The Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse is the most famous climb and the highest in Vorarlberg. You climb from Partenen to the Bielerhöhe at 2035 meters. The (toll) road winds its way up via 30 hairpin bends in about 14 kilometers along two reservoirs. The pass marks the end of the Montafon area and features two reservoirs, the highest being on the Bielerhöhe, at 2035 meters, the highest lake in Europe with a shipping schedule in effect. Boat tours on the Silvretta Stausee are possible.
I start the climb from Brand in the Brandnertal. That’s still 47 kilometers away from the start of the climb, but it’s worth making it a day trip. The Montafon cycle route runs through the valley towards the pass, passing through numerous villages on the way to Partenen. It’s occasionally a bit tricky; the route isn’t as well marked as we’re used to in the Netherlands. It’s gently ascending; in those 47 kilometers, you climb 500 meters. That’s nice for the return journey when the legs have become a bit tired. This long approach to the pass is really worth it, you can truly make a day of it soaking up the sun. The road is generally good, with occasional stretches of gravel, but they’re short. Along the way, you pass many villages: Vandans, Tschagguns, Schruns, Gaschurn, and eventually Partenen. Cycling along the Ill River and between the trees provides beautiful scenery.
Right after the quiet village of Partenen, the climb begins. Time for a bite to eat, in my opinion. Then we immediately start climbing steeply at around 12%. However, it’s nice climbing here because of the many, many hairpin bends. Since each turn is flat on the side, you can recover here and then really push again for the next straight stretch. The next turn always remains visible. Again, the road is as excellent as always, and the traffic was much less than I expected, even though the weather was nice. I cycled here on a Monday, by the way.
You’re actually cycling between two mountains to the pass. Arriving at the Vermuntstausee, we’ve tackled most of the bends. In the photo below, you can see the OberVermuntwerk, with the Litzner Glacier in the background..
It’s flat here for a moment, so we can recover from the efforts of the previous kilometers and enjoy the sun. Then it’s uphill again, but the finish line is slowly coming into view. A few more hairpin bends along the rocks where it’s still quite steep. Then the left turn, and you reach the Bielerhöhe after another deceptively straight stretch uphill. There’s a restaurant with toilets on the right, convenient for refilling water bottles and grabbing a bite to eat. The view is stunning, with the Ochsentaler Glacier on the left side of the photo and the Vermunt Glacier slightly more to the right.
Arriving at the Bielerhöhe, you have the choice to continue and descend to Galtür. You can then turn left after the toll station, ride back to Partenen via the Koppsee. Or you can turn your bike around at the Bielerhöhe and take the descent via the numerous hairpin bends. I opt for the latter. I was dressed in just a short-sleeved cycling jersey and shorts, which was quite chilly up there. You always see other cyclists with jackets and even gloves on the descent, but that’s a bit much for me. Every space I have in my saddlebag or jersey is filled with food, which I find more useful than gloves. You don’t reach really high speeds here, but because there isn’t too much traffic and the road is very clear, you can take the bends nicely. So, you can have a lot of fun. However, my headset quickly threw a spanner in the works. Somehow, the whole thing had loosened at the top. And when you have to brake so hard, that can be very annoying, so I had to adjust my speed significantly…
If you choose the same approach from Brand or in that area, it’s downhill all the way from Partenen, not steep, but enough to easily keep the bike at 30 km/h. That’s really enjoyable cycling! The day can hardly be long enough for me, but we still have a hurdle ahead. In Bludenz, you turn left towards Bürs and then follow the climb back to Brand (Brandnertal). That’s quite tough after 110 kilometers! Still, I flew up this time very easily after a beautiful day of cycling.
