Bike & hike to Carungas (2622 m) in December

The mountain Carungas with an elevation of "only" 2622 meters is a rather small peak close to Savognin - at least compared to all the other higher and more famous peaks in the area. But Carungas offers a fantastic view to the surrounding mountains, especially on a day like this! Pizza Grossa, Piz Ela, Piz Salteras, Piz Bleis Marscha, and Piz d'Err are particularly close up.

It was an unusual time of the year for such a bike & hike, but with so little snow on the ground, it was possible. The weather was perfect - blue skies all day long! Just a bit cold, especially the cold wind in Val d'Err after reaching Alp Viglia. And there were some icy spots on the alp road where the water from streams had frozen. Luckily there was only one such spot where it was absolutely impossible to pass through on the road. This more difficult spot was at elevation 2000 m close to Alp Viglia and the road was completely covered with ice for 30-35 meters. During the ascent, I bypassed this spot 20 meters below the road, carrying my bike along. During the descent, I put on the crampons, and walked the bike across the ice. So, after all I had some use for the crampons!

To recap, on this trip, I started out just above the village of Tinizong. It was about -3°C in the morning. I followed the alp road in direction Alp d'Err, mostly walking the bike. Shortly before Alp d'Err, I left the bike behind and continued on foot towards Furschela da Colm. At the beginning there was not too much snow, and it was pretty compact and easy to walk on. At elevation 2250 I put on the snowshoes, and kept them on until about elevation 2450 m (WT3). The final ascent to Carungas on the south side was largely free of snow, so I could easily ascend to the summit on foot (T3+).

Afterwards, I enjoyed my lunch a little bit below the summit on the south side. There was barely any wind, and it was much warmer than down in Val d'Err.

During the descent, I did not use the snowshoes, but tried to walk more on the ridges where there was less snow cover.

During the bike ride from Alp d'Err back to Tinizong, I really had to watch out for the icy spots. But most of the road was fine.

Equipment:
- Mountain bike
- Hiking sticks
- Alpine snowshoes
- Crampons
- Gaiters

Total tour distance: 18 km (on foot: 11 km, by bike downhill: 7 km)