Croda del Becco / Seekofel Bike & Hike From the South

Overall

It's a great tour and using bikes make it even greater. It enables you a fast return, allowing to have more time to enjoy the beauties of Sennes plateau and the high summit above it. The views from the summit are also magnificent.

Grading the Tour

I will not grade the biking difficulties, but will still mention that the road to Fodara Vedla meadow is really very steep (35%).

The real hike up is only from the highest hut, from Rif. Biella. By the Swiss Hiking Scale it would be graded T3. But that refers only to the key section, the steep passage on the ridge, which is also secured by chains (a bit exposed section too). The rest of the ascent is T2 and the whole hike up takes you less than 1 h 30 min (483 m af altitude gain). Of course you will need much more time to gain the Biella hut (by bike or on foot).

Approach

You start the Tour at Rif. Pederu (1548 m), free parking place.

Route Description

	If from Rif. Pederu you look towards the East, you see only vertical walls and very steep woods. You would never imagine, that over this slopes a road leads. Nevertheless for military purpuses (World War I) they built an up to 35% steep road, which I can't imagine to ride with a bike upwards. But it will go downwards, so go ahead, take your heavy rucksack and walk up for an hour (a little more than 400 meters of altitude). The road ascends in many hairpins and because it is narrow, take care of eventual bikers who drive downwards. After you reach the Sennes Plateau, the road becomes less steep and you soon reach the meadow of Fodara Vedla.	See full screen
	Now the road becomes less steep, but some slopes will still require quite some power. The road is still quite good, only on some places the rubble is too soft. The marked path cuts the curves, especially in lower sections. So, you cycle up to the crossroads below Rif. Sennes (2116 m). There we found a nice hill where we set up a tent. On a one day tour that would not be needed, but we came there in late afternoon.
	From below Sennes hut the road turns again into a NE direction, detouring a flat ridge which lowers down from the high plateau. So, biking up we reach a point where the road, now already a rugged cart-road, turns around the ridge and there the first time the southern wall of Seekofel shows. The road is more and more rugged, hard to drive up. Now it goes again towards the NW, just towards the south wall.

South slabs of Seekofel

When the road reaches the south wall of Seekofel you will have enough curiosity to go and explore that phaenomenon. Getting closer you will see that in those limestone slabs water has carved millions of channels. A really picturesque landmark of the area! After exploring a bit the place, you return on the road and do the last ascent to Rif. Biella - again in the NE direction. That section is verry rugged and on a few places also steep.

Joerg Marretsch - Summit ridge

At Rif. Biella / Seekofelhuette, 2327 m, you leave your bike (what you were anyway hardly waiting) and start to climb towards the top over Seekofel's SE ridge. The path is good marked and not difficult, only on one place, where the ridge becomes narrow and exposed, the route is secured with steel chains. After that "crux" (not difficult at all), the ridge becomes less steep. The path starts going below it, on the southern side, of course. You are a bit surprised that you still need to walk some time on top, because the highest point is quite towards the west. Still, from the hut to the top you'll need less than 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Biking Down. To Rif Biella you descend by the same route, then you start biking down. At the beginning biking down is not a great pleasure, but it goes much faster than if you'd walk. Later you can gain some speed, but at Fodara Vedla the fun is over. If you don't have good brakes, don't dare to cycle this road down! But believe me, it goes, also with a 20 kilo rucksack on your shoulder.

Essential Gear

Mountain bike with perfect brakes.