%

00:16

00:36

15

6,14

0,11

2181

Car park at bottom of Langkofelscharte gorge lift

Sharp right uphill

W 9%

00:16

00:36

16

6,25

0,16

2190

Junction near chapel

Straight on

W 13%

00:17

00:37

17

6,42

0,51

2212

Wayside cross

Bear right to Salei Hut

S 3%

00:17

00:38

18

6,92

0,51

2224

Salei Hut

Turn back

00:18

00:41

19

7,43

0,16

2212

Crossroads (to Salei Hut)

Bear left at meadow

W-13%

00:20

00:44

20

7,59

0,11

2190

Junction near chapel

Straight on

W -9%

00:20

00:45

21

7,70

0,06

2181

Car park at bottom of Langkofelscharte gorge lift

Straight on

S -2%

00:21

00:46

22

7,76

0,10

2180

Intersection with gravel road

Right downhill

S -9%

00:21

00:46

23

7,87

0,49

2171

Crossroads by hut

Straight on Plan de Gralba

P-12%

00:21

00:47

24

8,35

0,03

2113,

Hut (fence)

Straight on between hut and barn

S -6%

00:22

00:50

25

8,39

0,05

2111

Path junction

Straight on over meadow

W -6%

00:22

00:50

26

8,44

0,53

2108

Crossroads

Straight on

W-10%

00:23

00:50

27

8,97

0,63

2047

Crossroads

Straight on

S -11%

00:24

00:53

28

9,60

0,60

1975

Intersection

Bear right to Plan de Gralba, Wolkenstein/Selva

S -11%

00:26

00:57

29

10,20

0,69

1910

Wayside cross

Follow main path

S-17%

00:27

01:01

30

10,90

0,27

1805

Junction to Jeuf de Frea (near bottom of drag lift)

Straight on

S-8%

00:29

01:05

31

11,16

0,14

1787

Bridge over Rio Gardena stream

Bear right over bridge

00:30

01:06

32

11,31

0,15

1783

Bottom of the Piz Sella lift

Left

R -1%

00:30

01:07

33

11,45

0,10

1781

Bridge over Plan de Gralba stream

Left to Plan Wolkenstein/Selva (over bridge)

S 4%

00:31

01:08

34

11,55

0,06

1785

Covered snowgun

Bear right to Wolkenstein/Selva

S -5%

00:31

01:09

35

11,61

0,79

1782

Junction at edge of forest

Bear right downhill to Wolkenstein/Selva

W-21%

00:31

01:09

36

12,40

0,19

1621

Bridge over stream

Bear right over bridge then along stream

S -9%

00:33

01:14

37

12,59

0,25

1604

Carpentry shop

Straight on to Wolkenstein/Selva

R -6%

00:34

01:15

38

12,84

0,06

1589

Intersection with main road

Sharp right to Plan de Gralba

A 7%

00:35

01:17

39

12,90

0,77

1593

Casa Alpina

Bear left (left along sports ground)

R -1%

00:35

01:17

40

13,67

0,28

1581

Hotel La Tambra

Bear right onto course of old railway

R -2%

00:37

01:22

41

13,94

0,09

1577

Hotel Sun Valley

Sharp left downhill

R-12%

00:38

01:23

42

14,03

0,04

1567

Intersection with main road

Sharp right

A -3%

00:38

01:24

43

14,07

0,09

1566

Hotel Krone

Bear left following main road

A 0%

00:38

01:24

44

14,16

0,17

1566

Bottom of Ciampinoi lift

Straight on

00:38

01:24

45

14,32

0,00

1557

Tourist information office in Wolkenstein/Selva

End of tour

A 0%

00:39

01:25

Explanation of evaluation factors
• Overall difficulty based on climb difficulty (60%) and descent difficulty (40%)
• Climb difficulty based on total distance uphill (30%), overall height variation uphill (30%), surface uphill (10%), average slope   uphill (25%), highest altitude reached (5%).
• Descent difficulty consists of total distance downhill (10%), overall height variation downhill (10%), surface downhill (50%),   average slope downhill (30%).
• Physical condition based on total distance (40%), with overall height variation (50%) and highest altitude reached (10%).
• Riding technique based on surface (50%), with average slope uphill (30%) and average slope downhill (20%).
• Writer’s subjective evaluation of panorama and riding fun.

Explanation of surface and slope
A = Tarmac road		steep uphil	from + 15%
R = Tarmac cycle path		uphill	up to + 14%
S = Gravel		level	ca. +/- 4%
W = Hiking trail		downhill	up to - 19%
P = Path, Single Trail		steep downhill	from - 20%
T = Carrying / pushing
X = Cable car / transfer

Route: the percentages indicate the average climb (+) or the average descent (-) to the next waymarker.