- Ascent
- 1240 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 17.5 km
- max. gradient
- 18 %
- ø gradient
- 7.1 %
The Kühtaisattel from Oetz is an HC climb of 17.5 km with 1,240 m of elevation gain at an average of 7.1 %, peaking at 18 %. The road climbs out of the Ötztal to Kühtai at 2,017 m and drops on the other side through the Sellrain valley to Kematen. The lower half is the steep part, the last six kilometres average around 6 %.
The Kühtaisattel links the Ötztal with the Sellrain valley and ends at Kühtai on 2,017 metres. From Oetz it is 17.5 kilometres and 1,240 metres of climbing. The hard work comes early: the lower half is clearly steeper than the upper one. Anyone who knows that can plan the climb well.
The Kühtaisattel at a glance
The key figures from Oetz: category HC, 17.5 km, 1,240 m of climbing, 7.1 % on average and 18 % at its steepest. The road leaves the Ötztal right at Oetz and climbs to Kühtai at 2,017 m. On the other side it runs down through the Sellrain valley to Kematen in the Inn valley. In our list the Kühtaisattel belongs to the Eastern Alps region.
The climb from Oetz
The first nine kilometres or so are the core of the climb and average around 8 %. Several kilometres here are close to 10 %, and there are no real breaks. At about the halfway point two noticeably flatter kilometres follow, at under 3 %. Right after that comes one more short, steep kilometre, which is easy to underestimate after the easy stretch.
The last six kilometres average around 6 % and are much calmer than the start. The gradient swings between just under 5 and just over 7 %, without big jumps. If you rode the lower half sensibly, you can raise the pace here. The pass itself arrives without a final ramp.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
With an 18 % peak the Kühtaisattel is one of the steep climbs in the list, only twelve have a higher maximum gradient. On elevation gain and finishing height it sits in the middle: 43 climbs have more climbing, 47 finish higher. The 7.1 % average also puts it in the middle of the field. The Col du Galibier has almost the same figures, 17.6 km and 1,220 m of climbing, but peaks at only 11 %.
Practical tips
For the steep lower half a compact gearing with a large sprocket makes sense, there are no gentle kilometres at the start. Use the two flat kilometres at halfway to eat and drink. At 2,017 m it is noticeably colder than in the Ötztal, so bring a jacket for the descent. Carry on over the top and you roll through the Sellrain valley to Kematen, the way back to Oetz is the same road.
