Climbs in the Alps: Kitzbüheler Horn - Kitzbüheler Horn: Steep cult climb

Over ten kilometres, the road climbs at an average of twelve percent, with the steepest point at 22 percent. The ascent was recently measured to the centimetre and the results were immortalised on an information board. Record hunters can also use a permanent timing system; the official route starts at the "Höglern", about one kilometre after the start of the climb in the valley. This is why our measurement data differs slightly from the information given there. Signs at the side of the road announce ramps for which no sprocket can be big enough: 14, 16, 18 per cent - and finally 22.3 per cent at the steepest section between Goinger Alm and Alpenhaus. If you haven't put on a rescue sprocket, you will suffer, especially as you already have seven kilometres in your legs. Curious: the following hairpin bends to Gasthof Alpenhaus seem almost flat; after all, it's only a ridiculous twelve per cent.

At kilometre eight at the car park in front of the inn, you shouldn't make the mistake of descending, lured by the smell of food - otherwise you'll never achieve the status of a Horn conqueror. The motto is: keep a good rhythm for the final two kilometres to the summit. After a barrier, a barely single-track alpine path begins, which has new nasties in store. Cow pats, for example, which you have to negotiate if you don't want to lose traction. It remains so steep that you wonder what the point is with every turn of the pedals. The staring cows don't provide an answer, and even the panorama becomes a minor matter. You can only really enjoy the panoramic view at the top anyway, when the throbbing in your temples slowly subsides

The western ramp of the Kitzbüheler Horn

You can download the entire pass profile from TOUR issue 3/2011 as a PDF below.

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Pass profile: Austria: Kitzbüheler Horn