Andermatt can be the start point for four beautiful +2000 metres passes (Furka, Susten, Gotthard and Oberalp).
The mornings goal was to climb both sides of Oberalppass starting from Andermatt.
Exactly like Gotthard Pass, the west side can start much lower from Wassen – see elevation chart – but again the early stretch while spectacular is plagued by traffic and long tunnels.
Neither side of Oberalppass is too steep. The west side, is just a pretty climb through Swiss alpine meadows. Pleasant. I was passed by the famous Glacier Express train that links the Matterhorn and St Moritz (photo at left).
At the top is yet another dam/lake. Lakes and mountains are always a beautiful combination …. one day I’ll do a post on my favorite Alpine lake climbs.
Many of these high altitude lakes have pretty big fish (not sure if they are stocked), and I saw a fisherman here:
I think the East side is the most interesting/beautiful of the two sides.
I only descended the east side 11 kms , to Rueras. This allowed me to do the steepest and most interesting part of this side and enjoy the many hairpins near the top.
After climbing the east side and descending back to Andermatt – I hoped I still had some energy for my afternoon plan …… 😉
2 Comments
At what time of year did you do the Oberalp pass. Is it free of snow by middle of May?
I am no expert on this col but think usually open from early may. See here: https://www.tcs.ch/fr/tools/inforoute-situation-trafic/cols-en-suisse.php#anchor_9939f5a7_Accordion-N-O-P-Q-R–Nufenen–Oberalp–Ofen–etc.-