Grimsel Pass
| Grimsel Pass | ||
|---|---|---|
Elevation 2,164 m (7,100 ft) | | |
| Location | Bern/Valais, Switzerland | |
| Range | Alps | |
| Coordinates | 46°33.72′N 08°20.34′E / 46.56200°N 8.33900°E | |
  Grimsel Pass Location in Switzerland | ||
The Grimsel Pass (
A paved road follows the pass, running 38 kilometres (24 mi) from
The Grimsel Pass road is part of the Aare Route, which is national cycle route 8 of Switzerland. It has been used on several occasions by the Tour de Suisse.[4]
History
The first fully documented use of the Grimsel Pass dates back to the 14th century, although it has been suggested that the pass was used in
The Grimsel Pass formed, along with the
The track over the pass was not upgraded to a paved road until 1894. Between the 1920s and the 1950s, several
Geography
The Grimsel Pass connects the cantons of Bern, to the north, and Valais, to the south, with the summit of the pass lying on the cantonal boundary. The northern slopes of the pass are in the Bernese municipality of Guttannen, whilst the southern slopes are within the Valais municipality of Obergoms.[1]
The approach to the Grimsel Pass from the north commences in the small town of Meiringen (595 metres or 1,952 feet), from where access is possible down the Aare valley to Interlaken and Bern, and across the Brünig Pass to Obwalden and Lucerne. The approach passes the village of Innertkirchen (625 metres or 2,051 feet), where the road to the Susten Pass diverges, and continues alongside the Aare to Guttannen (1,057 metres or 3,468 feet).[1]
Beyond Guttannen, and still following the river, the road passes a pair of short tunnels to
At the summit are several hotels and an extensive area of parking. Here the road runs alongside the Totesee (2,160 metres or 7,090 feet), a natural lake that has been enlarged into a reservoir. To the west of the pass and lake is the peak of the Sidelhorn (2,764 metres or 9,068 feet), whilst to the east is the mountain range Schafberg (2,481 metres or 8,140 feet).[1]
From the Totesee the pass road descends steeply through more hairpin bends to
Climate
Due to the high altitude of the pass, and its continental location, the climate is cool or cold all year round, and receives a fair amount of precipitation year-round (the majority of which is snow). Snow usually falls from late September until late June, although during cool spells, it can snow at the height of summer. Most years, permanent snow fields remain at the pass, due to the temperature rarely rising above 15 °C. This area has a long winter season, with little precipitation mostly in the form of snow, and low humidity. The Köppen climate classification classifies the climate here as subarctic, and abbreviates this as Dfc.[9]
| Climate data for Grimsel Hospiz: 1980m (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
0.3 (32.5) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
11.4 (52.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
9.7 (49.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
4.3 (39.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.2 (50.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
6.9 (44.4) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.4 (18.7) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.0 (44.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 190 (7.5) |
163 (6.4) |
169 (6.7) |
150 (5.9) |
159 (6.3) |
127 (5.0) |
126 (5.0) |
139 (5.5) |
129 (5.1) |
129 (5.1) |
168 (6.6) |
184 (7.2) |
1,834 (72.2) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 177 (70) |
180 (71) |
177 (70) |
134 (53) |
69 (27) |
12 (4.7) |
2 (0.8) |
3 (1.2) |
19 (7.5) |
51 (20) |
142 (56) |
181 (71) |
1,147 (452) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.1 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 13.9 | 14.6 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 11.6 | 12.7 | 151.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) | 13.4 | 13.5 | 14.1 | 11.6 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 11.1 | 14.1 | 94.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
65 | 67 | 72 | 74 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 77 | 71 | 71 | 67 | 72 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 72 | 95 | 129 | 123 | 135 | 158 | 178 | 169 | 140 | 115 | 64 | 57 | 1,435 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 49 | 48 | 45 | 39 | 38 | 44 | 49 | 50 | 48 | 47 | 41 | 44 | 45 |
| Source: MeteoSwiss[10] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f map.geo.admin.ch (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ "Pässe in der Schweiz" [Passes in Switzerland] (in German). Touring Club Schweiz. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ "Meiringen–Grimsel–Oberwald (Grimselpass-Linie)" (PDF). Bundesamt für Verkehr. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Aare Route". Veloland. SwitzerlandMobility Foundation. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "Grimselpass" [Grimsel Pass]. Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 30 January 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ Küchler, Remigius (2003). Obwaldens Weg nach Süden: durch Oberhasli, Goms und Eschental (in German). Verlag des Historischen Vereins Obwalden. p. 43.
- ^ "Grimsel Experience". KWO. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ^ "61,061 Handegg - Gelmersee, Innertkirchen, funicular". Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune [Swiss Inventory of Cableways] (in German). Federal Office of Culture. 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Climate Summary for Grimsel". weatherbase.com. CantyMedia. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Climate Normals Grimsel Hospiza (Reference period 1991−2020)" (PDF). Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
External links
