Tritt - Durannapass: Second Time Was the Charm

There are so many great rides in the Swiss Alps that I usually don't ride the same route twice. This one, however, I had to: I didn't finish it the first time around. At the first attempt, I was too slow. The downhill to Langwies fell apart as my front wheel got stuck and hurt my knee pretty bad. Pretty bad means: open flesh wound, five stitches, not allowed to move the knee at all for four days, and no biking for two weeks.

All healed perfectly, and four weeks later I set out on the same route again. I was lucky: the day was as gorgeous as it was on my first ride. Sunshine, bright blue sky, and the perfect temperature for an epic day in the saddle of my "Orange Rocket." The day starts out with a hard climb up to Strelapass. About an hour of gravel and more than 700m of ascent take me to the Strelapass. This time I didn't stop for a Kaiserschmarrn at the mountain restaurant, but I know from earlier stops how good it is.

I take to the right in the direction of the Chörbschhorn. This means another bit of uphill from the saddle of the pass. Soon enough, I'm enjoying the first stretch of great trails. Exactly how I like them: narrow, like a line in the lush green high mountain meadows, rocks from time to time, flowy turns, and a fantastic scenery.

At the Latschüelfurgga, the trail heads down in the direction of the Tritt, a stair built into the mountain. This is not where I fell last time: obviously, I'm walking this part—one hand on the rope on the right side and the other hand carrying my bike on the left side. After the stairs, the single trail continues and soon enough, leading across green grassland, leads to the small mountain village of Medergen. Now it's time for a break and a piece of handmade cake in the small mountain inn in Medergen.

This refreshment is needed to confront the crucial moment of today's ride: riding past the spot where I fell last time. Before getting there, there is a fantastic piece of trail through the forest below Medergen. The trail gets steeper once out of the forest, and the rocks make it slightly more technical. On the first clearing after the forest, there it is: the right turn on the single trail, where I fell and cut (or burst?) my right knee, resulting in an open horizontal wound and five stitches. And on the second time, it's actually as easy as I thought: the hidden rocks are no problem to clear with a bit more speed and confidence. A fraction of a second later, I'm already past it and ready to enjoy the rest of the pretty technical trail.

I reach the little creek called Sapüner Bach and take a small uphill to another picturesque mountain village in the "Valser" style: Törlialp. The next uphill proves the point that even a steep way up can be beautiful: a perfectly rideable, winding single trail leads upwards along the Fondeier Bach. A narrow gorge with a beautiful waterfall opens up to the upper part of the creek with a wide, rocky riverbed.

After riding past another Valser village, the valley widens further and leads to an untouched high moor at the foot of the Durannapass. In late summer, the grass is already leaning towards a brownish green. Just another couple of hundred meters of altitude and the ascent to Durannapass is done. The Grünsee (green lake) at the top of the pass doesn't disappoint and lives up to its name: it's green, and it's a mountain pond.

From there, the way only points downhill on a fantastic trail all the way to Küblis. First, it leads through high mountain meadows with occasional wet, moor-like underground. Then it turns into a varied forest trail with roots, flowy turns, and off-camber sections. According to Strava, on the Duranna downhill I destroy more than 1,300 meters of altitude to reach the railway station of Küblis and the end of my ride.

What can I say: fantastic trails, gorgeous panorama, beefy uphills, and fun, never-ending downhills. But most importantly: I slayed a dragon by totally mastering the section of my knee-bursting fall. Success!