Switzerland

[Neil Paterson]

Folks

I am heading off to the Alps later this year; does anyone know the name of this pass?

I'm hoping to have the same view!

Cheers

Neil

[Luca]

Hi Neil,

that's the "Passo dello Stelvio", i've done it last summer and it's very nice!



Once you are there, you can head to "Passo Gavia" which is not far, and which is very very suggestive!

If you need some help marking out your map, ask me, i know well those places!

Bye, Luca

[john ciccone]

buy john hermann's book "motorcycling trips in the alps and corsica" he is a bmw rider in my club here in san diego. he goes twice a year for the last 25 years. it has all the passes and where to stay and eat and much more. book is about 20bucks sold by whitehorse press. even if you don't go it's a good read. when I was there we showed it to Germans and they were impressed.

[blakebird]

Passo di Stelvio from one side....Stilsfer Joch from the other

Nice cafe up top with some outdoor shops.... that's definitely the good side, something like 48 switchbacks.

Did the High Alpine Adventure a couple years back by myself, the wife and I are going back summer 2005.

We stayed near St. Moritz (Pontresina?) and caught Bernina Pass first off, did some duty free shopping in Livigno.... then off to some seriously incredible riding that day. That whole trip was without any doubt the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle.

[ctwise]

We were there this past September. Note, if it is not clear from the previous posts, that Stelvio is in Italy, just below Switzerland.
I fully concur about the John Hermann book. A must have for touring in the Alps


This view is looking down toward the east, which is the side with the famous 48 switchbacks. There is still more of it around the shoulder of the mountain.

[arbik]

Yup. I did it this past August too. Stellvio looks great, and its a nice road too. A few things to remember. The weather almost ALWAYS sucks up there. So if you get a good day, go for it.
The other thing is, they run bicycle races, and races of all kinds up there, and sometimes..it gets to be a pain in the a$$.
Finally, when you get up there, make sure you buy the overpriced stickers and patches for you jacket and helmet. I forgot to do that this past summer, and i got irritated when I got back to the hotel.

Hermann's book is a very good refernce. As for St. Moritz, its EXPENSIVE!!! I stayed in Austria (Obsteig) and took a day trip up to Stellvio.

Make sure you take lots of pictures. Its an AWSOME place, and a fantastic ride!

Ride well!!

-arbi

[Chris Canning]

Boys at the rate the US dollar is going,i hope you've got good memories,as it looks in the near future,the American tourist is going to be a rare animal,in Europe,but i guess all us Euro's ought to be stocking up with SJ air filters!!!!!!!!!.

Chris

[andros]

The most memorable and scary biking experience i've ever had! Note this: the road in the photo (east) was made in 19th century and was meant to be used by four-legged means of transport. There are 48 marked switchbacks and the inclination reaches up to 18% in some cases. When I got to the top, the temp was 0.5 Celcius (measured) and that was in July! Makes you feel like a hero once on top! The road to the west is much better, wider and better tarmac but you cannot consider you rode Passo di Stelvio unless you pray for your life....So up to the east, down to the west.

Have fun, man I envy you....

And here's the photo to prove it. I wouldn't dare to take off the gloves. Hell, I was thinking about removing the helmet


That's one of the hotels on the top. Please note the black S....

[BobsSS]

Yep, that's Stelvio. Did it two-up last July on a R1100S. Like Andros says, it's quite a ride! Especially when you meet up with the tour buses on a switchback.

[johnnydanger]

Okay, here's my pics. The last one is Passo di Gavia. It was supremely smooth with a race track quality. Freaking great road. These were taken in September/October 2001.

[Neil Paterson]

Folks

Thanks for all the info and photos. We are going in August so it should be a little warmer; this will be part of a 3500 mile trip.

Cheers

Neil

[markjenn]

I did the Edelweiss High Alpine Tour in 2000 on a rented R1100S. It did this pass (among others). It was great, but the best riding we did on this trip was "off route" on lesser-known passes, where the traffic is much reduced. Also, if temps permit, get a very early start - many of these famous passes are Okay until about noon, but in the afternoons the traffic really builds - you spend more time in the left lane than the right (which is sorta fun in its own right).

Great trip, but I wouldn't do it in August again - we did a third of our riding in bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic. I'd go for mid-June or late Sept.

- Mark

[B-mer]

Hi guys,

You can do the Swiss, French and Italian alps and the all have great passes. I think you will need about a month or two to ride them all and get tired of it. If you have bad weather somewhere, just move somewhere else. I've had passes there which were still full of snow in july, while 100 km down the road it was sunny and 25 degrees Celsius,



greetings,

Frank

[MarkC]

Here's an excellent web site listing many nice Alpine passes: http://www.alpineroads.com/

To find this pass on that site, look under Switzerland: (eventhough it is in Italy, as mentioned by others above), then St. Moritz. The pass is also known as Stifler Joch.

It's a nice pass, yet as mentioned above, the road surface is a bit rough and the corner types are slow 1st gear u-turns. It would be really fun on a Motard, or small DP bike (DRZ400S etc).

As arbi wrote, we (friend on a GS and myself on my S) rode up during a bicycle race. Add in lots of tourist in cars and it was a slow ride up.

Pics from our trip of the pass:





As far as other Alpine passes, I wholly recommend the Grossglockner pass in Austria (great road and scenery) and the several passes close to Andermatt in Switzerland (great roads, but mostly wet weather).

MarkC

[blakebird]

Originally posted by markjenn
I did the Edelweiss High Alpine Tour in 2000
Great trip, but I wouldn't do it in August again - we did a third of our riding in bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic. I'd go for mid-June or late Sept.

Mark,

I went in mid-June of 2000....the weather was bright and sunny and warm every day of the trip, until the last day. We had some weather going up the Edelweisspitze - that slick, narrow, steep clay brick road was an attention getter....then there was virtually no view from the top due to the weather.
There was very little traffic overall, it really couldn't have been better conditions in every respect.

I got lucky on my trip....the 'regular' early June trip was overbooked, so they created a second tour the following week on the 17th. There were only five of us on that tour, so with the logistical hassles of herding around the usual 25-30 folks reduced, we got a lot more riding time in each day, and got to do some additional passes (like the partially dirt one coming up to Stelvio from the back). That kind of luck will probably never repeat itself!

Blake

[bikpaintr]

I got over there in June 1990 on the first MOA/Edelweiss tour which was a 2 week deal. Ran through most of the famous passes on an R100GS which turned out to be a good choice for the tight stuff. I hooked up with another rider on a K75S & we'd just grab the route sheets in the morning and meet up with the group in the evening at the next hotel. They wasted way too much time on long lunch breaks. We got to tour the Guzzi museum & saw the German Grand Prix on off days. My favorite area was the Dolomites in No. Italy & riding up the famous off road pass in that area. The GS did well but by the time we reached the top my friends deposit on the K bike was history. I was told the Alps are gridlock in August so if you can get there earlier try to do it.

[webby]

I LOVE it here!!!!!!!!

[WINTER1100S]

AWESOME photos on this thread! I need to travel more. You guy's in the states that have gone, did you rent an "S" there? Again great pic's!

[Dave Grinsel]

I did the Edelweiss High Alpine Adventure in September of 2000 with five buddies. Three of us attended kindergarten together fifty years earlier. It was a great reunion for the five of us and the roads were great. I rode an R1100S on the tour for the first time and purchased one on my return. I had been riding an R1100RSL.

[arbik]

I rode it on an R1150RS. Best bike for the trip. Gives you a little more protection than the S, but still has clip ons and sporty feel.

-arbi