Grimsel Pass — 2,164 metres through reservoir country

The Grimsel climbs 1,500 metres through one of the most engineered landscapes in Switzerland: four hydro reservoirs stacked up the valley, all connected by the road. Granite slabs rise out of the water on both sides. It is a strange, silicon-coloured place that doesn't quite look real.

History

The pass has been used since the Bronze Age and was a pilgrimage route for centuries. The reservoirs began appearing in the 1920s and kept growing through the 1960s; today the system powers a chunk of central Switzerland. You can walk through a tunnel inside the Grimsel dam itself, mostly a tourist attraction, but also one of the stranger things to do on a cycling trip.

Riding it

From Innertkirchen in the north, the climb is 26 km at a fair 6% average: long, steady, with reservoir views unfolding in layers. Pair the Grimsel with the Susten and the Furka in a loop (the "three-pass classic") and you have 180 km of Swiss engineering in a single day. The south side from Gletsch is shorter, steeper, and puts the Rhône Glacier right in front of you.

Along the way

• Grimsel Hospiz — A historic hotel perched on a rocky outcrop between two reservoirs at 1,980 m, in operation since the 14th century and now a striking lakeside overnight stop.
• Totensee — A small, dark lake at the summit of the pass whose name ("Lake of the Dead") recalls a battle between Bernese and Valais forces in 1419.
• Oberaar viewpoint — A panoramic point above the Oberaarsee reservoir looking south toward the Oberaar glacier and the Bernese Alps ridge.
• Gelmerbahn — The steepest open funicular railway in Europe, with a maximum gradient of 106%, descending from the Gelmersee reservoir to Handegg in the valley below.
• Furka, Susten, Gotthard, Nufenen — The four sibling passes of the central-Swiss cluster.
• Central Switzerland four-pass loop — The classic day combining all four.