Nagelfluh flow

When the Föhn wind is blowing, the journey from Altstätten to the Hoher Hirschberg reminds some people of Sisyphus - that pitiful figure from Greek mythology who never quite makes it up the mountain despite his best efforts. Whether there is a headwind or a tailwind, quite a few people choose the Appenzell Railway anyway to get from the historic market town of Altstätten to the Stoss Pass at 944 meters. The cogwheel railroad, which has been running on this route for well over 100 years, takes just ten minutes to cover the 500 meters of altitude - no E-MTB, no matter how powerful, can manage that.

It is then only 200 meters up to Hirschberg, which is rewarded with the first of four panoramic mountain restaurants and a rooty descent to Schachen. This mountain bike tour only gets a little strenuous from here onwards if you also head for the other "Höger" with their unmistakable Appenzell restaurants one after the other: Sommersberg, Gäbris, St. Anton.

Several single trails lead over the Suruggen, which have been beautifully laid out by the volunteers of the MTB Rheintal association. However, it only really gets going from St. Anton onwards. "It almost feels as if the descent lasts longer than the ascent," says Alex Gamper, whetting the appetite for the downhill. He is president of the MTB Rheintal association and, in this role, endeavors to ensure that mountain bikers enjoy a high level of acceptance among other interest groups. Today he accompanies us on this home circuit, which first leads over a narrow Nagelfluh ridge to the hamlet of Ledi. This is followed by a lively sequence of very short climbs and traverses, interspersed with fine and varied trail segments that finally end in Marbach.

Text: Jürg Buschor | Photo: Roman Jäger