In autumn 2020, we invited some nature-loving guests with large numbers of followers on their online channels to visit South Tyrol in the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage area, to experience the sustainability concept behind eBike holidays at the carbon-neutral "Steineggerhof Bio- & Bikehotel". Our guests mainly came from the travel & outdoor and food sectors with the focus on sustainability in all its various aspects.
Milena
Camilla und Tommaso
Camilla and Tommaso from 'The Pill Magazine'
Camilla and Tommaso are the brains behind 'The Pill Magazine'. The outdoor and mountain sports magazine comes out every two months and is distributed throughout Europe. You can find it in all good specialist outdoor sports shops.
Camilla and Tommaso profiled Bosch eBike athlete Greta Weithaler and mountain sports enthusiast Andi Gehring and take you on an eBike adventure in the Eggen Valley.
Andi
Andi Gehring
Andi is a mountain sportsman through and through. In summer you can find the Munich area running or cycling in the mountains; in winter on the snow. He has been thinking for a long time about how he can make his mountain sports more sustainable, not least because the winter snow is so precious to him.
Lynn
Lynn from Heavenlynnhealthy
Lynn comes from the far north of Germany. After falling ill once, she has now focused heavily on a vegan diet and a healthy lifestyle. Together with hotel director Kurt, she reinterpreted typical South Tyrolean dishes in a vegan and partly gluten-free way. The eBike was the ideal way for them to explore the region all on their own. de.heavenlynnhealthy.
Lynn's Blog
Anina
Anina from ekkoist
Anina comes from Zurich and has dedicated herself entirely to the topic of sustainability in her blog ekkoist. She is an all-round athlete, has taken to eBiking in no time at all and joined us on trails on the very first day.
Anina reports on her experiences with the eBike in the Eggen Valley and what benefits it can offer for sustainable mountain holidays from her point of view.
Anina's Blog
Kash
Kash from The Budget Traveller
Kash is a true digital nomad. He explains how to explore the world in style with little money. He always travels with his girlfriend Sabrina and a film camera. Kash turned into an enthusiastic eBiker in just three days.
Kash's Blog
Greta
Jérôme
Jérôme Clementz
After a career as downhill and Enduroathlete Jérôme now is focused on enjoying the time he spends cycling with his family. His young son Emil usually joins them on their rides in a child seat. Together with Greta he guided the tours and introduced everyone to alpine eBiking bit by bit.
Together with the South Tyrolean Greta Weithaler and Jérôme Clementz, both athletes and brand ambassadors for Bosch eBike Systems, we wanted to raise awareness for sustainable tourism among people with very different backgrounds using the eBike and get creative together.
Our goal with the Sustainability Camp was to go into the mountains with people who are really into the topics of travel and sustainability, but who wouldn't usually go with an eBike. For three days we were able to explore the region around Latemar, Karerpass and Rosengarten with the eBike and shed light on the topic of sustainability from different perspectives.
"This diverse group of people with different perspectives on the topic of sustainability was very important for us. We got new ideas about the role the eBike can play in terms of a more sustainable tourism."
Greta Weithaler
The sustainability concept at Steineggerhof
The Eggen Valley holiday region is located in the south west of the Dolomites, very close to Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol. Kurt Resch and his Bio- and Bike Hotel Steineggerhof are the ideal Starting point to spend a sustainable stay in the mountains. The Steineggerhof belongs to the hotel group of the "Biohotels", and also to the "Bike Hotels of South Tyrol". The hotel runs climate-neutrally and supports projects for reforestation and clean drinking water as CO2 compensation. Vegetables and herbs come mainly from their own gardens and the cooking features mainly vegetarian and vegan dishes. An ideal place for a stay in the mountains with an eBike.
And this is what a typical day at Steineggerhof can be like:
- Start the day with yoga and Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku)
- Extended eBiketours to the Rose Garden, the Karer Pass or around the Latemar, guided by Nyon or a local guide
- Riding technique tips for eBiking
- Vegan Kaiserschmarrn (sugared pancakes) at noon
- Hike to the earth pyramids
- Culinary highlights in the evening
"You really made us happy."
Milena from Reisevergnügen
"I think eBikes will play an important role in sustainable tourism in future. In the beginning I was very sceptical, but when I sat on the bike for the first time, it immediately brought a smile to my face."
Lynn Höfer
"The peace and quiet in nature and the full focus during yoga are for me the ideal counterbalance to long rides on the eBike."
Andi Gehring
In an intensive workshop we collected our thoughts and ideas on the topic of sustainability. In two small groups we work out ideas about how to make tourism more sustainable and especially how to communicate that in a truly sustained way. The focus was on local mobility, which could be significantly enhanced by using eBikes, especially in alpine and rural areas. Arriving by train would be easily possible with a rental system like the one at Steineggerhof. Above all, however, everyone agreed that the region could be explored much more intensively with the eBike and that accessibility could be increased at the same time.
At the end of the camp, all of us went together on a grand ride to the Rose Garden. It was a great ride where we could free our minds to think clearly about the things we discussed and come back with a smile and a bunch of new ideas.