PlanetSKI Goes Hiking & E-Mountain Biking in the Tirol

27th June 2023 | James Cove, The Tirol.

Last modified on August 2nd, 2023

We’re continuing our summer Tour of the Tirol in St Johann. We’ve been E-mountain biking & now we’re hiking. Summer in the Alps…UPDATED

PlanetSKI in St Johann: Part Two

We spent our first day in St Johann E-mountain biking and have posted a blog about it lower down this article.

Now we are lacing up our hiking boots to walk to the summit of Kitzbuheler Horn at 1,996m.

We made the decision during beers after our day out cycling.

Summer in St Johann. Image © PlanetSKI

PlanetSKI in St Johann: Part Two.

All plans are made to be changed and that’s exactly what we did as we looked at the summit of the Kitzbuheler Horn when we arrived at its base.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

The steepness didn’t bother us, but the number of people on the route did.

Look closely and it resembles the numbers heading up Everest on a busy summit day.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

We turned left instead and chose a hike through The Alpine Meadow.

Hiking in the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI

It was aptly named as the flowers were stunning, along with the views.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

I have never been one for ticking boxes and sticking to plans, whether on skis or on foot.

If the circumstances are not as I thought they might be then plans are adjusted accordingly.

Heading though the Alpine Meadow proved a very good call.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

We strode on with few others around.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

But we weren’t the only ones enjoying this uncrowded side of the mountain.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

It was stunning scenery.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

Mountain hiking is right up there with skiing in my view.

Obviously totally different, but what a way to enjoy the Alps.

And check out this video view from our lunch spot.

Now what about the flowers in The Alpine Meadow?

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

I recognise some and have no idea what others are, but I know fabulous wild flowers when I see them.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

Walking and hiking are extremely popular in the summer in St Johann and the reason many people come to the area.

“A hiking tour might take you through flower-filled alpine meadows, crystal-clear mountain lakes, thundering waterfalls or you might traverse high summits and deep gorges,” said a statement from the local tourist office.

It is possible to hike them on your own as we are doing or there are numerous organised walks.

One special route is the Koase Trail.

It’s a long-distace path over 86kms with 4,700m of ascent.

It starts near St Johann and takes around five-days to complete.

St Johann is also the start of the Adlerweg route – it is 420kms long and is the king of all long-distance hiking routes in the Tirol .

The start of the Kitzbuler Alpen trail (106kms or 76-kms) is at St Johann.

Hiking is a serious business in this part of the Tirol.

On our way down we hiked some of the same paths we had been E-biking on earlier and again admired the ski slopes in the summer – resplendent in their wild flower covering .

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

When we returned to the middle station at 1,200mm there seemed only one way to complete the final descent back to town.

A mountain kart.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

The drop down to the resort is 3.8km with a vertical descent of 500m.

And when back in St Johann it was time for a drink out our favourite apreas ski bars – Max.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

It is slightly busier in the winter months.

St Johann in winter. Image © PlanetSKI

Which brings us on to the difference between ski resorts in the summer and the winter.

In short they are an entirely different experience and attract different types of people.

Check out when we were last in St Johann back in March 2022:

PlanetSKI postcard from St Johann

The town of St Johann is steeped in history.

It was originally part of Bavaria but in 1505 it fell to the control of the Tirol under Emperor Maximilian I.

In 1875 the railway came to town and it received a huge economic boost.

Now it has a thriving tourist industry – in winter and summer.

Its centre is a treat or ancient Tirolean architect.

St Johann in summer. Image © PlanetSKI

Next stop on our summer Tour of the Tirol is Kitzbuhel with its beautiful town centre and stunning mountains around it.

We’re going to hike the Streif race course, scene of the annual Hahnekamm races.

Kitzbuhel, the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI

Do check back….

PlanetSKI in St Johann: Part One

We’ve been on skis and now we’re on wheels.

We went on skis high up on the slopes of the Hintertux glacier, and we also went deep into the same glacier on a visit to Nature’s Ice Palace.

PlanetSKI goes summer skiing on a glacier + exploring 30m deep inside it

Hintertux in the summer. Image © PlanetSKI

Now we’ve headed east, over to St Johann, and first on our list of activities is E-mountain biking.

Summer in St Johann. Image © PlanetSKI

PlanetSKI in St Johann: Part One

Now we need to get this debate out of the way immediately.

Using an e-bike is not cheating.

It takes you further afield, up some steep gradients and allows you to enjoy more of the mountains.

Would you rather be the two speeding up the hill in this video or the two puffing away?

Be honest.

I know which one I would rather be.

Right, now we have got that debate settled once and for all we’ll look at the experience, plus the massive growth in the activity.

We’re E-biking in the stunning mountains around St Johann in the Tirol.

We collected our bikes from the main Intersport rental shop in the town, Intersport Patrick.

It now rents out more E-bikes than conventional bikes.

Summer in St Johann. Image © PlanetSKI

The cost is €49 (£42) for a day (Book your Bike HERE. Quote PlanetSKIBike for discount)

I reckon that is pretty good value.

Out of interest if I had wanted to buy this E-bike would set me back around £5,000.

We are off on a full day out with a local mountain bike guide, Christian Vogel.

He explained how the E-bike worked.

First we were off for a bit of training at Kurt Exenberger centre in nearby Oberndorf.

Summer in St Johann. Image © PlanetSKI

E-bikes are different from normal bikes.

The first thing you notice is the weight.

They come in at around 20kg, that’s more than twice the weight of a regular bike and that makes steering and braking different – especially when going downhill.

Breaking is key, according to Christian.

Then we were off.

A route for the day was up a steep black run to Stanglalam. We cycled to its start from St Joahnn and then it’s 4km uphill via Haslach.

We then returned back down on a red route and headed back to St Johann, making the 6-hour ride (including lunch) a circular experience.

Summer in St Johann. Image © PlanetSKI

“The great thing about e-biking is that everyone can do it and people are able to cover so much more ground in the same time,” said Christian.

“I have seen a sharp growth in recent years and it just gets more and more popular.”

There are over 200kms of road and mountain bike paths in the St Johann area.

It should be pointed out that you have to pedal an E-bike – the more you put in the more you get out.

If you don’t pedal the bike stops.

The E-bike allows you to choose the amount of effort you want to put in as Christian detailed in the earlier video.

I opted for mid-range effort most of the time and enjoyed the fabulous scenery in this part of the Tirol.

Instead of starring at the road a few meters ahead with sweat pouring off my brow, I was soaking up the scenery as I ascended to Stanglalam.

I stopped not for a rest, but to savour the moment.

You can also chat merrily away to your cycling companions as you pedal uphill.

Lunch was at Stanglalam – one of my favourites in the resort.

Not least for the views.

Then it was downhill.

Coming down paths that crossed the slopes that I am more used to skiing in the winter.

I was last skiing here in the winter of 2022.

PlanetSKI’s postcard from St Johann

Now I’m back in summer.

As mentioned earlier the bikes are heavy affairs so you need to concentrate, especially on loose gravel.

All too soon our day ended, and we reflected on one of the best days we had experienced in St Johann– winter or summer.

St Johann, Tirol, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

As we celebrated with a beer (or three) at a roof top bar in town, The Cube, we laid our hiking plans around St Johann for the next day as we continue our summer tour in the Tirol.

The summit of the Kitzbuheler Horn at 1,996m was winking at us, so that is where we going.

It looks like a decent enough hike.

It’s a shame no-one has invented E-hiking boots.

Follow this link for more on The Tirol.

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