Passo del Susten - Wassen

From Andermatt, I climbed the Susten, Grimsel, Nufenen and Gotthard passes in June 2010 – in that order. It is one of the most spectacular and varied loops that I have ever done in the Alps. This is a very hard loop for one day as the vertical climb is 5,150 meters over 160km. A real challenge. The direction of the loop is unquestionably the best as road to the north from Andermatt (which descents) is very busy and would not be pleasant to climb. Also, the Gotthard is best done south to north. With stops it took us 9.5hrs. Both of us live in the Alps and have considerable experience doing cyclosports over a similar distance/vertical climb. Two options for shorter rides from Andermatt would be to half the above mentioned loop with the first day being Susten, Grimsel and Furka. The next day would be Furka (the other direction), Nufenen and the Gotthard. I will write about each col on related climb page. Susten from the east. This is a wonderful climb that is relatively car free. The climb starts off hard and rarely gets easy. The final 6 kms or so are spectacular with a very long approach finishing with some outstanding switchbacks. One of the best climbs around.

My personal climb rating:

The Susten from this side is very hard climbing as it never gives you a chance to rest. The climb rises at about the average of 7.5% and never really drops below it. Another hard factor is that you can see the top from far away which can be a big blow for your moral if youre suffering. I road it in combination with the Grimsel and Furka Pass. The Roundtrip is 125Km and has an elevation difference of about 3600m. If youre a good cyclist i advise you to ride the Roundtrip via Grimsel and Furka but be aware that the Grimsel and Furka are 2 other major climbs. (Specially the Grimsel from Meiringen)

My personal climb rating:

I climbed Passo del Susten together with the grimsel and furka in the first weekend of september 2007. It was as very heavy climb after already climbed 2 mountainpasses. Especially for the fact that it was constantly steep. There were almost no hairpins where you could have just a little rest. I had to move on. Because I knew, when I would step off my bike, I didnt have enough strenght to gain speed again. And also for the fact that I climbed up together with a friend of my father (Im only 16 years old!). My father was a few kilometers behind. But I told myself to hold on to him. Because when I would have let go of him, I couldnt catch up with the speed anymore. After 10 kilometers of quite steep climbing, you could see the top, 7 kilometers away. It looked as if it wasnt that far anymore. But that was because the of the road going nearly streight forward. In fact, it wasnt that easy at all! The road was evenly steep the whole time, so that you had the illusion that the road was nearly flat. It was quite frustrating. Anyway, some way or another, I managed to climb the mountain without losing Lous (my fathers friend) weel. In fact, I made a little sprint to the top. Later, I found that that was a rather stupid idea. The view seemed to be quite beautiful. But I was too tired to see properly! After having a drink in the restaurant, my father arrived. That was about half an hour later than Lou and me. I was very glad I made it. That whole tour at my age! 125 kilometers with a gradient of 3600 meters! I still cant believe I made it!