Greina

Overview

Greina is a hors catégorie (HC) climb in Switzerland, running 6.1 km from a start at 1,243 m to a summit at 2,003 m. Over that distance it delivers a net elevation gain of 760 m, which puts the average gradient at a severe 12.41%. This is a short climb by alpine standards, but the category is earned through sheer steepness rather than length — you finish above 2,000 m, where thinner air compounds the effort.

Note the gap between the net gain of 760 m and the total ascent of 861 m. That 101 m difference is undulation: the profile is not a clean, monotonic ramp. Roughly 101 m of the climbing you do is simply regaining ground lost to short descents or dips along the way. In practice this means the effort is punchier and less rhythmic than the average suggests — you cannot settle into one cadence and hold it to the top.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An average of 12.41% is already brutal, but averages flatten the story. The maximum gradient here reaches into the low twenties, meaning there are pitches roughly twice as steep as the average. Because the climb undulates, the steep ramps are separated by brief lulls, and those lulls are where riders lose time by coasting instead of driving.

• Short flatter or downhill sections that account for the 101 m of extra ascent — use them to recover, not to relax fully.
• Repeated steep pitches stacked between the dips, so expect sharp changes in load rather than a steady grind.
• The steepest ramp is the day's crux — a wall in the low-20% range that will spike your power and force you out of the saddle.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and broken up, pace by even effort, not even speed. Your speed will swing wildly between the 21%+ ramps and the recovery dips, and chasing a constant speed will blow you up on the steep pitches. Anchor your effort to a sustainable power output instead, holding just below threshold on the ramps and easing — but never coasting — through the flatter sections.

Because the undulation lets you recover briefly, you can afford to push slightly above your steady number on the steepest walls, knowing a dip follows. Know your ceiling before you start: run the FTP estimator and set a hard power cap for the ramps so you do not overcommit early.

Gearing

Gearing here is dictated by the low-20% maximum, not the average. That demands a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 as a minimum, and go easier if you have it. On a 12.41% average pushing into the twenties, an undergeared setup forces you to grind at low cadence and cook your legs. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; you cannot fix it on the wall.

Summary

• Length: 6.1 km
• Average gradient: 12.41%
• Maximum gradient: 21.4%
• Net elevation gain: 760 m
• Total ascent: 861 m
• Category: HC

Greina is a short, savage HC climb: 6.1 km, 12.41% average, and a summit above 2,000 m. Gear low, pace by effort, and respect the undulation, and you will reach the top with something left.