Classic Climbs Göscheneralp

A dam fine Swiss road to nowhere

- Words Matthew Loveridge Photography Patrik Lundin

IT is a truth universally acknowledged that the best kind of bike ride is one that takes you from A to B, and if you can’t do that - typically because you need to end up back where you started - a loop is the next best thing. Doubling back on yourself is just silly, while riding up a huge hill only to immediately ride back down the same road is surely a sign that you have too much time on your hands.

It’s a defensible position, but if you’re overly dogmatic about it you’ll miss out on some absolute treasures. The Göscheneralp climb is one of them. It’s a ride all the way up a valley to a dead end, and it’s perhaps the least well-known yet most charming of the ascents in the Swiss Alps.

Gösch, it’s an Alp

The climb begins in Göschenen, a sleepy village that’s reachable by rail direct from Zurich in under two hours.

It lies 6km to the north of Andermatt and within striking distance of the Gotthard and Susten passes and countless other craggy delights.

Some Swiss climbs are epic; epic; some are simply gruelling; this one is stunningly pretty and reasonably steen

The valley runs west from Göschenen, climbing 686m in just under 10km with an average gradient of 7.1%, including the occasional short section of around double that figure. The ride ends at Göscheneralp, a small settlement best known for its sizeable hydroelectric dam and the pretty crystals locals extract from its rocks.

Göschenen is hemmed in by immense mountains and at 9am on a summer’s morning the air is sure to be chilly until the sun emerges, slicing down across the hillside. Getting out of town takes a matter of minutes and a brief foray into double-digit gradients gives a good indication of how you'll fare on the rest of the climb.