Gaschurner Winterjöchle

Overview

Gaschurner Winterjöchle is an HC climb in Austria, topping out at a 2,064 m summit. It runs 21.6 km from a start elevation of 683 m, delivering a net elevation gain of 1,381 m. On paper that is a long, high-mountain effort with an average gradient of 6.39%, the kind of sustained day that rewards patient riders and punishes anyone who goes out hard.

The number that matters most here is the gap between net gain and total work. The net elevation gain is 1,381 m, but the total ascent is 1,873 m — a difference of 492 m. That means the road gives back roughly 492 m of descending across the climb, then makes you earn it again. You are not climbing a single ramp; you are climbing more than the summit height suggests, with the undulation adding load your legs will feel even where the profile looks kind.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 6.39% average is a blend, not a description. With 492 m of hidden descent folded into the profile, long stretches sit well below average while the harder pitches sit well above it. The steepest recorded ramp reaches 28.65%, a wall that arrives far above what the average prepares you for.

• Flatter and recovery sections where the road dips or eases, pulling the average down
• Repeated short climbs that follow each descent — the signature of this profile
• One severe ramp at 28.65%, far steeper than the average, demanding a gear in reserve

Pacing Notes

On a climb this undulating, chase even effort, not even speed. Your speed will swing constantly as the road pitches up, dips, and rears again, so anchor your pacing to sustainable power output rather than pace or heart rate, which both lag behind terrain. Hold a steady, sub-threshold effort on the descents and false flats, and let the number rise only briefly on the steep ramps.

If you do not know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you ride and set a target you can hold for the full 21.6 km. The temptation on undulating climbs is to hammer each riser and coast the dips — that spikes your effort and empties the tank before the summit.

Gearing

The 28.65% ramp governs your setup. That is a gradient no standard chainset survives cleanly, so run a compact (50/34) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 low gear gives you a cadence you can actually turn on the wall. With 1,873 m of total ascent, gearing you can spin rather than grind will protect your legs across the whole climb, not just the steep pitch. Check your chainrings and cassette before the ride; discovering you are over-geared at 28% is a walk, not a climb.

Summary

• Length: 21.6 km
• Average gradient: 6.39%
• Maximum gradient: 28.65%
• Net elevation gain: 1,381 m
• Total ascent: 1,873 m
• Category: HC

Gaschurner Winterjöchle is a full HC day: long, high, and deceptively spiky. Pace it by power, gear it for the 28.65% wall, and respect the 492 m of undulation the summit height never shows you.