Climbs in the Alps: Bernina Pass - Bernina Pass: Giant or dwarf?

Photo: Rotter

Giant or dwarf? The Bernina Pass (2,329 metres) is a question of perspective: the 600 metres in altitude from the north-west are not impressive for climbers, but the south side is one of the mightiest climbs in the Alps with almost 1,900 metres in altitude and 34 kilometres.

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Thousands of years ago, muleteers used the pass that today connects the Swiss Upper Engadine with the Italian Valtellina. In 1865, when a modern road replaced the mule track, the hospice opened at the top of the pass, where you can still find simple but beautiful accommodation today.

If you start by bike in Tirano, Italy, where the Bernina railway runs like a tram in the middle of the road, you will have worked up a sweat on the tarmac by the time you reach the top of the pass. There's no time to roll in, as the road immediately climbs nine per cent to the north. After eight kilometres, the flat section along the Lago di Poschiavo is just the thing to take a deep breath. The respite lasts until you reach the village of the same name, where the pretty Piazza Communale beckons for a quick café crème. However, if you don't want to lose momentum, you shouldn't let your muscles rest for too long, as there are still 17 kilometres to go with up to ten per cent steep ramps. Only when the mountains of the Bernina group appear is it not far to the top of the pass. Only for a few metres does the glaciated Piz Cambrena (3,606 m) allow a view of the famous Piz Palü (3,900 m), then it obscures it, as well as the Piz Bernina (4,049 m). The easternmost four-thousand-metre peak in the Alps can only be seen by those who climb to the top of the pass from the north-west side, i.e. from the Engadin. Five kilometres past Pontresina, the view to the right is of the Morteratsch Valley and the glacier of the same name - and behind it, the Bellavista massif and Piz Bernina. The moderate gradient gives cyclists enough breath to enjoy the scenery.

TOUR tip: As the Bernina Pass is open all year round, exceptional rides between metre-high snow walls are already possible in spring.