15.5
PDI
8.6 mi
DISTANCE
2,630 ft
GAINED
5.8 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Plenty of riders know this road only in the other direction - it's the long, fast way home to Corvara at the end of the Maratona dles Dolomites. Ridden up from La Villa it builds slowly: a gentle valley road through San Cassiano and the meadows of Armentarola, and then, in the last 5 km, a proper Dolomite pass, with the grey walls of the Lagazuoi and Sass de Stria closing in above the hairpins.
It's 13.8 km (8.6 mi) with 802 m (2630 ft) of climbing at 5.8%, from 1397 m in La Villa to 2195 m at the top. After a 6.8% kick out of La Villa, the first 7 km barely count - long stretches at 2-4% through San Cassiano and a short steeper ramp in the village. The real climbing starts above Sciaré: six kilometers in a row at 6.6-9.2%, the steepest kilometer at 9.7%, and the trees thin out as you go. Then it levels off past the Rifugio Passo Valparola for the final run to the summit, right by the old Austro-Hungarian fort.
That top section was rebuilt in 2024 and 2025 after years of landslides and avalanches, so expect new retaining walls and fresh asphalt below the hairpins. Passo Falzarego is just over a kilometer down the far side, which makes it easy to carry on toward Cortina or Caprile - or turn around for a long, fast run back down to La Villa.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Overall: 13.8 km (8.6 mi) with 802 m (2630 ft) of climbing at a 5.8% average, from 1397 m (4584 ft) to 2195 m (7200 ft).
Km 0-1: 6.8% out of La Villa.
Km 1-7: 4.2%, 1.8%, 7.2%, 2.7%, 3.2% and 4.3% through San Cassiano and Armentarola to Sciaré.
Km 7-13: 6.6%, 7.1%, 7.9%, 8.9%, 9.2% and 8.2% - the pass itself, through the hairpins.
Km 13-13.8: 2.8% to the summit.
Steepest sections: 500 m at 10.1%, 1 km at 9.7%, 2 km at 9.6%, 5 km at 8.5%.
Roadway: Paved all the way, on the SP37 (LS 37) through South Tyrol and the SP24 once you cross into the Veneto near the top. The valley section through San Cassiano is wide and smooth. Above Sciaré the province rebuilt about 1.7 km of road in 2024 and 2025 after repeated landslides and avalanches, closing it for weeks at a time while the work went on - if you're riding in spring or autumn, check the South Tyrol road information before you set off. The pass is kept open in winter but can shut at short notice after heavy snow and wind.
Traffic: Moderate, and busy in July and August, when cars, motorbikes and coaches stream through San Cassiano toward Falzarego and Cortina. Early mornings are much quieter. On the Dolomites Bike Day in June the whole road from La Villa to the pass is closed to motor traffic from 9:00 to 15:00, and it's closed again for the Maratona dles Dolomites in early July.
Parking: La Villa has plenty of space; the big lift car park on Strada Colz is a few hundred meters from the start. At the top there's parking by the Rifugio Passo Valparola, and more at Passo Falzarego.
Gear: A compact with a 28 or 30 is plenty; the only sustained work is the 6 km of 7-9% above Sciaré, close to 2000 m. Pack a wind layer or gilet - you finish just under 2200 m, and the descent back to La Villa is long and fast.
Provisions: La Villa and San Cassiano have bars, bakeries and shops, and there's a drinking fountain at Punt de Altin by the start. Above Armentarola there's little until the Rifugio Passo Valparola at the top, which has a bar and restaurant in season.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
San Cassiano is the quieter base of the Alta Badia villages and worth a look even if you're staying in La Villa or Corvara. Its Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus is about the cave bears found in the Conturines cave above the valley - more than 50,000 years old, from what may be the highest cave-bear site anywhere - and it's open daily from May to early November and over the winter season.
For the Great War history at the top, the Forte Tre Sassi museum and the Lagazuoi tunnels, see our Passo Valparola (Caprile) page, which goes into it properly. From La Villa it's only about 5 km to Corvara, the start of our Passo Gardena (Corvara), Passo Campolongo (Corvara) and Sella Ronda pages, and in La Villa itself is the Mür dl Giat, the short, brutally steep wall the Maratona throws in near the finish. With Falzarego and Giau, Valparola makes a big day's loop from here if you have the legs.
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grock333
Another easier climb on your way to harder routes. The scenery in these parts is crazy!
