Characteristics
Fantastic panorama, a treat for riding technique fans, more than 1,000m in altitude difference, varied descent and really good stops for refreshment and all that with hardly having to climb a metre in altitude!
The Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway makes this possible. It takes over the bulk of the altitude difference for this tour. This makes the tour via the Marinzen hut perfectly suitable for less physically fit bikers or for a quick half-day excursion.
At the valley station of the Alpe di Siusi cable car you can push your bike easily into the spacious cabins of the aerial cableway that came into service in 2005. A short time later you get out at Compaccio, the highest point of the tour. Now it is almost only downhill! A short distance below Compaccio you turn onto a hiking trail at Gasthaus Zorzi in the direction of the car park at Spitzbühl. After Jaggl Hut this hiking trail becomes a fun trail that disgorges the now wide-awake biker onto the car park of the chair lift at Spitzbühel.
Now you follow the Alpe di Siusi road downhill for a few metres before the route runs into the gravel road that runs parallel on the right in the direction of Gstatsch. At waymarker 13 you have to decide. The following section of trail is a pleasure for riding technique fans. Bikers who are not so strong on riding technique should take the Alpe di Siusi road and roll down the three hairpin bends as far as Gstatsch.
At the Gasthaus Gstatsch the varied mountain trail to the Marinzen hut begins. After a short section of woodland you come to a mountain pasture. You should definitely stop here and look around. The view of the Sciliar/Schlern with its characteristic Santner Peak is impressive.
After a lot of uphill and downhill you will reach the stunningly located Marinzen hut . It is unlikely that you will be on your own very often here. An old chair lift brings day-trippers up from Castelrotto. The beautiful mountain pastures with horses, goats and an idyllic small lake is a popular destination for excursions. You can have a fantastic rest on the sun terrace with its view of the Sciliar/Schlern.
Alternatively a kilometre further on you can stop for a bite in the much quieter Schafstall, a mountain hut in a remote location in rather shady woodland. From there a steep gravel road leads downhill Wasserebene. Finally, with a stunning view of Castelrotto you cruise along on a small tarmac road to the control point at San Valentino and back to Siusi to the valley station of the Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway.

Variations
1. Climb by bike: Whoever wants to do the 1,070m of difference in altitude by bike can do this easiest by taking the Alpe di Siusi road to Compaccio. The road is closed to normal traffic from 9am. Only buses and residents can use it then. A short distance before the Gasthaus Zorzi you join the tour described here at waymarker 4.

2. Extended tour via Alpe di Siusi: If you use the Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway for the ascent, you can use the energy saved for the beautiful alternative via the Alpenhotel Panorama, Laurin Hut and Spitzbühel. To this end, do not turn right at waymarker 3, but left in the direction of Saltria. After a kilometre bear right for Hotel Steger Dellai and follow the signs for Sciliar. Go downhill from the Spitzbühel to the car park at the valley station of the chair lift of the same name. At waymarker 10 join the tour described here again.

3. Alternative way back: At waymarker 29 do not go straight ahead, but right steeply downhill.
Then via Wasserebene, Tiosels and the hiking trail 7 to San Costantino and Siusi.

Physical condition Overall condition 2,6 Total height variation 3,0 Total distance 2,0 Maximum altitude 3,0

Riding technique Overall riding technique 3,6 Surface 2,5 Average climb gradient Ø 5,0 Average descent gradient Ø 4,0

Getting there
Coming from the north take the motorway (A22) exit for Chiusa – Alpe di Siusi/Sciliar, SS12 as far as Ponte Gardena, then in the direction of Alpe di Siusi.
Coming from the south take motorway (A22) exit for Bolzano Nord – Alpe di Siusi/Sciliar, SS12 as far as Prato all'Isarco, then in the direction of Alpe di Siusi.

Starting point
There is a large bus and car park free of charge at the valley station of the Alpe di Siusi cable car station in Siusi.
The tour begins at the valley station of the Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway in Siusi.

