The Ötztaler Gletscherstraße climbs from Sölden up the Rettenbach valley to the glacier parking, a paved toll road built in 1972 as the highest access road of its kind in the Eastern Alps. For cyclists the toll booth roughly halfway up is free to pass. The gradient barely relents after leaving the village: roughly half the climb sits between 10 and 15 percent, which is why most climb databases rank it as one of the hardest paved ascents in Austria. The Rettenbach glacier has hosted the Alpine Ski World Cup opener since the 2000/01 season, and it was the queen-stage summit finish of the Tour de Suisse three years running — 2015 (Thibaut Pinot), 2016 (Tejay van Garderen) and 2017.
Ötztaler Gletscherstraße
2675 m · Austria
Also: Rettenbachferner
High alpine glacier road; closed in winter, usually open June–OctoberRoad Paved toll road, hairpinned, narrow but in good condition; open in summer, free for cyclists.
Open on the map →The side
| From | Length | Gain | Avg | Max | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solden | 12.3 km | +1303 m | 10.6% | ≈14.7% | HC |
From Solden
Hors catégorie≈8 hairpin bendsfaces E
0–4%4–7%7–10%10–12%12%+
The climb
Race history
3× Tour de Suisse · 3 summit finishes · 2015–2017