Medium power assist level and a low gear
It is a glorious autumn day, in places the trails are completely covered with snow and ice – all a new experience on an electric mountain bike. On a conventional mountain bike the altitude gain of almost 1400 metres would have been absolute torture with plenty of sections where the bikes had to be carried or pushed. Our electric mountain bikes with their wide 27.5 inch tyres provided a totally new riding experience. Gebhard shows me which setting to use on the bike in order to make the best progress: "Medium power assist level and a low gear will get you safely through the deepest snow," says Gebhard with a smile.
After leaving the village behind, we tick off our first metres of ascent by traversing an ultra-steep alpine meadow. This is one of those bits where you really don't want to fall off! As on a ski route, Gebhard leads me carefully and safely upwards, moving in a zigzag pattern. The wide tyres provide the necessary grip. "As a mountain farmer I have mowed thousands of hectares of these steep meadows," Gebhard informs me in a calm voice. Every summer for the first 17 years of his life was spent on his parents' hill farm, and he knows the Sölden Valley like the back of his hand.
We turn onto a steep and technical single track. The surface is soft and also loose in places. Despite the fact that we are carrying heavy equipment on our backs, thanks to the maximum assist level we manage to negotiate the trail without any problems. But not without working up a sweat. Gebhard explains that the Focus Jarifa Fat with its EVO RS Impulse motor gives him 3000 to 4000 metres of altitude gain on a single battery charge.
Snow guns and cable car pylons mark the uphill route through the skiing area. The sun is still strong enough to turn the drag tracks into soft, slushy strips of mud. Time and time again there are steep icy sections that bring a fearful sweat to my brow. If my wheel slides away now I'll be toast ... But the bike works its way safely uphill with gentle pressure on the pedals, and I can enjoy the view of the steadily approaching face of the glacier.