Tale of the Tape #2: Pass dal Fuorn (Ofen Pass)

Pass #2: Pass del Fuorn (Ofen Pass)
Date: 9/28/08, Day 3
Distance: 21.6km (13.4 miles)
Vertical climb: 676m (2,218 feet)
Average grade: 3.1%
Difficulty rating: 78.75



From Wikipedia:

"Fuorn Pass or Ofen Pass (el. 2149 m.) is a high alpine mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It connects Zernez in the Engadin valley with Val Müstair. It was here that a brown bear was seen and photographed in July 2005 - the first sighting of a wild bear in Switzerland since 1923."

Fuorn pass is the easiest of the mountain passes we'll be doing as it ranks 4th in terms of difficulty. But it's also harder than it appears on the surface. While it's only a 3.1% average grade, that statistic is skewed by a long steady downhill dip in the middle of the pass. Essentially, this pass is two relatively steep climbs interupted by a downhill. The first climb is 4 miles at a 6.3% average grade; the downhill is 3.5 miles with a 3.3% grade; and the final ascent is six miles at a 4.7% average grade. The good news is it's all downhill from the pass to our desination of Santa Maria. The bad news is this pass is a lot more difficult than I was expecting before I did this analysis. The trip is going to be brutal.