Col du Grimsel · Switzerland

Grimsel Pass

The pass road from Meiringen up the Aare valley, past Innertkirchen and Guttannen, to 2,163 m, then down a stack of hairpins to Gletsch.

Where is the Grimsel Pass?

The Grimsel Pass is in Switzerland, on route 6. Also known as Col du Grimsel. The route on this page: Meiringen to Gletsch, over the 2,163 m pass, 38.2 km.

Why the Grimsel Pass is famous

It is the only direct road pass between the cantons of Bern and Valais across the Bernese Alps. The upper part runs past the Räterichsbodensee and Grimselsee reservoirs and the Grimsel Hospice, then drops to Gletsch through sweeping hairpins.

Grimsel Pass hairpins

Over 38.2 km Turini calls 23 hairpins, 2 square corners and 175 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 2 crests and 2 dips. That is 227 calls in all, one every 168 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

Grimsel Pass elevation profile

From 596 m at the start to 1,766 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 2,170 m. Red marks are the hairpins.

Grimsel Pass pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

That takes you to 3.91 km. 202 more calls follow over the remaining 34.3 km.

Before you drive the Grimsel Pass

Normally closed between October and May because of heavy snow.

There are tunnels as well as open hairpins, and buses and cyclists use the road all summer. From Gletsch you can carry straight on over the Furka.

How to drive the Grimsel Pass with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

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Sources: Wikipedia: Grimsel Pass.