Bern/Uri

Susten Pass

The most modern Swiss pass, the Susten was built for the age of tourism

History

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.

Notes

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.

Map

Statistics

Summit coordinates	46°43’47.8”N, 8°26’49.4”E
Summit Altitude	2224 metres
Distance	44 kilometres
Start	Innertkirchen 625 metres
End	Wassen 930 metres
Opens	June to mid-October

If you enjoyed this story

The full story of the Susten pass is available in Issue 04 of the Super Alpine magazine.

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