Three Weeks, One Van, Half the Alps: Back in Europe
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Not a clean travelogue, more of a diary. 21 days from Northern Germany all the way to Munich, driving the van through the Alps, one trail after another – and the feeling of finally being home again. Even if home this time was a parking lot with a mountain view.
Half a year in Panama gets into your bones. Not in a bad way – but at some point you're stuck, and the world out there keeps moving without you. When I finally climbed into the van in Northern Germany on May 27th and headed south, it was more than a trip. It was arriving. Van life again, at last. Europe again, at last.
And the first thing I noticed was almost banal: everything here just works. Gas stations where the card simply goes through. Roads without potholes you could sink a motorcycle into. People who are friendly without you having to know how things work first. You only realize how much you missed it once you've gone half a year without it.
The Bodensee Corner: Where the World Is Still in Order
On the 28th I was at Johannes's place. He moved near Lake Constance half a year ago, to the Austrian side, and by now I understand very well why. The area has something. Rural, cozy and laid-back, friendly people, the food at the butcher's better than at most restaurants I know. The world still seems to be in order there.
We spent a few days together, went biking in Brandnertal and over in Lenzerheide, and went swimming in the Alter Rhein in between. Exactly the mix a summer like this needs – trails in the morning, water in the afternoon, nothing you have to do in the evening.
Reschen: My Kind of Terrain
Then Reschensee. Three days. And honestly – in riding terms that was the highlight of the first week. The terrain is exactly my style: enduro, rough, rooty, rocky, natural trails that actually lead somewhere instead of looping back to the lift. No park tarmac, no berm carousel. Just the mountain the way it grew. Seriously, seriously good. Anyone who wants to know what's really down there at the three-country corner will find it all in the Three-Country Enduro Guide.
Boys' Weekend: Six on the Mountain
Back to Johannes's, because a few friends from Hamburg and Munich came by for the weekend. In the end there were six of us on the mountain – all with completely different riding levels, from the solid all-rounder to the cautious tagalong. And it still clicked, which isn't a given. That's exactly what a weekend like this is for.
Friday Brandnertal, Saturday over to Lenzerheide, Sunday Brandnertal again. Three days, two areas, a good crew. The kind of weekend you remember in winter.
Flims: First Contact with Laax
After the boys' weekend, one more day in Flims. Stayed at a campsite that was mid-renovation but nice all the same – and mostly I scoped out the area.
Flims sits relatively high, so only one gondola was open. But you notice right away that you're in Switzerland: the lift is super modern, and as you get on you already have to decide how far up you're going – currently three, later probably four different exit points. I went up twice. The first time the Segnes and the Runca Trail – two really long descents, around 7 km together.
Then the Stairway to Heaven. Absolutely gorgeous landscape. The way to the start runs through high-alpine terrain, with the glacier still jutting in below – super cool. A bit rocky at the start, with a short hike-a-bike section, but the trail, the view and the panorama more than made up for it.
A cool first contact with Flims/Laax. The area is definitely going on the come-back list – there are still plenty of trails waiting for me, Nagens and Neverend for example. I would have liked to stay another day, but the weather turned. So instead I picked out that campsite in Sölden.
Sölden: Snow in June
On to Sölden, four days. The weather was poor for two of them, but that bothered me surprisingly little. I was at this really good campsite with a wellness area and sauna, did a bit of work, knocked out some tasks, hit the weight room, then the sauna. Exactly the kind of days van life sometimes needs so the rest doesn't fray.
Then it cleared up, and I had a lot of fun up top. What surprised me: in mid-June there was still so much snow up on the mountain that one of the trails was closed. The upper section was impressive – that combination of snowfields and trail beneath them is something you don't see often. Sölden in general: cool. More character than its reputation suggests – see the Sölden Guide.
Lermoos & Blindsee: While It's Still There
From Sölden I went to Lermoos, mainly for the Blindsee Trail – which will probably be closed to bikers next year. What nonsense. I don't agree with it at all, I think it's just plain stupid, but apparently hikers bring in more money than bikers. That's how they justify locking us out.
I stayed at the campsite in Biberwier, and it was really nice: 23 € a night in the motorhome harbor, cozy, a view of the Zugspitze, super friendly staff, decent sanitary facilities. That's how it should be.