1

0,00

4,11

1012

Valley station Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway

Take gondola lift

X 13%

00:00

00:00

2

4,11

0,25

1855

Mountain station Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway

Right take steps

R -7%

00:11

00:24

3

4,37

0,24

1841

Compaccio

Right downhill

R -6%

00:11

00:26

4

4,60

0,03

1827

Junction

Left Gasthof Zorzi

S -3%

00:12

00:27

5

4,63

0,12

1826

Gasthaus Zorzi

Right car park Spitzbühel

00:12

00:27

6

4,76

0,13

1802

Start of tarmac road

Straight ahead

R -12%

00:12

00:28

7

4,89

0,22

1787

Jaggl Schwaige

Straight ahead downhill

S -12%

00:13

00:29

8

5,11

0,31

1761

Hotel Seelaus

Straight ahead car park Spitzbühel , Kastelruth 4

P -12%

00:13

00:30

9

5,42

0,11

1723

Above car park Spitzbühel

Straight ahead along fence

W-12%

00:14

00:32

10

5,53

0,20

1710

Hairpin bend car park Spitzbühel, bus stop

Straight ahead downhill Alpe di Siusi road

R -7%

00:15

00:33

11

5,72

0,46

1696

Junction at small car park

Bear right 12a Gstatsch, Marinzen refuge

S -4%

00:15

00:34

12

6,19

0,55

1675

Crossroads gravel road

Straight ahead 12a Gstatsch, Marinzen refuge

S -10%

00:16

00:37

13

6,74

0,53

1618

Junction at hairpin bend

Right 12a Gstatsch, Marinzen refuge

P -22%

00:18

00:40

14

7,27

0,13

1512

Crossroads Alpe di Siusi road

Straight ahead downhill

P -26%

00:19

00:43

15

7,39

1,10

1481

Junction cart track

Sharp right downhill

W-10%

00:20

00:44

16

7,49

0,04

1469

Gstatsch

Straight ahead cross Alpe di Siusi road

R -7%

00:20

00:44

17

7,53

0,20

1466

Bank/Seat

Bear right Marinzen

P 8%

00:20

00:45

18

7,74

0,18

1484

Junction hiking trail

Bear left level road

00:21

00:46

19

7,92

1,47

1480

Junction footpath to Marinzen

Straight ahead Marinzen

S -1%

00:21

00:47

20

9,39

0,08

1466

Junction hiking trail 10

Straight ahead

S -12%

00:25

00:56

21

9,46

0,16

1457

Junction gravel road

Bear right Marinzen 10

S 6%

00:25

00:56

22

9,62

0,27

1467

Junction footpath 10 to Gstatsch

Straight ahead

S 7%

00:26

00:57

23

9,89

0,16

1480

Junction to Seis (Suisi) 11

Straight ahead Marinzen 11

S 0%

00:26

00:59

24

10,06

0,12

1482

Junction to Frommer, Alpe di Siusi

Left Marinzen

S -4%

00:27

01:00

25

10,18

1,06

1478

Vicinity of Marinzen refuge

Sharp right Schafstall

W 0%

00:27

01:01

26

11,24

0,31

1476

Schafstall

Sharp Left Castelrotto (Castelrotto) 8

S -18%

00:30

01:07

27

11,55

0,21

1424

Junction

Straight ahead downhill Kastelruth 8

S -20%

00:31

01:09

28

11,76

0,65

1382

Junction to Wasserebene

Straight ahead

S -14%

00:32

01:10

29

12,41

0,09

1292

Junction

Straight ahead Kastelruth

w -15%

00:33

01:14

30

12,50

1,42

1277

Junction tarmac road

Bear left

R 1%

00:34

01:15

31

13,92

0,60

1291

Feldheim

Straight ahead

00:37

01:23

32

14,52

0,51

1288

Turn-off for Marinzen

Straight ahead Alpe di Siusi, Suisi

R 0%

00:39

01:27

33

15,03

0,57

1286

Control position San Valentino

Sharp right Seis (Siusi) 4

R -10%

00:40

01:30

34

15,60

1,10

1231

Haus Waldrand, bus stop

Sharp left Trotzstr.

R -10%

00:42

01:33

35

16,70

0,17

1121

Junction with Via Burgstall

Straight ahead downhill

R -10%

00:45

01:40

36

16,87

0,16

1105

Junction to Kastelruth (Castelrotto) 6

Bear Left Bagni di Razzes 6

R - 7%

00:46

01:41

37

17,03

0,54

1095

Crossroads

Straight ahead Bad Ratzes

R 0%

00:46

01:42

38

17,57

0,33

1097

Junction to Bad Ratzes 6

Bear right level road

R 1%

00:47

02:45

39

17,90

0,11

1102

Wooden bridge

Left Bad Ratzes

R 7%

00:48

01:47

40

18,01

0,14

1109

Junction

Sharp right Siusi cable car

S 6%

00:49

01:48

41

18,16

0,19

1117

Junction to ruins at Castel Vecchio (Siusi)

Bear right Seis (Siusi) 1

S -21%

00:49

01:48

42

18,34

0,39

1082

Junction hiking trail 8 to Siusi

Straight ahead downhill Siusi cable car

S -15%

00:50

01:50

43

18,73

0,26

1025

Car park Alpe di Siusi cable car

Left to cable car

S -6%

00:51

01:52

44

18,99

0,00

1012

Valley station Alpe di Siusi aerial cableway

End of tour

00:51

01:53

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 uphill	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.