Pradella (versione normale)

A truly unique and distinctive Alpine ride that connects the Valgoglio area with Lago Nero, the Aviasco Lakes, the Pradella area, and finally Val Sanguigno, creating a fairly direct and unconventional route. This is not a ride to be underestimated: in addition to the technical difficulty of the descent, there are several sections requiring you to carry your bike, alpine terrain, and a few short stretches where carrying an e-bike can be very challenging. It is therefore a route intended for those who already have experience with this type of ride. The route starts in Valgoglio, at about 960 m, initially climbing on paved road. At a certain point, you leave the main road via a shortcut that significantly shortens the climb, saving about a quarter of an hour. This section is very short—about fifty meters—but quite steep, with a surface of concrete and laid stones. Once past the shortcut, you’ll enter an agricultural and forestry trail—this time unpaved—which continues to climb at a steep gradient.

Note on the GPS track: During the first part of the climb on a hardtail mountain bike (EMTB), it’s best not to follow the recorded track exactly, but to continue along the road for a short distance to gain a few meters of rideable elevation before taking the next trail. The track, on the other hand, climbs more directly, forcing you to start carrying your bike sooner without any real advantage.

On a standard MTB, however, the advantage is that you’ll be climbing on a trail with a less slippery surface and therefore easier to walk on

Once the rideable section ends, the true alpine stretch begins: from here, you’ll carry your bike on your shoulder and continue along the trail. You’ll reach the Capanna Lago Nero (1,945 m), where there’s a fountain and thus the chance to refill your water supply, and just above Lago Nero (2,013 m). From Lago Nero, continue with the bike on your shoulder until you reach the distinctive flat stretch that follows the pipeline. It’s essentially a paved strip about 1–1.5 meters wide that crosses the slope while maintaining roughly the same elevation. Follow the pipeline and then turn right onto the trail that climbs toward Pradella. This section poses no particular problems for those accustomed to riding in alpine terrain. There are a couple of slightly more challenging sections, but they’re fairly manageable on a mountain bike; on an e-bike, they’re naturally more tiring due to the weight. Once you’ve cleared the climb, you’ll tackle a short, fairly smooth descent that leads to the area behind Lake Aviasco (2,070 m), in the Cinque Laghi region.

Alternatives in the Cinque Laghi area

From this area, there are several options:

• Classic Route: Those who wish to avoid the most direct route proposed by the trail can follow the classic route, which partially crosses the Cinque Laghi area. It’s a more obvious route, characterized by several ups and downs, but it still leads to the same area.
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• Direct route (main trail): The suggested route takes a more direct line toward the upper part of Aviasco. There isn’t always a well-defined trail here: you’ll mainly be traveling across broad grassy slopes and meadows, where you can choose your ascent route fairly freely. This option mainly allows you to shorten the trip and, especially on an e-bike, can be more practical than the classic trail that climbs further to the right toward the Aviasco Pass.
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• Pradella–Lake Zelt Variant: For those who want to make things even more challenging, you can skip this route and climb directly toward Mount Pradella (2,626 m). In this case, I recommend following the other trail that passes by Lake Zelt. However, this is a significantly more complex and challenging route than the one described here: before tackling it, I recommend reading the route description carefully, especially to fully understand what to expect on the most difficult sections and where you’ll need to carry your bike.
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High Traverse

Continuing instead on the main route, once you reach the upper part of Aviasco, the most challenging section of the climb likely begins.

You’ll first tackle a traverse with little elevation gain, but on decidedly more alpine terrain. Part of it winds through large boulders—generally quite stable—over which you’ll need to walk while carrying your bike and carefully choosing where to place your feet. On a standard MTB, this section is challenging but manageable for those accustomed to carrying their bikes. On an e-bike, however, the extra weight makes the traverse significantly more demanding.

Fortunately, the worst part is very short: the last 20–30 meters are quite steep and have loose ground. On an e-bike, this section can be truly challenging. Once you’ve passed these few meters, however, the main difficulties of the climb are practically over.

From this area, you can opt to leave your bike and hike to some of the surrounding peaks. For the Cima Orientale di Valsanguigno, you should allow at least an additional hour for the round trip. Another option is to reach the summit of Pradella (2,626 m). In either case, it’s not worth taking your bike to the summit, as there’s nothing to gain from a cycling perspective.

