Sharing your own great passion with your offspring - a wish that many parents harbour. We are lucky, because our six-year-old offspring is just as enthusiastic about bikes as we are. His wheel days are long gone and he is now having a lot of fun on his 20-inch bike - and wants more. But where? When looking for the right "bike playground" for the whole family, there is no way around the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis holiday region. Surrounded by the imposing three-thousand metre peaks of the Samnaun group and the Ötztal Alps, the region with its three villages lies on a sunny high plateau high above the Tyrolean Inntal valley.
We reach the sunny plateau with the three villages of Fiss, Ladis and Serfaus quite quickly via the A12 Inntal motorway and continue along the Reschenstraße. Our first destination is the forest railway in Fiss. The bike park, which opened in 2013, is located here and the Frommestrail can also be reached from here. The valley station of the cable car is located at the western end of the village. It's clear at first glance: this is the right place. Apart from the very appealing signposting, the pump track and the practice area for children directly at the valley station, the view of the finish basin with slopestyle area and wooden kickers make the anticipation of a varied bike day grow. The car is parked in the spacious car park. This is also where we meet René. As a passionate biker and photographer, he accompanies us with his camera.
Well equipped, we start the adventure by familiarising ourselves with the equipment. The pump track and the practice area directly at the valley station are ideal for this. After what feels like five minutes, the familiarisation phase is over - "Dad, I've got a spring now too. I want to go on the big trails now." You shouldn't stop motivated children. So we get our tickets from the bike shop and take the escalator to the gondola.
A cable car just for bikers - almost too good to be true. You can get into every gondola. The very friendly staff help you sort your bikes into the gondola. Accompanied by bike park manager Christian, who has made time for us, we head uphill. A network of trails opens up below us and our anticipation grows. But also the excitement of whether there really is something for everyone. Arriving at the mountain station at 1,840 metres above sea level, it is immediately clear where we are heading. A large overview board shows all the trails in the bike park, including the level of difficulty. Thanks to the excellent signposting concept, it is almost impossible not to find a trail entrance. The only question that remains is: which trail should you start with?
On Christian's advice, we start with the blue "easy" routes. There are three in this colour on the map: the Milky Way, Vuelta - more of a branch of the Milky Way - and the Morning Glory. They promise pure fun for beginners and families with mountain bike experience. We choose the Milky Way for our first descent. It is the longest of the three blue trails and leads from the mountain station down to the valley station in many long, flat bends. Dad at the front, Pauli in the middle and Mum at the back - this is the formation we roll in. After the first few hundred metres, it quickly becomes clear that this is going to be fun for everyone involved.
In keeping with the motto "two in one", we decide on a descent via the Milky Way junction Vuelta and then turn into the blue Morning Glory. With an interplay of large berms and small jumps, the 750 metre long Morning Glory section offers variety for both Pauli and us. Here we also come across built-in wooden constructions. Our bike park newbie has his first North Shore experience. In the middle section, the trail leads back into the Milky Way, which we then ride back down towards the valley station. Back at the finish area, Pauli tries his hand at the wooden kickers this time. Four wooden jumps at different heights are perfect for improving his jumping technique.
After two intensive descents, Pauli needs a break. There are deckchairs right next to the entrance to the gondola with a view of the finish area. With the slopestyle area always in view, it's a great place to relax. We take the opportunity, as Christian naturally wants to show us a selection of the remaining trails. Blue is followed by red and there are also three different downhill options in this colour: The Strada del Sole, the Supernatural route and the Freeride Trail.
At the mountain station, the decision is made in favour of the Strada del Sole. This almost three-kilometre trail is by far the most popular. In the upper section, the route runs parallel to the Milky Way up to the imposing steel bridge. This large structure towers over the forest road as a "distribution centre". This is where all the trails from above come together, only to be split up again into blue, red or black. An ingenious system that works perfectly.
After two stays in Canada on the original North Shore coast, I confidently head for the narrow wooden planks that hover around one to one and a half metres above the ground. And indeed, I haven't completely forgotten how to do it. A little wobbly at first, but increasingly steady as I balance my bike over the narrow planks. Only the drop at the end doesn't work for me. No matter, you always need a project for the future.
Directly from the North Shore Line, we reach the "distributor bridge" again. Here you could take the very steep black descent into the Hill Bill. Due to time constraints, we unfortunately have to do without this racy and technically demanding trail. But postponed is not cancelled. We decide in favour of the downhill route and so we take the blue descent. This takes us to a junction where we branch off onto the trail.
As the flagship of the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis mountain bike arena in terms of singletrail descents, the Frommestrail offers over 1,000 metres of downhill fun at the highest level. The natural, challenging but mostly flowing route winds its way for ten kilometres through alpine terrain and root-covered spruce forests. Even at this altitude, very good signposting shows us the way.
The Frommestrail is rated S1 to S3 on the single trail scale, depending on the section. Good riding technique is a prerequisite for maximum and safe biking fun. With the Ötztal Alps always in view, we follow the markings across moss-covered, high alpine meadows downhill to the reservoir. A few short uphill stretches provide variety and get us sweating. Passing the lakes, we reach the summit cross of the Mateskopf at 2,248 metres via the Frommes descent.
From here, the trail winds its way downhill across the alpine meadows until it leads into the root-covered spruce forest. An interplay of sometimes challenging root passages and flowing forest descents characterises the route to the end of the trail just above Fiss. Wow, what an experience. We are totally thrilled by the ten-kilometre descent. The trail has been skilfully integrated into the terrain.
With over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis holiday region is not only one of the sunniest regions in Tyrol, but also one of the best holiday destinations in the Alps. This is also reflected in the diverse range of hotels, guesthouses and accommodation in all categories. As a mountain bike region, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis also scores highly with its comprehensive bike shop infrastructure. In all three villages, the respective businesses offer daily bike hire, guided tours and technical service. Before we can set off, we have to hire equipment for our son. In the well-stocked bike shop directly at the Waldbahn valley station, you can find everything you need for a perfect day in the bike park. In keeping with the overall concept of the region, the shop focuses on biking with children. In addition to a wide range of downhill and enduro bikes, full-suspension mountain bikes for children from 20 inches upwards are also available for hire.
The Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis holiday region really impressed us as a biking family. In addition to its favourable location on a sunny plateau high above the Inn Valley, it impresses above all with good service, a comprehensive infrastructure, a wide range of offers and friendly people. The variety of routes in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis bike park makes a bike holiday very varied and there is something suitable for all types of bikers.
If you're looking for something away from the bike park, you'll also find it here. Thanks to the many mountain bike tours in the surrounding area, the holiday region is not only attractive for day trippers, but also offers enough programme for a great mountain bike family holiday. One thing is clear to us: we'll be back.
