Let’s go climbing they said, will be fun they said
Deadends are awesome – in my opionon – since almost all the time there is way less traffic than on roads that lead somewhere. In other words, if you’re looking for climbs where mother nature will only hear your heavy breathing and occasional grunting, look no further. These four deadend climbs in the “Sankt Galler Rheintal” are of epic proportion and the views at the top of them will blow your mind – promised!
But keep in mind, they are long, steep and sometimes even nasty. The route to the “Kamor” for instance – which is the first out of the four climbs – if you decide to start from “Rüthi SG” – covers over 1’200 meters of elevation, contains some gravel and at the end it kicks butt with a 25% ramp. Therefore I’d highly recommend to ride this one at a steady and well sustainable pace. Once at the top the view is going to be absolutely mindblowing, as on a day with clear skies you’ll see Lake Constance in its entirety.
Second on the menu is the easiest of the four climbs: Buchserberg. On this one you’ll “only” do about 900 meters of climbing. The gradient is a steady 10%. On the way up as well as at the top the views will be breathtaking as long as the weather decides to plays along nicely.
The second deadend in the bags it’s time to head over to “Black plates country” (Liechtenstein). From “Triesen” to “Malbun” you’ll cover almost 1’100 meters of elevation. If you happen to ascend here on a sunny hot day, you’ll feel like a chicken on a rotissery. So make sure to refill your bottles as otherwise this is going to be nasty. Apart from the heat and that you’ll cover a lot of elevation – again – this is not too hard a climb. Make sure that every once in a while you soak in those views, overlooking “Rheintal”, or glancing over at “Kreuzberge”, the “Alvier Kette” or all the way down to “Sargans”.
Last but not least: Palfris. This one is mean – and I mean, mean! Climbing a little over 1’200 meters after you’ve been fried on the way up to Liechtensteiner Malbun in itself sounds like a masochistic persons definition of fun – but well … here we are. What makes this climb so tough is the fact that it’s never steady, meaning it ramps itself to the top. And that at the end of such a monumental route is certainly a challenge. Once you arrive at the top – more than 1’700 meters above sea level – I’d recommend following a gravel section to the very end of the road. There you’ll reach yet another stunning viewing spot looking at “Churfirsten” and “Walensee” in front of you while to the right you’ll see the backside of the “Alvier Kette” and to the left you’ll have the “Flumserberge” in clear sight.
If you really consider riding this route in its entirety, drop me a note and I’ll join you. It’s hard, but the views are so incredibly rewarding!
Stats / Difficulty
Distance: 157km
Elevation gain: ~5’000m
Duration: 7 – 9h
Endurance level: Expert
Impressions
Map
GPX Download
Download GPX – Deadly DeadendsYou can import the .gpx file into any one of your prefered apps such as Strava, Komoot, Garmin Connect, … and change the route from there if you’d for example like to start from another location.