16.9
PDI
3.9 mi
DISTANCE
2,060 ft
GAINED
10 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Most riders based in Klausen point their bikes at the long climbs to the Villanderer Alm or up the Latzfons slope. The Gnollhof is the short, sharp one on the other side of the river: a lane that starts across the Eisack from the old town and does almost nothing but climb at 10% for 6.2 km (3.9 mi), gaining 628 m (2,060 ft) to a hotel terrace at 1167 m (3830 ft).
The first 2 km are on the proper two-lane road to Gufidaun, 8.5 to 10% between stone walls and orchards. Ride through the village slowly - Gufidaun has a 15th-century church and the old court castle of Summersberg. Past the last houses the road shrinks to a single strip of patched asphalt and the real work starts: the steepest kilometer, at 12.2%, comes straight away, and from there to the top the gradient hardly drops below 9%. Meadows and farms give way to spruce forest for the last stretch, where it's cool and shaded on a hot day.
At the top is the Gnollhof itself, an old inn turned hotel with a restaurant and a wide view across the Eisack Valley to the Dolomites. Hikers walk up from Gufidaun on trail 7 in about an hour and a half. The descent on that narrow upper lane is steep enough that you'll be on the brakes most of the way down.
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. The Gnollhof climb is 6.2 km (3.9 mi) long and gains 628 m (2,060 ft) at a 10.0% average, from 541 m (1776 ft) beside the Eisack to 1167 m (3830 ft) at the hotel.
Km 0-2: 10.2%, then 8.6% on the main road up to Gufidaun.
Km 2-4: 12.2% - the steepest kilometer, right after the village - then 9.1%.
Km 4-6: 10.2% and 10.7% through the meadows and into the forest.
Km 6-6.2: 5.8% for the last few hundred meters to the hotel.
Steepest sections: 100 yd (91 m) at 15.2%; 0.5 km (0.3 mi) at 12.7%; 1 km (0.6 mi) at 12.2%; 2 km (1.2 mi) at 11.2%; 5 km (3.1 mi) at 10.4%.
Roadway: Asphalt to the hotel door. The first 2 km to Gufidaun are a normal two-lane road with a center line. Above the village it becomes a single-lane farm road with patched, cracked asphalt and grass along the edges in places, and it's steep enough that you'll want to brake early into every bend on the way down. The upper woods can hold ice and snow in winter.
Traffic: The first 2 km carry Gufidaun's local traffic and the bus from Klausen. Above the village it's farm vehicles and guests driving up to the hotel - not many, but on a lane this narrow one oncoming car means pulling over.
Parking: Klausen's railway station is a few minutes' ride from the start, so it's easy to arrive by train and roll across the river. Gufidaun has a car park at about 695 m (2280 ft), used by hikers heading up to the Gnollhof - start there if you only want the steep upper 4 km.
Gear: This is 10% from bottom to top, with a kilometer at 12% and pitches over 15%, so fit the lowest gear you own - a 34 chainring with a 32 or 34 cog is not overkill here. Brakes and tires in good shape matter more than usual for that narrow descent.
Provisions: It's short, so one bottle covers it on a cool day. The Gnollhof's restaurant at the top is the obvious stop; it runs for the summer season, roughly spring to November, so check before counting on it.
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.
Gufidaun is the place to linger. The Church of St. Martin dates from the 15th century, and its sacristy, the Koburger chapel, has a fresco cycle by Ambrosius Gander. Summersberg Castle, once the seat of the Gufidaun court and bought by the Germanist Ignaz Zingerle in 1880, is still a family home, but its courtyard opens for booked visits on Monday evenings from late July to early September. The village museum in the old administrative house shows farm tools, paintings and sacred art, and opens a few hours a week between Easter and All Saints' Day.
For dinner, the Unterwirt in Gufidaun is a family-run guesthouse with a serious kitchen (closed Sundays and Mondays). Säben Monastery, Latzfons and Velthurns Castle on the far side of the valley are covered on our Rifugio Gasser, Kühhof and Garner Wetterkreuz pages - all three start within a couple of kilometers of here, so pairing the Gnollhof with one of them makes an easy, very steep morning.
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