Alpine Quad N°2: Susten - Grimsel - Nufenen - Gotthard

Four passes, more than 160 kilometers and over 5,000 vertical meters. This is one of the classic big days in the Swiss Alps, and it asks for strong climbing legs. It will undoubtedly become one of your most unforgettable rides.

From Andermatt, you start with a descent through the narrow Schöllenen Gorge down to Wassen. Here you turn into the Meiental for the first climb: 17 kilometers and more than 1,300 vertical meters up to the Susten Pass. The descent to Innertkirchen twists through tight bends and tunnels. At the bottom, the Grimsel Pass begins, the longest climb of the day. The gradient stays steady, so you can take in the landscape as it turns barer and rockier with every kilometer.

You drop into Upper Valais and head straight for the Nufenen Pass. At 2,478 meters, it’s one of the highest paved passes in Switzerland. Pace yourself here, because there’s still one climb to come. After the descent through Val Bedretto to Airolo, the Gotthard Pass waits. Take the Tremola, the legendary cobbled road that winds up the mountain in a stack of hairpins. From the top, it’s an easy roll back down to Andermatt.