1450 hm
Ascent
14 km
Distance Ascent
14 %
max. gradient
10.4 %
ø gradient
Climb Goals: Pure Data Edition DIN A1 poster
Bucket-List Print: Ötztaler Gletscherstraße
The Ötztal Glacier Road is not a pass but a dead end with a statement: from Sölden up to the Rettenbach Glacier and through the Rosi Mittermaier Tunnel to the Tiefenbach Glacier. At the tunnel exit, at 2,829 metres, lies the highest point in the Alps you can reach on asphalt. In between are 14 kilometres that hardly ever drop below ten percent.
The Glacier Road at a glance
From Sölden it is 14 kilometres and 1,450 metres of climbing, 10.4 percent on average, 14 percent at the steepest. Hors catégorie, no discussion. There are longer climbs in the Alps and there are steeper ramps, but hardly any combination of this length and this average. If you want a benchmark: this is Mortirolo territory, just 1,000 metres higher.
The route
After a short roll out of Sölden it gets serious immediately. From kilometre two the road stands at twelve to thirteen percent, through forested hairpins, past the toll station. A brief breather around kilometre eight, and that is it. From there the road climbs through open terrain at a constant ten to twelve percent while the air gets noticeably thinner.
The finale from kilometre twelve is the hardest part: ramps around fourteen percent again before you reach the car park at the Rettenbach Glacier at almost 2,800 metres. If you want the full programme, ride through the 1.7-kilometre Rosi Mittermaier Tunnel and stand at the highest paved point in the Alps, 2,829 metres, looking out over the Tiefenbach Glacier.
History and racing
The road was built in 1972 to open up the glacier ski area. The Rosi Mittermaier Tunnel followed in 1982, named after the German ski racer, and is the highest road tunnel in Europe. The road still belongs to the Sölden cable car company, and every autumn the alpine Ski World Cup opens its season here.
The big cycling moment came in 2005: the Deutschland Tour moved its queen stage to a summit finish at the Rettenbach Glacier. Levi Leipheimer won ahead of his Gerolsteiner teammate Georg Totschnig, Jan Ullrich came third, and Leipheimer laid the foundation for his overall victory on this mountain. The Ötztaler Radmarathon, by the way, does not come up here, its finale is the Timmelsjoch. The Glacier Road is the even harder piece of Sölden.
Practical tips
Cyclists pass the toll station free of charge, the toll applies to motorised traffic. The road is usually open from late spring into autumn and closed from December to mid-April. Even in high summer it is cold at the top, so a wind vest and arm warmers belong in your jersey pockets. And take the descent seriously: 1,450 metres of altitude at more than ten percent demand everything from your brakes, better to stop twice.
How does the Glacier Road compare?
Against the neighbouring Timmelsjoch, the Glacier Road is shorter but considerably steeper and higher. And against the Kitzbüheler Horn, Austria’s steepest road climb, it answers with sheer altitude: the Horn is the more brutal punch, the Glacier Road the longer breath at almost 3,000 metres. Ride both and you know what Tyrol is willing to do to road cyclists.
The Glacier Road ranks among the top 50 of our 100 climbs, on the 100 Climbs posters and on the compact 50 Climbs edition.
Is the Ötztal Glacier Road the highest road in the Alps?
The highest point in the Alps reachable on asphalt lies at the end of the Rosi Mittermaier Tunnel at 2,829 metres. No paved road goes higher. The highest true pass of the Alps, however, is the Col de l’Iseran at 2,764 metres.
Do cyclists pay a toll on the Glacier Road?
No. The toll station above Sölden applies to cars and motorbikes, cyclists pass for free.
How steep is the Ötztal Glacier Road?
10.4 percent on average over 14 kilometres, with peaks of up to 14 percent. After the first two kilometres the gradient rarely drops below ten percent, and then there is the altitude: the finale plays out above 2,500 metres.