Stelvio Pass Anyone?

[bmwdumptruck]

Hi Shultz

Found your pickies, excellent. (Took me a while, I am a bit new to this)

We're hoping to get to the Swiss passes from our base in Nauders, one of our guys did it last year by himself, but the round trip took him from dawn till about 10ish, but he did keep stopping for pickies.
I was thinking of finding somewhere to stop and make a two day trip of it, and seeing the hotel you used and the price I'm thinking we will now.

We tend to travel as a group which really slows the pace down, but we like it that way. We have 7 going for the first week this year and 5 going on to Lienz for the second, but we have 3 or 4 more thinking of joining us. We go for self catering Huttes as it seems to be the best and cheapest way of accomodating so many in one go.

BTW, Austria's got to be the best place to get a speeding ticket, 7km over a 50k limit, 10 euro's. I promised never to do it again

Thanks again for the link, I'll refer back to it nearer our trip for the info it contains.

All the best.

 

[Chisurz]

Hi there
we (six riders) will be traveling from Croatia toward Bolzano,
Up to Bormio via the SS42, then the SS300.
Down on the SS38 toward OvaSpin for our night stay.
Is that the best route and side for this much talk about Stelvio pass?
i know is a matter of opinion, but we cannot do it all and i would not like to have missed the "must see must do" that day!
Thanks, Philippe.

Did Stelvio (among many others) in June 2005. Great fun. Both sides.

Biarritz, when are you going to be down in Croatia - and where abouts?

Chis

 

[BGF]

We're hoping to get to the Swiss passes from our base in Nauders

I've stayed at Pfunds (9 miles from Nauders) for the last 5 summers and will be there again this year. It's a nice area with good access to lots of passes Will be there in early july and hope to see the Garmisch show (about 70 miles away).

 

[Lumpsucker]

Dump truck.
Did Eaglesnest and Grosslockner last year and thought both well worth it..

Me and the missus are doing Dolomites this year 8-18th July. Stelvio will definately be on the list. She's looking forward to it!...

 

[Norrie]

Photo's

Bmwdumptruck

Just to set the record straight The photographic work was done by Alte Wolf he enjoy's that kinda thing and I wouldn't want to claim his thunder.

Hope you have a Brilliant trip,as we did.

Schultz

 

[bmwdumptruck]

bgfinlay

I like Pfunds, that's where I got my speeding ticket

I heard a rumour at the NEC that most of it was swept away with a flood though. Don't quote me on it though, its definately a third hand rumour.

Hugh

 

[BGF]

I heard a rumour at the NEC that most of it was swept away with a flood though. Don't quote me on it though, its definately a third hand rumour.

Yeah, I saw something about that on the web a while back;

Getting back on topic .. the Stelvio (scanned from a postcard);

 

[Biarritz]

Hi Chris

Actualy my planning is for Spring 2007, so plenty of time.(but it's a big one to get it orgenised, 12 countries in 15 days)
This coming June we will travel in Sweden and Norway (see my previous thread)

Still, if you know or go somewhere nice, I have the first week of September Free (short but could be fun)
Philippe.

 

[earthmover]

Myself and seven others will be heading that way at the end of June, going to stay in Interlaken for a couple of days with my cousin. Hope to make Stelvio part of the run in, so thanks for all the input guys
My PC is bulging with potential routes and waypoints at the moment, must set them into an order soon!
Mark

 

[Vendome 41]

Am off to the Alps this August, like any good GS'er should, and wanted to know if any of you has ridden the Stelvio Pass on the road leading out of Bormio and could mention what it was like.

Ever since I saw a double page picture of the pass in CAR magazine last year I have set my heart on riding it. Looks daunting though...

It's over rated and there are loads of other passes which are far superior

 

[bmwdumptruck]

Vendome 41

Then in that case can you list the passes you believe to be superior please. I'm sure we'd all love to know. I'd hate to spend another week there and miss the best ones

We had 10 days investigating the area last year and the only poor day was a visit to Lake Como, to built up and slow.

Is there such a thing as a bad pass?

Hugh

 

[Noddy]

They are trying to clear it now, Antonio wants to nip down to the shops

 

[Chisurz]

Hi Chris

Actualy my planning is for Spring 2007, so plenty of time.(but it's a big one to get it orgenised, 12 countries in 15 days)
This coming June we will travel in Sweden and Norway (see my previous thread)

Still, if you know or go somewhere nice, I have the first week of September Free (short but could be fun)
Philippe.

Will be back down in Croatia again this summer (2006). I'm allowed to take the bike this time so will have to take some pics and post a report. I haven't made my mind up which way to go yet... Need to sort out route to Lisbon and back before then...

Chis

 

[Phluppe]

YOO

It's over rated and there are loads of other passes which are far superior

Have to say that there are superior passes, but stil, it's one you just have to do once, and therefore it's stil in my personal top5.

Others in my top5 are Sustennpass in Switzerland, Col de la Madeleine and Col de Turini in France, and Jaufenpass in Italy

Grtz, Philip!

