Canto alto Dh x5 esagerate!

Ascent from Sedrina to Canto Alto

Follow the old railroad tracks to reach Sedrina, where the real climb begins just a few meters down the road.

You’ll immediately enter a beautiful trail through the woods with steep gradients.

With an E-MTB, most of the climb is rideable, but don’t mistake it for an easy climb: there are sections where you’ll need the motor, technical skill, and balance.

Near Prati Parini, there’s a short section of about 20 meters where you’ll usually need to dismount and push.

Once past this point, continue toward Canto Alto.

Final climb to Croce

Once you reach the base of the summit, there’s still about 100 meters of elevation gain remaining.

With an e-MTB, a good portion of it is still rideable, but it requires considerable technical skill.

The final 20–30 meters up to the Croce del Canto Alto, however, must be done on foot, on a steep slope.

On an e-MTB, you can mostly push the bike, though in the final meters you may need to assist by leaning more heavily on the bike.

On a regular MTB, the entire climb is even more challenging, and the sections that can be ridden with motor assistance can easily turn into sections where you have to push or carry the bike.

As a rough estimate, it takes about 90 minutes to reach the summit from Sedrina on an E-MTB.

Canto Alto - Canto Basso: S4

The most technical part of the route begins immediately at Croce.

The descent toward Canto Basso is essentially S4, mostly on compact, stable rock.

It’s not just two or three isolated difficult sections: it’s a descent that requires sustained technical skill.

There are steps, rock gardens, switchbacks, and numerous lines that are worth studying before tackling them.

The advantage is that the terrain, especially when in good condition, is generally solid and predictable. If you know the lines and have the necessary technical skill, the descent is practically all rideable.

However, those who are usually pushed to their limits on the S3 should be aware that here they’re likely to have to dismount frequently.

Following this route, you turn left to avoid the large rock steps of the classic ascent, which are significantly more extreme.

After a few hairpin turns and a short traverse, you’ll reach the area around the mountain hut.

Rock garden and arrival at Canto Basso

Turn right, and after about twenty meters of another very technical section, take the trail on the left.

The descent continues with several interesting sections until you reach a beautiful rock garden.

Here, it’s generally best to stay on the right-hand side.

When you reach the small gully—which is too narrow to ride comfortably on a bike—take the parallel trail a few meters higher up, which rejoins the main path immediately afterward.

This brings you to Canto Basso, marking the end of the most technically challenging section of the entire route.

Canto Basso – Forcella del Sorriso

From Canto Basso, the difficulty drops significantly.

You descend toward Forcella del Sorriso, alternating between flowing, fast sections and a few more technical passages.

The difficulty is mostly S2 with a few S3 sections.

Compared to the first descent, you can finally let the bike roll more freely, although the S3 sections still warrant caution.

It’s a much more accessible and enjoyable descent, even for those who don’t have the skill level needed to ride the entire stretch from Canto Alto while seated.

Catene Trail

Once over the ridge, you reach the Catene Trail.

It’s a very rocky, bumpy, and physically demanding trail, mostly S3.

The difficulty stems not so much from the presence of individual extreme sections as from the terrain, which is constantly undulating and forces you to work your arms and legs hard.

If you start out too fast, it’s easy to get carried away by the speed and miss the correct turn.

At the Madonnina, turn right.

From here begins a very fun mid-slope connector, particularly enjoyable on an e-MTB.

Connecting Trails and Final Descents

Following the trail, you continue toward the Sorisole area, alternating between short climbs and fun connecting sections.

There’s also a short section with several jumps—it’s a lot of fun to ride and mostly rideable on an e-MTB.

From here, you enter the network of trails in the lower section and link up the day’s final descents by following the trail.

The character changes compared to Canto Alto: the trails gradually become faster and less extreme, but they remain fun and let you keep riding practically until the very end of the ride.

You’ll pass through the Pisgiù area, intersect with the trails in the Galgù area, and finish with the DH Easy / Sant’Anna.

For these final descents, the difficulty remains roughly at theS3 level, with simpler and smoother sections.

The old Hard variant is no longer worth considering, as it has been abandoned and is not part of this route.

How difficult is it really?

This route requires you to clearly distinguish the first descent from the rest of the trail.

Canto Alto – Canto Basso: True S4 and fairly continuous. Stable rock, but with steps, rock gardens, and technical sections. You need experience at this level to ride it smoothly.

Canto Basso to Forcella del Sorriso: predominantly S2 with some S3 sections.

Sentiero Catene: S3, very rocky and physically demanding but without a succession of extreme sections.

Lower-section trail: mostly S2/S3 and S3, faster and smoother.

Riders with an S3 skill level who don’t normally tackle S4 can still complete the loop, though they should be aware that on the first descent they’ll likely have to dismount several times.

Therefore, you shouldn’t use the average of the five descents to assess the ride: the section from Canto Alto to Canto Basso is significantly more difficult than everything that follows.

Climb and Walking Sections

The climb also warrants some clarification.

On an E-MTB, the ride is highly rideable, but there is a short push section near Prati Parini and the final 20–30 meters below the Cross, which are steep and more challenging, where you may even need to carry your bike on your shoulder.

With a standard MTB, the situation changes significantly: the gradients on the uphill trails are steep, and what is rideable on an E-MTB requires a very high level of physical and technical fitness.

Therefore, this ride should not be judged solely on the basis of its 1,300 m of elevation gain.

In summary

A very physically and technically demanding ride, almost entirely off-road and featuring a variety of trails that’s hard to find so close to the city.

The climb is tough, and you have to earn every descent, but precisely for this reason, the approximately 1,300 m of elevation gain is much more challenging than the number might suggest.

The highlight is undoubtedly the descent from Canto Alto to Canto Basso, a rocky, technical, and continuous S4 trail that offers great satisfaction to those with the necessary skill level.

From there on, the route becomes progressively more accessible: S2/S3 toward Forcella del Sorriso, a rocky S3 on Catene, and a beautiful series of trails in the lower section leading to the Easy DH.

If you love technical all-mountain riding, this route is definitely worth doing more than once.

Technical Details

Trail Style: AM / Enduro

Elevation gain: approximately 1,300 m D+

E-MTB duration: about 4 hours

Duration (MTB): about 5–6 hours

MTB: Yes, but the climb is very challenging

E-MTB: Yes, highly recommended

E-MTB rideability: Very high

Pushing/carrying: short stretch near Prati Parini + last 20–30 m below the Cross; may need to carry the bike for the final few meters

E-MTB climb difficulty: High due to steep gradients and technical sections

MTB climb difficulty: Very high

Canto Alto – Canto Basso: S4, technical and fairly continuous

Canto Basso – Forcella del Sorriso: S2 with S3 sections

Catene Trail: S3, rocky and physically demanding

Final descents: mostly S2/S3–S3

Maximum difficulty: S4

Terrain: mostly rocky, with several rock gardens

Physical demand: High

Technical difficulty: High, especially on the first descent

Hard Variant: Not to be considered; currently abandoned