Glaubenbergpass, CH

The Glaubenbergpass is the Swiss pass for people who do not like tour buses. Sitting between Obwalden and the Lucerne Entlebuch, it links Sarnen and Entlebuch across the largest moorland in Switzerland. No postcard classic, but hard and wonderfully quiet.

The Glaubenbergpass at a glance

From Sarnen it is 14.1 kilometres and 1,071 metres of climbing to the pass at 1,543 metres, averaging 7.7 percent with ramps of 11 percent. The road has only been fully paved since October 2010, before that the tarmac ended in gravel just below the top. The surroundings are listed in the federal inventory: at around 130 square kilometres, the Glaubenberg moorland is the largest in Switzerland.

Route description

The Sarnen side asks the question right at the start: kilometres two and three hold a constant ten to eleven percent, the steepest section of the entire climb. After that it turns rolling, five to eight percent, with short flatter stretches to regroup.

From kilometre nine the second block follows: three kilometres at nine to eleven percent through forest and open pastureland. Shortly before Langis the road flattens, then the finale to the pass kicks up to eight percent one more time. At the top: high moor, wind, wide open space. The descent into the Entlebuch via Gfellen is narrower and twistier than the way up.

History

The Glaubenberg has hardly any racing history, and that is part of its character. The area belongs to the military and the moors: in the middle of the moorland lies Switzerland’s second-largest firing range, in use since 1963, with large areas owned by the army since the 1970s. The fact that the pass road was only fully paved in 2010 explains why the Glaubenberg appears in no classic pass canon. For cyclists, that is exactly the invitation: an HC climb hardly anyone knows.

Practical tips

From Sarnen to Langis the road is open year-round, only the Gfellen-Langis section on the Entlebuch side has a winter closure, usually into spring. Best time: May to October. Food in Sarnen or at the Langis mountain inn just below the pass. On sunny summer weekends the road is popular with motorcyclists, so an early start pays off. Watch the firing-range signage around the moor: do not leave the marked zones.

How does the Glaubenberg compare?

Averaging 7.7 percent over 14 kilometres, the Glaubenberg plays in the same league as far more famous Swiss passes. The Sustenpass is longer and steadier, the Nufenenpass higher and more alpine. The Glaubenberg is steeper than both, and in exchange has neither glacier views nor tourism. An honest working-class pass.

The Glaubenbergpass is featured on our 100 Climbs posters in DIN A1 format.

My own experience

Riding through the extremely picturesque Swiss mountains is a very special experience. This mixture of luxury and nature in abundance is rare elsewhere. The Swiss love for their homeland often takes curious forms (mountains get decorated with the Swiss cross). Seen from the outside, my overall impression is as if everything in this country had sprung from a Heidi film.

The Glaubenbergpass, though, has not. It is hard and, as befits a Swiss pass, challenging. International motorbike tourists and would-be racing drivers in sports cars think so too. The traffic situation on a sunny summer weekend is accordingly not exactly relaxed.

Is the Glaubenbergpass open year-round?

From Sarnen up to Langis, yes. Only the section between Gfellen and Langis on the Entlebuch side is closed in winter, usually into spring. The full crossing is therefore only possible in the summer half of the year.

How steep is the Glaubenbergpass?

From Sarnen it averages 7.7 percent over 14.1 kilometres, with two steep blocks of around ten to eleven percent: right at the start at kilometres two to three, and again from kilometre nine.

What is the Glaubenberg moorland?

At around 130 square kilometres, the largest moorland in Switzerland, listed in the federal inventory of moorlands of national importance. The pass road runs right through it.