Route:
- From Lugano – Switzerland
- Via
- Gothard pass
- Furka pass
- Rhone Glacier
- To Lugano – Switzerland
Expertise needed:
Few tight switchbacks, the road is big enough all time, there are 2 main Swiss Alps pass –> Medium
Run info:
- Km 267
- Length (without stops): around 4:00h
- Both Alp passes are closed during winter
What is Gotthard pass:
The Gotthard Pass or St. Gotthard Pass (Italian: Passo del San Gottardo, German: Gotthardpass) at 2,106 m (6,909 ft) is a mountain pass in the Alps traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif and connecting northern and southern Switzerland. The pass lies between Airolo in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, and Andermatt in the German-speaking canton of Uri, and connects further Bellinzona to Lucerne, Basel, and Zurich. The Gotthard Pass lies at the hearth of the Gotthard, an important north-south axis in Europe, and it is crossed by three major traffic tunnels, each being the world’s longest at the time of their construction: the Gotthard Rail Tunnel (1882), the Gotthard Road Tunnel (1980) and the Gotthard Base Tunnel (2016). With the Lötschberg to the west, the Gotthard is one of the two main north-south routes through the Swiss Alps. Since the Middle Ages, transit across the Gotthard played an important role in Swiss history, the region north of Gotthard becoming the nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the early 14th century.
What is Furka pass:
Furka Pass (French: Le Col de la Furka), with an elevation of 2,429 metres (7,969 ft), is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka Oberalp Bahn line through the Furka Tunnel bypasses the pass. The base tunnel opened in 1982 and replaced a tunnel at 2100 m.
The Furka Pass was used as a location in the James Bond film Goldfinger. One curve on the east side of the pass is even named “James Bond Strasse”. At the sign, there is a lookout point with a small parking area. Visitors can also park next to Hotel Belvédère, close to the top of the pass on the west side, and take the short walk to the Rhone Glacier Ice Grotto. The glacier moves 30-40 meters a year and the 100 m long tunnel and ice chamber can be visited from June when the road opens.
What is Rhone glacier:
The Rhône Glacier (German: Rhonegletscher, Walliser German: Rottengletscher, French: glacier du Rhône, Italian: ghiacciaio del Rodano) is a glacier in the Swiss Alps and the source of the river Rhône and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the Swiss canton of Valais. Because the glacier is located close to the Furka Pass road it is easily accessible.
Pics:
