World-class
mountain biking

But of course that is not all – because, for bikers, the trails are key. And the Upper Engadine has trails in abundance. Pampel’s favourite tour leads over the Alp Muntatsch on Marguns to Trais Fluors and then over Fuorcla Valletta back to the valley. Not exactly a beginner’s tour, he admits: "But the beauty of the Upper Engadine is that there are suitable routes for every taste. From the relaxed ride to Val Roseg, to an almost vertical climb to Hahnensee." Pampel’s guests are as diverse as the trails: groups of friends who come for an exciting and fun-packed weekend, families who stay for a week, or trail junkies, travelling alone, who go on all-day tours with the bike school.

And they all enjoy the services provided by the Pontresina bike hotels. Pampel, for example, offers his bike guests a bike test centre, a secure bike garage complete with  workshop and cleaning equipment. Furthermore, bikers can drop off their clothes at the laundry until 20:00 – and get them back freshly laundered the next morning at 08:00. The hotelier also likes to give personal tour tips – and provides the corresponding GPS data together with loaner-GPS. After their tour, famished bikers can replenish their energy with something from the gourmet menu – and for the die-hard bike enthusiasts, Pampel has a choice of options: "For hard-core bikers, we offer isotonic drinks and special carbohydrate and high-protein meals. We are prepared for their needs." Well then, happy trails!