- Ascent
- 1434 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 13.3 km
- max. gradient
- 17 %
- ø gradient
- 10.8 %
The Zillertaler Höhenstraße from Hippach is an HC climb of 13.3 km with 1,434 m of elevation gain at an average of 10.8 %, peaking at 17 %. The road climbs out of the Zillertal to 2,020 m and drops on the far side to Ried im Zillertal. Up to the last kilometre no section drops below 8.5 %.
The Zillertaler Höhenstraße is one of the steepest climbs in our list. From Hippach it is 13.3 kilometres and 1,434 metres of climbing up to 2,020 metres. The average is 10.8 %, and only three climbs in the list are steeper. There is hardly a metre to recover on the way up.
The Zillertaler Höhenstraße at a glance
The key figures from Hippach: category HC, 13.3 km, 1,434 m of climbing, 10.8 % on average and 17 % at its steepest. The road leaves Hippach and climbs out of the Zillertal up to 2,020 m. On the far side it runs down to Ried im Zillertal. In our list the Höhenstraße belongs to the Eastern Alps region.
The climb from Hippach
From the first kilometre the gradient sits at around 9 to 11 %, there is no warm up. The lower half alternates between just under 9 and almost 12 %, without a single easier kilometre. Anyone who starts too fast here will not get back into a rhythm. The best approach is the lowest gear and patience.
The upper half is even harder: several kilometres in a row sit at 11 to 12 %. Only the very last kilometre drops clearly, to around 4 %. Up to that point no kilometre falls below 8.5 %. The 17 % in the fact box does not appear at kilometre level, but the constantly high gradient is hard enough.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
At 10.8 % on average only three climbs in the list are steeper, all three also in the Eastern Alps. With 1,434 m of climbing it is also one of the bigger ones, only 25 have more elevation gain. At 13.3 km it is short for that much climbing. The Passo del Mortirolo is very similar with 12.2 km and 1,360 m of climbing at 11.1 %.
Practical tips
On the Zillertaler Höhenstraße the gearing decides a lot: a compact chainset with a very large sprocket is strongly recommended. Plan the climb as a steady effort at the limit, not as an attack. At 2,020 m it is noticeably colder than in the Zillertal, so bring a jacket for the descent. The descent is steep as well, so take it carefully on the way down to Ried im Zillertal or back to Hippach.
