Susten Pass

The pass road was only developed after World War II. The pre-war plan was to develop a tourist itinerary for carriages bringing people to the mountains - the arrival of WWII slowed development and those carriages had become cars. Opened in 1946, its modern development is evident in the many short tunnels where the mountains overrun the road.

The pass road is long and scenic with views of the Sustenhorn and Stein glaciers as you climb. At the summit the Stein glacier appears sitting below the Sustenhorn, its melted remains are visible in the lake at Steinsee. In 1992 six people were killed by an explosion inside the Stein glacier's underground storage facility. The military store of armaments exploded registering 3.7 on the Richter scale, causing part of the mountainside to slide. A fire in one of the chambers was found as the cause of the explosion. At the summit are a large car park, a small lake and a hostel. From the summit, a tunnel delivers you to the next valley and the descent to Wassen.