Over the Winklmoos-Alm to the Dürrnbachhorn mountain
Over the Winklmoos-Alm to the Dürrnbachhorn mountain
An e-bike opens up completely new holiday possibilities, in Reit im Winkl, for example, when the Dürrnbachhorn is on your wishlist. If you have previously taken the public bus, hiking bus or car from Reit im Winkl to the Winklmoos car park because it was simply too strenuous by bike, with an ebike you can easily start the tour to the Dürrnbachhorn in town.
Under the trendy motto "Bike & Hike" you cycle comfortably to Seegatterl and relax on the forest road to Winklmoos, then treat yourself to a ride on the nostalgic chairlift and walk 20 minutes further to the summit of the Dürrnbachhorn. Back in Winklmoos you have earned a hearty or sweet stop and a refreshment.
Hiking, motorized & with a retro chair lift to the Chiemgau mountains
The two points on the horizon that are waving at me in a friendly manner are getting bigger astonishingly quickly.
They ride towards me, effortlessly and at an impressive pace. The two passionate leisure cyclists Hermann and Andrea like to use their e-bike on holidays. “You can cover significantly longer stretches and steeper gradients, so you can simply explore more of the exciting area. In addition, you can do something again the next day because you are not completely knocked out from the day before ”, are their plausible arguments for choosing the e-bike.
The destinations for today's hike & bike excursion with Andrea and Hermann are first the Winklmoos-Alm alpine area and from there the Dürrnbachhorn summit. The starting point is the center of the town in Reit im Winkl. We ride along the Lofer river on a flat cycle path for around six kilometers to Seegatterl.
In winter we would be on skis, as the route on the river then turns into a cross-country trail. But now our sports equipment of choice is our e-bike and we jet there in shorts in the mild wind. We could also drive up to Winklmoos via the toll road, in summer it can be used free of charge once a day with the Reit im Winkl inklusiv Card.
But with our efficient e-bikes we ride stress-free and almost sweat-free up the forest road to the border triangle of Bavaria, Salzburg and Tyrol at 1,200 meters above sea level - where an overwhelming high plateau awaits us.
As soon as we have arrived in the Winklmoos-Alm pasture area, we spot the first inviting restaurant: the "Sonnenalm". But we have a lot to do on this day and so we decide to do a few more e-bike laps over the lovely landscape. We also want to achieve our goals, which are even higher, before we later reward ourselves with chanterelle goulash, a grill plate and a cool apple spritzer. Thanks to our e-bikes, we still have a lot of reserves in our calves and there is still time for hunger, especially since the excursion has not been that strenuous yet.
Andrea would like a little more sporting challenge and switches the performance of her e-bike down from “Sport” to “Tour”:
“Up here in the alpine area there are no more steep climbs. I like to pedal a little more so that I burn a few calories and then really earn the Kaiserschmarrn, ”says the motivated biker. She laughs, swings on the saddle and drives quickly - past the cows - towards the horse pasture. Hermann and I follow - still in “sport mode”, you don't have to imitate everything.
The electric motor of the mountain bikes provides dynamic support for personal performance. It is often given in riding modes like this:
With constant motor assistance, the pressure on the pedal means that it adapts to the individual riding style of the cyclist.
While we are cruising with pleasure along the trails of the alpine pastures, we meet some other hiking groups, mountain bikers and families who visit the horses with their children. The kids in particular are curious about our e-bikes and want to know how they work.
Andrea and Hermann explain it in detail and even let two particularly interested kids do a test lap. While the bikes are occupied, we rest on the bench at the memorial cross, opposite the Maria Himmelfahrt chapel. This bench is one of the most popular vantage points, which goes without saying, given the view of the three-countries corner of Bavaria, Tyrol and Salzburg as well as the Loferer Steinberge mountain range.
A combination of an e-bike ride and a hike in Chiemgau is good for body and mind, Andrea and Hermann agree: “For me, a hike & bike tour means letting go, relaxing and having fun all in one. Here at the Winklmoos-Alm everything is taken care of: for the soul, the view and the contemplation ”, Andrea enthuses. "In addition, all of this is pure nature and you're moving your body. There is hardly anything better for health and well-being! "
Hermann sees things similarly: “The great thing here is that you have everything with you. You can comfortably ride the e-bike up to the Winklmoos-Alm without overburdening yourself, then take the chairlift, enjoy the ride and hike a little further up to the summit, where you can enjoy a wonderful view. What more do you want?"
The second part of our “Bike & Hike” project begins: the hike. But first the lovely old nostalgic chairlift - a true original! - takes us leisurely up the mountain on wooden single-seaters.
The slow twitching leads to an almost meditative mood in me, in which I notice how the tensions of everyday life are gradually dissolving. I watch the passing clouds, the giant trees standing steeply on the slope and suddenly even spot a grouse that has curled up in the grass many meters below my feet dangling in the air.
From the chairlift exit, we hike up the Dürrnbachhorn in about 20 minutes, a beautiful path leads us to the final destination for the day!
As if someone wanted to give us a present, the sea of clouds clears up once we reach the summit and reveals a breathtaking world of mountains all around: Wilder Kaiser, Zahmer Kaiser, down below the three lakes area, lake Chiemsee, to the east the Berchtesgaden Alps.
Andrea claps her hands ecstatically: “Wow, this view is really a highlight!”
You can tell that she and Hermann are literally inhaling the picturesque landscape, the clear mountain air and the calm atmosphere.
It is hard to get up and leave, but the thought of refreshments and delicious food in a hut is motivation enough to finally trot back to the mountain station.
When we float back down towards Winklmoos-Alm on “our” wooden armchair, the appetite for the agreed snack is finally spreading. Hermann, who is sitting in his chair in front of me, turns around briefly and makes a gesture as if he were lifting a fork to his mouth - he seems to have guessed my thoughts or to be in exactly the same "mode".
Suddenly, on an armchair on the steel cable opposite, a lonely box rides up towards the mountain station: the sausage salad that the lift workers had previously ordered over an old-school cable phone! We have to smile.
Such a quick service! Which, by the way, also applies to the mountain inn, where we are served our longed-for refreshment in what feels like five minutes. Bon appétit and cheers - here's to many future hike & bike adventures!
In the combination of e-bike/ mountain bike and hiking, we recommend the following tours:
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