As Lermoos is located directly on the Fernpass route, you should coordinate your visit there with the holiday traffic. If the route is free, there are of course excellent transport connections from both north and south and the good signposting led us quickly to the large car park.
Bikes bolted together, ticket picked up and off we go. The existing freeride route "Forest One" aka "Forest Thunder", which starts at the middle station, has been extended by the new "Forest Two" aka "Forest Aisle" route, which starts at the Grubigalm. Unfortunately, at the time of our test, this new route had not yet been fully stabilised due to the rain in June. The friendly staff at the cable car company allowed us to check out the last section of the new trail in advance, which seems to be designed more as a flow trail.
Freeride mountain bikes are recommended for riding the "Forest Thunder" trail, including by the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena mountain railways. This recommendation is no coincidence, as the largely natural trail is certainly not for beginners. Root carpets as far as the eye can see, followed by a short "rock garden". If you want to check whether your shocks are sensitively adjusted, this is the right place for you. An absolute treat for fans of rough downhills, for whom the Nordkette in Innsbruck is perhaps still a little too difficult. Why? Mainly because the downhill here is much less steep than the benchmark in the provincial capital.
The route is easy to see and there are no unwanted surprises. You should only check the landing of the two built drops beforehand, as depending on the line choice, they lead directly into a washed-out root bed that is not so easy on the brakes and the wallride immediately behind it is very frontal. Of course, the course becomes even more interesting in the rain. The "Forest One" trail is divided into three difficulty levels (black, red, blue), with the blue section being more suitable for the masses.
The final section, right by the valley station, is a very photogenic drop that will boost your self-confidence for the next descent.
The "Blindseetrail", the lower part of which leads directly past the lake, is a great option for trail days followed by a spa. Optionally, you can also extend the tour with the Marienberg cable car. Interesting for multi-day tours with mountain railway support: The Blindseetrail is also part of the Bikeschaukel Tirol - stage no. 5 (single trail variant) from Lermoos to Seefeld.
The region is clearly geared towards bike tourism. There are several designated bike hotels which, for example, have a small workshop or a bike cellar for safe storage of the equipment. The sports shops in the region sell hardtails, fullys and, of course, the appropriate safety equipment.
The large number of touring options in combination with the lifts should also be emphasised. All of the listed summer lifts in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena bikes with a valid ticket at no extra charge:
Maps are available at the local tourist offices, and in addition to all this there is also the "Z-Ticket" with various mountain rides and many additional offers. This can be purchased or is included free of charge with overnight stays in partner hotels. This is particularly interesting for touring bikers. You can find more mountain bike tours in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena in the online tour portal of the region.
