Away from the world with the e-bike

Someone may say that the e-bike is not a real bike.
Speaking about mtb, those who arrive at the top pushing on the pedals with their muscles only, they barely say hi to “those of the e-bike”.
Different tribes. Too easy, they say.
However, it’s not always like this.

I’m one of those people that like to toil, one of those that really enjoy the descent in mtb, but only if plenty deserved with the sweat of the ascent. My thought has always been this, and I have to admit that I was part of that group of riders that see the e-bike as an “easier” tool, a tool made to enable the less trained people to enjoy some good trip in the mountains. But I’m trained, I don’t need the e-bike.
However, when speaking with the Livigno MTB Guides, I got to know about the Carosello 3000 Wild Goat Experience, I was curious: knowing the area it was immediately clear that the places we’d have reached were much further than those I usually aim with my mountain bike, and the descents that we’d have faced were in places hardly reachable from the masses.
It seemed a kind of extreme experience, hence I decided to go.

The following day I got an e-bike and I left with the guides toward the Federia Valley, in the Carosello 3000 backcountry, the wildest area in Livigno: a valley that starts just above the village and reaches peaks of 3000m, at the border with Switzerland.
A valley where, after the first part with the beautiful “tee” (Livigno typical wood houses), you are surrounded by wonderful nature where you can easily meet marmots, lammergeyer (a big alpine raptor) and ibexes.

The trail chosen for the Wild Goat goes up toward Switzerland, with really hard gradients: the electric motor helps, but to reach the top also strength and resistance are needed. Here the landscape opens to far peaks, until the Stelvio mountain. We got closer to the Cassana Hut, unfortunately closed, and we entered in the swiss territory. From here, for dozens km in every direction there’s nothing, and going on for some hours, we’d end up in Engadin.

We follow an incredible ridge above the valley and the trail soon turns into a dreamy single track: infinite, never too technical and less frequented.
Turn after turn, on a natural terrain that seems to be conceived by a God passionate of mtb, after more than half an hour downhill, we arrive at Malga Federia, where we savored local products, good wine and a coffee. And then up again to Carosello 3000, and from there down, on the trails of the Mountain park, Enduro and Blueberry line, arriving back in Livigno.

One of the best tour I’ve ever made, considering the variety, length, drop and quality of the trails. Thanks to the e-bike I reached a surreal environment, where humans are still temporary guests, that can only stop and admire the wonder of nature.

Andrea Benesso