stelvio pass

Hi group,
I will be travelling to Milan Italy in October,5th to 16th, is it too late to do the Stelvio pass?
I was thinking of renting a bike from the 8th to the 15th, going to stelvio then to Tuscani and back to Milan. Any thoughts? any recomendations on rental places?
Thanks

Louie

The Michelin maps show Stelvio as definitely being closed November to June. But if you Google "Stelvio Weather", you'll find a lot of information (and, if you look during the day in Italy, many webcams too). It appears that they're actually getting a bit of snow up there now.

If Stelvio is closed, I highly recommend the Alba region which is just SW of Milan. Lower altitude, lots of valleys. It's known as the " breadbasket of flavor" or something like that. That equates to really, really, good food. I've ridden there in mid-November and had my jacket unzipped. Have fun!!!

Stelvio is like the GAP, you go to say you have been, but numerous passes as good or better, IMHO, in the area. I have only done the East side once, when I was there with my sons and they wanted to say they rode it. When I go by myself, I always go up from the Bormio side, much more fun. If you want gnarly head to the Gavia. Lots of REAL good riding around Trento too. Manghan is one of my all time favorites.

FWIW, while IMO the Stelvio is a "worth seeing" place, it is not the best place to enjoy a MC. Between hairpin on top of hairpin and many tourists in vans & you name it you will find yourself with little chance to actually look around or ride with any speed whatsoever. Otherwise, the Alps & Dolomites are my favorite part of Italy. Perhaps "global" will kick in with a route for you...

Thank s everyone, I would like to see Stelvio, but I realize it is only one of many passes. I will check out the the websites.
cheers

I will check out the websites...LouieSkretas

Click to expand...

Louie:

You might want to have a look at John Hermann's book: Motorcycle Touring in the Alps. And if you go into Global Touring's site (linked from his user name), there is lots of info.

I just rode Stelvio (both sides) around a month ago. First, there is always snow at the top as far as I can tell. If you are going to ride it, I suggest trying to go in the morning. I was at the top around 10:30 or so, and traffic was pretty light for me. I never saw a tourist bus, and the slower cars and bikes were simple to get around. I rode up from the Bormio side. There are a few small, narrow, DARK tunnels you ride through (one was narrow enough that two cars met and one had to back out of the tunnel). Loads of fun, though. Once you get used to hairpins it's not a big deal, but you're definitely not going to be tearing through those really fast. There is a better opportunity for getting up speed from the Bormio side than the other side that is just hairpin after hairpin after hairpin:

Bormio side:





Dowhill towards SS40/Glurns area:



If you have time and want an enjoyable ride to some great scenery, look for "Lago di Vernago". The road to it starts at Naturno. I had trouble finding it but it was worth it. If you are eastbound on SS40, there is a point where you can stay on SS40 and go through a tunnel, or turn left just before the tunnel (leading to another tunnel). That is the way to go. It's a nice diversion and there is a restaurant/hotel near the lake if you want to grab a Coke or something mid-day.

As for hairpins, lefts are easy - stick to the outside. Rights - try to look "up" to see if someone is coming. The best way to do them is go wide at the start and cut it tight so you don't run into anyone coming down in the middle of the turn. If you screw up and have to stop, you are going to topple over because of the grade of the road.

As others mentioned, there are other good passes. Manghan is a nice pass, though one of the narrowest I rode, and keep an eye out for cows:



You can't go wrong in the Dolomites. Plenty of passes to ride. Figure out where you're staying, get a map, and draw yourself a loop. 150-200 miles in a day is a good long day of riding in the Alps- trust me on that. That would probably run you from 8:30am-4pm with one lunch stop and maybe brief photo stops.

If you're looking for a pass almost as high as Stelvio (and still plenty fun), you might want to check out Timmelsjoch between Italy and Austria. Still plenty of snow there, too (and lots of fun riding up):

LouieSkretas said:

Hi group,
I will be travelling to Milan Italy in October,5th to 16th, is it too late to do the Stelvio pass?
I was thinking of renting a bike from the 8th to the 15th, going to stelvio then to Tuscani and back to Milan. Any thoughts? any recommendations on rental places?
Thanks

Louie

Click to expand...

It has been quite hot in Europe this past summer, so if the heat drags on, you might be lucky. Then again, it was 6C in a howling wind and rain when I crossed over it this past June.

If you are in Milan, a short ride up to the north end of Lago di Como will get you to the town of Chiavenna. That would be a good home base for at least a few days. I stayed at Hotel Aurora a couple of times...a nice hotel...great pizza.

If you grab a good map, you'll notice you can daisy chain all of the following passes.

From there head north over the Spl??gen Pass which should not be missed if you are that close. From there, over the San Bernardino, back up the Lukmanier and if you can swing the distance, some of the passes around Andermatt.

From Chiavenna, you can head north-east over the Maloja Pass and ride the following passes: Albula, Julier, Ofen, Fluela, Bernina, Stelvio, Gavia.

A 400 km day is a long one in the Alps if you are riding nothing but back roads and twisties.

My friend and his wife joined me this year on a rental motorcycle and I got to play tour guide. They were amazed that we had gone nowhere but that it took 2 hours to do so. That is when I told them "I'm taking you on twisty mountain back roads the touring companies don't take you on".

What weather we had...


And what roads...




The view from my hotel room wasn't bad either...



Which is why I have been going back 16 years straight.