2019 – The Italian Job

Furka Pass:

The Furka pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.431 m (7,976ft) above the sea level, located in one of the snowiest regions in Switzerland. It’s one of the world’s most iconic, exhilarating and exciting drives, through the Swiss Alps. The pass was imortalised by the Aston DB5 / Ford Mustang car chase in James Bond’s Goldfinger. It’s one of the highest mountain roads of the Alps.

The pass links the Ursern valley in the canton of Uri with the municipality of Goms in the canton of Valais. It’s one of the highest paved roads in the country, and the road over the pass was built in 1867. As you drive along the pass’s road, you may see the train that travels the Furka Pass chugging along through the mountainside, creating a picturesque scene for you to hold in your memory. Countless tourists are attracted by the unique mountain panorama, the Rhone Glacier with its ice grotto, the attractive options for hiking, climbing and skiing tours, as well as the reopened steam railway.
The drive is definitely worth it. There are many excellent photo opportunities. The road is very wide and perfectly surfaced. The second part of the climb includes much more straight forward road, but it’s also less steep. Don’t forget your camera! The road encompasses miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations and steep grades. The Furka Pass also takes you within a few hundred meters of the Rhone Glacier, source of the Rhone river. Here you can park up and walk up to and actually inside the glacier itself. Travelers can actually walk through the glacier by booking a tour. Though the tunnel through the glacier is only 100 meters in length, you will want to make sure you dress warmly, because it doesn’t take long for your body temperature to reach dangerous levels. Although the glacier has retreated dramatically in recent years, it still really is an incredible site, around 7km inlength.

There are sheer drops virtually along the entire route and enough hairpins to make a whirling dervish dizzy. A quick glance at the map at its sheer drops and serpentine twists and turns, confirms that this is no hype. Traffic has increased constantly. Nowadays more than 250,000 people cross the pass each year on cycles or motorcycles, in private cars, in Alpine Post Buses or by historic steam train on the reopened rack-and-pinion railway section across the mountains.
The road encompasses miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations and steep grades. The curvy road with the stunning road and the glacier at the top makes this whole diversion worth it. The switchbacks are scary and exhilirating. Take a lot of time to travel this road – stop and check all the views. It’s really incredible. There are plenty of places to stop and have a view / snack. The pass is closed in winters, but with such a high summit altitude the road can be closed anytime due to snowfalls. The zone is prone to heavy mist and can be dangerous in low visibility conditions. Look first at the weather forecast if you want to enjoy the view and not drive in the clouds all the time. Do not travel this pass in severe weather conditions.