Moosalp - Stalden

Being based in Zermatt this has been my training climb for many years. It is a hard climb, but it is also a spectacular road up from Stalden to Moosalp and the route choice for the swiss gigathlon and a 24 total hour hight climbing by bike world record attempt. I normally do the climb on a mountain bike but have done it on my road bike as well. The second part of the climb after Torbel is actually the hardest and to do a good time you have to be very determined. Finally it flattens out a bit and you can sprint to Moosalp which is actually a pass even though it is situated on a ridge. Don''t forget to stop at the restaurant and have one of their famous creme schnitts. The descent is dangerously fast, whichever way you decide to go, and watch out for the bus.

My personal climb rating:

During my holiday in Switserland I climbed the Moosalp a few times. I stayed in Zeneggen. You can climb the Moosalp from Visp via Zeneggen or from Stalden, its about half as long when you start from Zeneggen. I started at Zeneggen and descended to Visp and then rode to Stalden. The climb from Stalden is a steady rise, altough it is not very steap, in continues at almost the same gradient until you have past the village of Torbel, I could manage it with my smallest gear, a 39-26 at approx. 10 km/h. The most important thing is to eat well before you start. The first time I climbed it, I got the shivers when I reached the top from lack of energie. It was also quit cold that day (in August). Fortunately there are some restaurants at the summit. The view is excellent, and at the descend back to Zeneggen, you pass a beautifull forrest where you have to look out for road-crossing wildlife.