Switzerland Vorder Hohi
Vorder Hohi Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

28.9
PDI
7 mi
DISTANCE
3,566 ft
GAINED
9.7 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland; Helmuth Dekkers, Netherlands

INTRO

Vorder Höhi climbs from the lakeside town of Weesen, on the shore of Lake Walensee, to a mountain restaurant above the village of Amden - 11.2 km (7.0 mi) at an average grade of 9.7%, gaining 1,087 m (3,566 ft). The first stretch out of Weesen is the hardest: roughly 4.5 km gaining nearly 500 m to Amden, with the grade rarely dropping below 10-12% and pitches reported as steep as 19% along the way. Once you turn off the main road above Amden toward the summit, traffic disappears almost entirely - the road narrows to little more than a single lane, but the surface stays good all the way to the Alpwirtschaft Vorder Höhi, a mountain alp restaurant near the top. The road has an unusual origin: in the 1970s a rockfall threatened the only road connecting Weesen and Amden, and the Swiss military built an emergency bypass to keep the two towns connected. That bypass is now used only by hikers and cyclists - one of the quieter, more improvised mountain roads in Switzerland. Amden, perched on a sunny plateau above the lake, is known locally as the region's "sun terrace," with sweeping views across Walensee to the jagged Churfirsten ridge. The climb typically rides best from late spring through autumn - check conditions before a shoulder-season attempt, since this is a high, exposed route.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE

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Vorder Höhi gains 1,087 m (3,566 ft) over 11.2 km (7.0 mi) at an average grade of 9.7%, and the effort is badly front-loaded. The opening 4.5 km (2.8 mi) from Weesen to Amden alone climbs nearly 500 m, rarely easing below 10-12%; route trackers report the steepest 100 m of this section averaging close to 17%, with ramps up to 19%. Above Amden the grade moderates somewhat for the quieter, narrower run to the summit restaurant, but there's no real recovery anywhere on this climb.
Roadway: Paved the entire way and in good condition, including the narrow single-lane stretch above Amden. The lower section between Weesen and Amden is a normal two-lane mountain road.

Traffic: Moderate on the Weesen-to-Amden section, since it's the main access road into Amden. Above Amden, where the road narrows toward the summit, traffic drops to almost nothing - mostly hikers' cars and the occasional local.

Parking: There's no dedicated cycling lot at the start. Riders typically park in Weesen's town center near the lakefront, close to the start of the climb.
Provisions: Weesen has shops and cafes for a pre-ride stock-up. There's nothing else until Amden, and then the Alpwirtschaft Vorder Höhi alp restaurant near the summit, which is open seasonally for food and drink.

Gear: This is a Hors Catégorie-level climb with sustained double-digit grades from the first pedal stroke. A compact chainring paired with a wide-range cassette (32-34T or larger) is strongly recommended - there's no easing into this one.
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.
Weesen is a small, historic lakeside town on Walensee, with a quiet medieval center of narrow lanes worth a stroll before or after the ride. Up at the top of the first pitch, Amden is known locally as the region's "sun terrace" - a plateau village with some of the best panoramic views of Walensee and the Churfirsten ridge in the area, and a popular base for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. This same summit can also be reached from the opposite side, out of the Toggenburg valley near Alt Sankt Johann - a genuinely different climb up the same mountain, on our separate Vorder Hohi East page. Our Weather tool is worth checking before you go, given how exposed and high this route is above the lake.

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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Vorder Höhi

Ride 11.2 kilometers gaining 1,084 meters at 9.7% average grade.

This climb begins in the village of Weesen (218 population 1,723).  

Climb summary from PJAMM’s friend and contributor Helmuth Dekkers (NL).  

The Walensee lake in Switzerland is beautiful. On the north side the Churfirsten mountain range rises almost vertically for 2,000m up from the lakeside. And you can clearly see the 7 peaks that form the serrated ridge. Beautiful! There is a nice campsite on the eastern shore of the lake that offers a fantastic view on the lake and the Churfirsten next to it.

From Walenstadt one can cycle along a cycling track to Weesen (422m) or one cycles via the N3 and the Kerenzerbergpass (743m) and Mollis to Weesen. The latter is a nice detour that adds 10km of cycling with 350m of climbing but it does offer nice views on the lake and on the Vorder Höhi pass on the north-west side of the lake.

The actual climb starts in Weesen and after 1km with 6.5% there are 4km to Amden with an average gradient of 11%! The nice views on the lake help to distract the mind a bit from the hard work. In Amden the gradient goes down to a welcome 8%. And after Amden there is the turnoff. A very narrow road, which is closed to motorized traffic a little further, which leads to the Vorde Höhi mountain pass (1553m). This is again hard labor as the next 2 km are 12.5% on average. I read the names of the segments on Strava and it said:

1) No walking allowed! for a 100m stretch of 18.5%

2) Tough shit zu de Vorderi Höhi.

And it is indeed a tough part but very rewarding as this part is so quiet and very scenic. I did see someone step down on that 100m part and I myself had to lean forward to keep my wheel on the road there but I made it without stepping down. The last part to the pass is a straight line  and hence feels quite hard too. When I arrived at the pass there where some cyclists on MTB who were surprised I was there on my road bike. Well, it's a stiff climb but the surface is good so a road bike is OK for this climb.

I descended on the other side to Starkenbach (893m) via a 6.9km, narrow, steep concrete road with quite rough surface. The average gradient is 9.3% but it looked and felt much steeper. My disc brakes started to scream as I really had to slow down hard for the hairpin turns, it's that steep. From Starkenbach one can continue to Wildhaus (1090m so just a mild ascent) and descent further down to Buchs (474m).  

In Buchs you can test your legs again with the tough Buchs-Malbun climb  (1357m difference of level. 9.6km long and 9.4% on average) or cycle back to Walenstadt via a flat road.

The complete trip is 110km long, if you cycle along the lake, with ~2,500m difference of level when you include Buchs-Malbun. I can't imagine a better way of spending the day :-)