 

[Vendome 41]

Vendome 41

Then in that case can you list the passes you believe to be superior please. I'm sure we'd all love to know. I'd hate to spend another week there and miss the best ones

We had 10 days investigating the area last year and the only poor day was a visit to Lake Como, to built up and slow.

Is there such a thing as a bad pass?

Hugh

Splugen
San bernardino
Nufenen
Grimsel
Bernina

 

[Der Lustenauer]

YOO

Ridin' up from the East side (Prato) is really fun, but beware of old and/or slow tossers on motorbikes

Once you reach the "no more trees" altitude, you can forget about getting passed a few bikes, especially if they're riding in group. And it's not 'cause they have Swiss, or Italian, or German licenseplates that these guys know how to drive up a mountain.
Try to get passed them in or before the village of Gomagio, after that it's too freaking dangerous.

I got stuck behind a GSX-R750, a Speed Triple and a X11, all three were Swiss, but drove like scared old man, and I couldn't get passed them anymore, so they blocked me the entire best part

Have to go back again, I say the climb starting from Prato can be done within less than 25 minutes, not in 28 minutes like I did

Grtz, Philip!

They probably should close the road for you to achieve your time. Me old tosser would be scared if you are around.

 

[Paul Rochdale]

In 2004, I rode my Pan up Stelvio, two up, and those right-hand hairpins were a bugger. Looking over my shoulder made no difference as all there's to see is a stone wall and any oncoming vehicles were obscured. So then I started taking the right-handers a bit quicker by moving out to, and even over, the central white line, until eventually I met an on-coming camper van and we came to a stop mid-corner. With the weight, the camber, the steepness, the missus had to jump off whilst I amateurishly saved the situation. We got to the top and the Stevio will always remain in my mind as one hell of a ride.

 

[bmwdumptruck]

Verdome 41
Thanks for that. The Grimsel and Splugen are on my list for this year. Can't find the others on my map. Is that cos I'm not looking in the right area and therefore they are not in the area i'll be this summer?
You don't mention the Hochter, is this because you rate it similar to the Stelvio or just never tried it? Its supposed to be the Historic one I believe, the first pass built or something.
Hugh

 

[bmwdumptruck]

Paul Rochdale
They were repairing a section of the road at the top last summer. My partner met one of the Tarmac lorry's mid hairpin and froze. I had to ride round her and the lorry, park part way up the next straight, run back and get her off her bike, move her and it out of the lorries way. Funny now, but she was a bag of nerves the rest of the way up, but she did it. Well actually we pull her leg that she only did 51 out of 52 hairpins so she needs to go again this summer to do it properly

We had radios and found that the first rider could tell us if it was ok to go right over to the left where you can actually see over your shoulder and the central wall to confirm nothings coming. The trick then is to go beyond the apex and ride round the flatter part cutting back onto the right as you go up the slope, which by then isn't as sever and your not still turning by then anyway. Does that make sense?? It worked for us until the said lorry anyway

 

[Der Lustenauer]

Paul Rochdale
They were repairing a section of the road at the top last summer. My partner met one of the Tarmac lorry's mid hairpin and froze. I had to ride round her and the lorry, park part way up the next straight, run back and get her off her bike, move her and it out of the lorries way. Funny now, but she was a bag of nerves the rest of the way up, but she did it. Well actually we pull her leg that she only did 51 out of 52 hairpins so she needs to go again this summer to do it properly

We had radios and found that the first rider could tell us if it was ok to go right over to the left where you can actually see over your shoulder and the central wall to confirm nothings coming. The trick then is to go beyond the apex and ride round the flatter part cutting back onto the right as you go up the slope, which by then isn't as sever and your not still turning by then anyway. Does that make sense?? It worked for us until the said lorry anyway

I would put it like this:
the further you are on the inside of the hairpin the more difficult (sometimes even impossible) it is to to get around it, the further you are on the outside of the hairpin, the easier it is. That means having to go on to the wrong side of the road, (traffic and speed permitting), well before the hairpin, checking for oncoming traffic well in advance (that means the traffic on the straight after! the hairpin, good positioning essential for that), turning in to the hairpin as late as possible on the wrong side to get on to the right (your) side of the road again as early as possible (that is normally in the hairpin itself). If one can not get in that position, one slows down or even stops (god forbid).
I know and love the Stilfser Joch since 30 years and prefer to go up from the east. I always think I will take it easy today, but around hairpin 25 or so I kind of go mental (can not help it), full in the brakes as late as possible, 1st, 2nd gear, full in the bra..... and so on to the little parking place just underneath the top to have a fag, get rid of the adrenalin, watch a bit how others are doing and marvelling at the glacier.
I normally go back home down the Umbrail (nice gravel stretch) or towards Bormio but take the fork then just before Bormio towards Livignio. There are a few nice high speed sections on that road.
Livignio is also tax free (dating from the time it has been cut off from the rest of the world for a lot of the year), everybody there owns either a shop there or a parking lot for which they charge. If you are into fashion, watches, mountaineering equipment etc. etc. check it out but beware of the traffic jam at the end of the day from shoppers going back towards St. Moritz.