Continue on, joining the high trail that passes above Lago Gelato (approx. 2,417 m).

Descent from Lago Gelato S5

From this point, the most technically challenging part of the entire route begins.

The first section of the descent reaches S5 difficulty and requires advanced technical skills. This isn’t just a single isolated section: the difficulty remains high for a stretch, even if interspersed with sections that are a pleasure to ride.

There is also a non-rideable section where you must carry the bike down a step of about 1.5–2 meters. With a lightweight MTB and using the correct technique, the bike can be handled fairly easily. With an e-bike, the situation changes significantly: for this reason, it’s advisable to tackle the route with at least one other person, so you can help each other at the few points where the bike’s weight becomes a real problem.

Once you reach the Lago Gelato area, pay special attention to a fork in the trail: do not take the trail that descends directly toward Val Sanguigno on the right, but keep left and follow the trail.

From here, the nature of the descent changes and the difficulty decreases significantly. There are still numerous technical sections—roughly S3+/S4 with some S4 sections—but the terrain becomes much more manageable and often allows you to choose different lines.

It’s one of the most beautiful stretches of the route. The terrain features numerous granite slabs with excellent grip, and often different approaches are possible at the same spot: you can seek out the more challenging line by riding directly over rocks and ledges, or simplify the passage by using the edge of the trail and the grassy areas. It is therefore a technical descent, but also a very creative one, where rather than being forced to follow a single line, you can often choose how challenging to make the passage.

Stagno della Corna and Val Sanguigno

You then continue toward Stagno della Corna. In this section, the route is not yet a continuous descent: there are some ups and downs and short climbs where you may need to get off your bike and push.

Once past the Stagno della Corna area, the terrain changes definitively and the descent becomes progressively easier. As you lose elevation, the difficulty decreases to roughly S2, though there are still a few more technical sections here and there that keep the ride interesting.

Once you enter the lower part of Val Sanguigno, the trail becomes significantly smoother and faster, with sections where you can pick up speed and several scattered technical sections. After the challenging upper section, here you can finally let the bike roll more freely.

You’ll finally reach the Gianpace Mountain Hut (1,331 m). From the hut, there are two options for finishing the descent:

• Right side: The route on the right side of the stream remains more technical.
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• Left side: The route on the left side is more accessible and flows better. It still has some steep and technical sections, but overall it allows for faster riding until the end of the ride.
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In summary

This is a true alpine mountain bike ride, where you must factor in not only the difficulty of the descent but also plenty of portage, crossings over rocky terrain, a few sections off particularly well-defined trails, and short passages where you’ll need to maneuver the bike.

The ride is still possible on an e-bike, but some sections in the upper part become significantly more challenging due to the weight. In particular, keep in mind the short, steep, and loose section at the end of the traverse and the large step in the first part of the descent.

The difficulty of the descent should not be underestimated either: the initial section above Lago Gelato reaches S5, while it subsequently transitions to a long S3+/S4 section and finally to progressively lower difficulty levels as you descend into Val Sanguigno.

It is precisely this variety that characterizes the route: a long climb up to the high-mountain environment, a demanding and technical central section, and finally a descent that, as it loses elevation, becomes progressively faster and smoother.

Technical Details

• Trail Style: All Mountain / Technical / Adventure
• Personal Rating: Views 8/10 ? Descent 8/10
• MTB: Yes
• E-MTB: Not recommended, but possible with experience
• Duration: About 8 hours
• Portage: Approximately 1,000 m elevation gain on MTB; with E-MTB, it depends on the motor and the rider’s ability
• Ascent difficulty: Very challenging
• Descent difficulty: S4, with an S5 section in the upper part and a more flow-oriented final section down to S2
• Exposure: Generally moderate; be careful on some very steep sections
• Terrain: Best on dry rock
• Water: Lago Nero Hut, Gianpace Refuge, and various streams along the descent

Difficulty note: The S4 rating indicates the overall difficulty, not the maximum difficulty. The first part of the descent from Lago Gelato features S5 sections and a non-rideable section where you’ll need to carry your bike. Therefore, this route should not be considered a standard S3+/S4 route.