Trail N°15

Trail N°15, from the Church of the Holy Cross down to San Cassiano/St. Kassian, is the signature trail of Alta Badia. And quite rightly so: the unique single trail simply combines everything that characterises the Dolomites bike region. Massive rock massifs, gentle mountain meadows, historic villages and a natural landscape that you wouldn't expect to find here. The icing on the cake of the Dolomites-i is the top-class MTB single trail: the trail hugs the slope and at the beginning runs in gentle waves over natural ground without losing many metres in altitude. This is quite strenuous, but above all a lot of fun.

But before the descent comes the ascent - and in this case it's really worth it! The Armentara meadows begin after around 300 metres in altitude: A unique alpine landscape in the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park, which is particularly impressive with its wealth of species in spring and autumn. With a little luck and a keen eye, you can discover here, among other things

• Gentian,
• Sulphur anemones and
• Troll flowers.

Above the tree line, the alpine pastures, cultivated and shaped by farmers, spread out - with the mountain giants of the Zehner and the Heiligkreuzkofel group towering above.

On the way, we keep hearing snatches of language that we can't recognise as either Italian or German. "Bun dé" a farmer calls out to us. "Good day to you too!" we reply. It's Ladin, an old Romansh language that is still spoken in Val Badia and in some other valleys around the Sella massif. It is specially protected by the South Tyrolean government and is still taught in schools.

We continue upwards - always towards the Kreuzkofel, even though today we will only reach the foot of the rock face. Another natural highlight awaits us here: a snow cave that remains on the shady wall almost all year round. A great selfie spot and a nice cool down all in one.

From the snow cave, we only have to push our bikes a few metres uphill and then finally start the descent: first we head down through old mountain pines and over small rocks to the Heilig Kreuz hospice and the associated pilgrimage church. The perfect place to recharge our batteries, enjoy the view and simply relax.

But we don't stay in our chairs for long. After all, an MTB trail awaits us, and with a length of almost 8 kilometres, there is plenty to look forward to. We start the single trail N°15, as we ended at the Heilig Kreuz hospice:

• with mountain pines,
• Roots and rocks
• and lots of waves

If you like, you can jump endlessly here, pump, choose lines and simply give in to your play instinct. The first section is particularly demanding in terms of fitness, as we hardly lose any metres in altitude. Again and again, the view opens up down into the valley and in some places as far as the mountains of Val Gardena. What are we supposed to concentrate on ...?

The decision is made for us, as the forest around us becomes a little denser and we can focus entirely on the path. It still runs in constant undulations and over numerous roots. But we slowly lose metres in altitude and work our way down towards the valley. Once again, however, the view opens up and there is a small bench to rest on. The perfect moment to take a breather and enjoy the view. Here, on a small alpine meadow, we look back to the Kreuzkofel, down to St. Kassian and the high plateau of Pralongia on the other side of the valley.

Back on the bike, we quickly lose altitude. A welcome change. We stay in the forest, which is changing more and more. It becomes denser and the pines give way to firs and spruces. Just above the valley, the forest spits us out and we think our trail ride has come to an end. But once again we traverse the undulating and playful path up towards St. Kassian, before finally tackling the last few metres of altitude on narrow paths and arriving back in the valley. Old cultural trails can be so beautiful - so varied, so natural. Plus an exciting ascent and the perfect refreshment stop in the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. What more could you want?