05
Jul
6 Minute Read
6 Minute Read
If there were a single phrase to describe the north side of the Grimselpass, it would be amazing infrastructure. The road is fantastic and there are a ton of hydroelectric dams and water everywhere. In fact, one of them was actually still being built, which is something I’ve never seen before!
Or is it actually just being re-built? Amazing stuff is happening in Switzerland!
The north side of the pass, if you consider it starting from Innertkirchen, is significantly longer than from Gletsch, on the south side near the base of the Furkapass. Strava shows it as nearly 27 km and 1587 meters, but with a fairly mild overall average gradient of 5.7%. Much longer compared to the other side, which only clocks in at about 6 km and 405 meters, averaging a slightly steeper 6.4%.
But hey, the descent down the west side of the Sustenpass into Innertkirchen was worth it, right?
When heading up from Innertkirchen on the north side of the pass, you start in a valley that’s quite low compared to the passes previously mentioned. It’s also quite green and very enveloping. I remember looking way up at the passes above and seeing power lines and funiculars that stretched up into the sky.
There are a few tunnels and some switchbacks through this region, and you actually pass the Gelmerbahn, which is apparently the steepest open-air funicular! We obviously didn’t go that day, but it looks like an insane ride.
As for the tunnels, I don’t remember them being too bad to ride through, even though there wasn’t much room for us. Just make sure you have good rear lights for them and to take any side route when available. Besides, the views from the side paths are absolutely stunning! Note that some of the side routes are across the other side of the road and are mixed dirt / grass, so we didn’t take them that day, but you’re welcome to give them a go if you don’t feel comfortable in the tunnels.
The longest of the tunnels, by the way, is close to a kilometer long! Most are well-lit, and I remember riding through a few of them without seeing any cars in either direction. But, as always, your mileage may vary! And how cool is it that all the tunnels here show the meters to either end every 50 meters inside?
Gradually, you ascend up out of the trees (and tunnels) and you begin to notice more and more rock and fewer trees. There’s a ton of natural beauty there, and I loved seeing the myriad of colors that these geological features really highlight.
The climb does start to feel a bit longer at this point, though, so keep yourself prepared for that! You’ll get close to the dams and eventually ascend up and over them into their respective lakes, both the Räterichsbodensee and the Grimselsee. It’s so cool to see the road just snake its way up the side of what looks like rock, with cars lining the road at this point, showcasing where the road is going next.
After a few final switchbacks, you make it to the top, at the Totensee! Apparently it’s known as the “lake of the dead” due to a battle where the losing side was pushed back into it during the first battle of Ulrichen in 1211. Insane how much history exists in this region!
Even in the summer you’ll see ice in the water, so bring a layer or two for the descent! There is a nice restaurant at the top for some celebratory libations or food and a few gift shop / snack stands if you want something quicker.
The descent back down into Gletsch, which is coincidentally also at the base of the Furkapass, is a fast, open set of long switchbacks looking out over the valley. It’s marvelous.
Because the Grimselpass from this direction starts at a physically lower elevation than some of the other climbs we had done previously, this one definitely felt long. But it was never too difficult. Without stops, however, it becomes more of a patience game, and you’ll definitely want to find time to stop and admire the amazing landscape that you ascend up to when you get close to the various hydroelectric dams.
I did my best that day to follow my buddy I was on the trip with, but eventually did stop for a few pictures to admire the landscape and eventually caught back up with him towards the top. I noticed the traffic seemed to become busier weirdly enough the closer we got to the top of the climb. Perhaps it’s a later-afternoon kind of trip for people.
I loved this one as well, but mainly because doing it this way allowed me to enjoy the long descent down the west side of the Sustenpass. I also particularly loved the energy at the top here, which seemed more open and somewhat similar to how I remember the top of the Stelvio. Seeing floating ice in the lake at the top in the middle of summer was also fun, and it was nice that there were food options at the top.
Final thought - enjoy the descent back into Gletsch as well. There’s a fantastic set of views towards the top just before the big switchbacks into the valley. It’s not often that you get to look over across an alpine valley towards another world-famous climb that sits next to a glacier!
Most likely from here, you’ll be heading down the shorter, slightly steeper side into the town of Gletsch), which also sits at the base of the Furkapass. You can generally head back any way you wish from here, depending on what your plans are, but they’re largely going to be similar to what is mentioned in the other blog post.
Basically the best options I can think of would be:
In our case, we headed down to the valley floor then ascended up the Furkapass from there. We had gone down that way the day prior, so we wanted to head up the way we came to say that we had done both sides of the Furkapass!
