Kitzbüheler Horn, AUT

The Kitzbüheler Horn is Austria’s steepest road climb. The panoramic road from Kitzbühel to the Alpenhaus is the opposite of an alpine pass: no transit, no hairpin romance, just a wall with asphalt on it. If you have anything left afterwards, the narrow summit road continues to just below the transmitter tower at almost 2,000 metres.

The Horn at a glance

From Kitzbühel it is 9.9 kilometres and 1,213 metres of climbing up to 1,970 metres, at a good twelve percent on average and 22.4 percent at the steepest. Hors catégorie. The famous race distance starts in Höglern: a good seven kilometres to the Alpenhaus at 1,670 metres averaging 12.5 percent. After that comes the summit road, another two kilometres with more than 300 metres of climbing.

The route

The first kilometre out of Kitzbühel still pretends normality at seven percent. From kilometre two the road stands at a constant twelve to thirteen percent, and from there the profile knows practically no mercy: hardly a metre below ten percent, and around kilometre seven the hardest passage, a 500-metre ramp at around 17 percent. The infamous 22.4 percent wait on the final kick above the Goinger Alm.

The Alpenhaus is the official race finish, but not the end. The narrow summit road adds another push up to the alpine flower garden below the transmitter tower. At the top you stand at 1,970 metres, with the Kitzbühel Alps, the Wilder Kaiser and, on clear days, half of Tyrol in view.

History and racing

The Horn is the myth of the Tour of Austria. The first summit finish came in 1974 as a short mountain time trial, and since 2000 the climb to the Alpenhaus has been the race’s queen stage. The record has stood since 2007: Thomas Rohregger rode from Höglern to the Alpenhaus in 28:24. Georg Totschnig called the Horn one of the hardest climbs in international cycling, comparable to Alpe d’Huez.

Then there is the international Kitzbüheler Horn race, held since 1971 and known until 1995 as the “Grand Mountain Prize of Europe”, with winners like Lucien van Impe and Beat Breu. Today it runs every year in late July as a mountain time trial for licensed and amateur riders. A permanent timing system is installed on the mountain, so you can chase your own best time whenever you like.

Practical tips

The panoramic road is open from late May to early November and tolled for cars and motorbikes, which keeps traffic pleasantly low. Gearing: as small as possible, 34×32 is no shame here. It can get hot in the valley in high summer, so start early. And take the descent seriously: twelve percent and more downhill demands everything from your brakes.

How does the Horn compare?

Against the Ötztal Glacier Road the Horn is shorter but even steeper: there the altitude fights back, here the gradients do. And against the Rossfeld Panorama Road near Berchtesgaden, also a panoramic toll road, the Horn is simply a different weight class. Austria’s steepest asphalt remains a league of its own.

The Kitzbüheler Horn ranks among the top 50 of our 100 climbs, on the 100 Climbs posters and on the compact 50 Climbs edition.

How steep is the Kitzbüheler Horn?

The race distance from Höglern to the Alpenhaus averages 12.5 percent, and the gradient rarely drops below ten percent. The steepest section on the final kick measures 22.4 percent. That makes the Horn Austria’s steepest road climb.

Can you ride to the summit of the Kitzbüheler Horn?

Almost. The toll road ends at the Alpenhaus at 1,670 metres, then the narrow summit road continues to the alpine flower garden below the transmitter tower at around 1,970 metres. The main summit itself stands at 1,996 metres.

What is the record on the Kitzbüheler Horn?

Thomas Rohregger rode from Höglern to the Alpenhaus in 28:24 at the 2007 Tour of Austria. For amateurs there is a permanent timing system installed on the mountain.