Then I rode the Blindsee Trail, while it's still there – rocky, lots of scree, in parts it reminded me of the DH Men in Finale Ligure. Both legendary trails, each in its own way. And then that one moment: in Finale, at some point the view of the sea opens up; here in Lermoos, the view of the lake. That combination of mountains and water has something magical about it – sea or mountain lake, it doesn't matter.
At the end of the trail I went for a swim and rode around the Blindsee, plus a few other trails in Lermoos. All of it was fun. And that's exactly why the planned closure stings: this is not a trail you replace.
Saalbach: Descents Without End
From there straight to Saalbach – a longer haul, three hours. And then: what an area. The trails here are absurdly long. A few examples, because otherwise you'd hardly believe it:
The Hacklberg Trail alone is 5.3 km long with 550 vertical meters of descent – and you're still nowhere near the valley. After that you tack on the Bucheck Trail, another 3.3 km with 388 vertical meters. That makes almost 9 km in one go with over 900 vertical meters. Or the Zwölfer Skyline Trail: 6 km, just under 500 vertical meters, and even then you're only at the valley station and take the Z-Line afterwards – another nearly 4 km with 400 vertical meters. Ten kilometers of descent in one shot.
One day I did exactly two climbs – once up to the Zwölfer Skyline, once to the Hacklberg. Basically two descents. By the end there were 20 km of descending and 2,000 vertical meters on the clock. Where else do you get that?
And there was noticeably more going on here than in Sölden, for instance. I was there midweek, and on the trails you don't notice any of it – that's not a negative – but down in the village there's plenty on offer: restaurants open, ice cream shops, stores, bike shops, a lively pedestrian zone. One day I headed over to Leogang. All told I stayed three days, four nights. I'll definitely come back – just not quite as long.
One thing on the side: with the Gravity Card I don't really need Saalbach's Joker Card, but I pay for it anyway through the accommodation. My pitch was more of a parking lot and cost as much as that great campsite with wellness in Sölden for 40 €. The providers can't help it – they probably have to hand over 15–20 € a night to the town for that card. I just don't like paying for something I don't use. A matter of principle. It takes nothing away from the great trails.
Munich: Finally Back in the Water
Finally to Munich, to visit my buddies. A day of surfing the O2 Welle – finally back in the water, finally a board under my feet again. I hadn't done that in ages. In an artificial wave it's a whole story of its own – but more on that now that I've actually been there.
The Tally: 16 Bike Days, 8 Areas
21 days in the Alps, 16 of them on the bike. Three weeks across Austria and Switzerland, eight different areas – and all of it with the Gravity Card. It paid for itself easily: had I bought a day ticket every single day, I'd have landed at one and a half times the price of the card. Here's the counter bill I saved myself:
| Date | Area | Day pass |
|---|---|---|
| 29 May | Brandnertal | 58 € |
| 31 May | Lenzerheide | 61 € |
| 1 Jun | Three-Country Enduro Trails | 50.50 € |
| 2 Jun | Three-Country Enduro Trails | 50.50 € |
| 3 Jun | Three-Country Enduro Trails | 50.50 € |
| 5 Jun | Brandnertal | 58 € |
| 6 Jun | Lenzerheide | 61 € |
| 7 Jun | Brandnertal | 58 € |
| 8 Jun | Flims | 65 € |
| 11 Jun | Sölden | 61.50 € |
| 13 Jun | Sölden | 61.50 € |
| 14 Jun | Sölden | 61.50 € |
| 15 Jun | Lermoos | 42 € |
| 16 Jun | Saalbach | 66 € |
| 17 Jun | Saalbach | 66 € |
| 18 Jun | Leogang | 66 € |
| Total | 16 days | 937 € |
And what was on the clock at the end, according to Strava – gondola vertical included, of course:
| Week | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 158 km | 8,346 m |
| 2 | 223 km | 13,055 m |
| 3 | 11 km | 10,844 m |
| 4 | 142 km | 10,421 m |
| Total | 534 km | 42,666 m |
Just over 530 kilometers, more than 42,000 vertical meters, one van, one bike. Not bad for three weeks that mostly felt less like performance and more like summer.
Three weeks, one van, half the Alps. Trails that were exactly my thing, a couple that weren't, a crew of old friends, cold water on hot days, and that quiet, good feeling of being back where things work and people are friendly. After half a year in Panama, that was exactly the plan. And it worked out.
Written on the road, early summer 2026. Setup for the curious: Amflow PL e-enduro, 170 mm, Öhlins RFX 38, EXT Coil, Continental Kryptotal. Van over hotel, always.