To submit to the yoke is not difficult. That's not just because it's challenging to drive, but rather because of its appeal. It is just very busy on the Stelvio. Cyclists, motorcyclists, campers, even hikers.
Its technical data read impressively, with the Stilfserjoch at a pass height of 2757m being the highest passable mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps. Who wants to know exactly: In 1937 the Stelvio Pass lost its status as the highest Alpine pass to the Col de l'Iseran, the summit of which is seven meters higher.
Only 200 meters from the Swiss border, the road leads from Switzerland to the Stelvio Pass over the Umbrail Pass, the highest pass in Switzerland (2501 m).
History of the Stilfser Joch
The original street was built 1820-25 under Franz I, Emperor of Austria. When the Habsburg Empire gained control of Lombardy (after the defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of 1815 in Vienna), the Stelvio Pass combined South Tyrol with Valtellina in Lombardy in Italy. The engineer Carlo Donegani built his personal masterpiece with today's pass road.
Driving on the Stelvio Pass
The serpentines in the northeast of the Stelvio Pass make it one of the most notorious and famous climbs in the Alps. The 48 hairpin curves cover a height difference of more than 1800 meters. The average slope is about 8%, but the second half of the climb is steeper than the first. The rise of Bormio in the southwest still has more than 1500 elevation gain. The steepest increase is almost 15%, on average it is still demanding 8%.
Add to that the weather. In May, when the Stelvio is open, there is often snow on the pass. The icy temperatures make especially the downhill interesting - and often put the tires before big tasks. In general, the Stelvio Pass is a technically very demanding pass. Narrow, very short paths on the ramps between the hairpin bends - to get into the river here, you need a really agile vehicle with suitable gearbox grading.
But even if the car is not good for victory in the mountain classification, or the traffic hailed the fun: only the backdrop and the view on the pass are worth the ride anytime.