Ochsenscharte

Overview

Ochsenscharte is one of those climbs that offers no hiding place. Over 9.2 km it averages 10.81%, a figure that would be brutal for a short wall and is close to absurd sustained for this distance. From a start at 946 m the road hauls you up to a summit of 1944 m — a net gain of 998 m — and its unrelenting steepness earns it the hors catégorie rating, the hardest classification there is. There is no gentle valley approach folded into the average here; the double-digit gradient is the climb, start to finish.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline number tells most of the story: 10.81% averaged across 9.2 km means the road rarely dips into anything resembling recovery. Where many HC climbs earn their category through length punctuated by flatter stretches, Ochsenscharte earns it through relentless pitch. The max gradient of 20.73% is nearly double the average, so expect ramps that briefly threaten to stall your cadence entirely before the road settles back to its merciless "cruising" grade of roughly 11%. Because the total ascent of 990 m is almost identical to the net gain of 998 m, the profile has essentially no descending — every metre you climb, you keep. That makes it a pure ascent, which is both simpler to read and harder to survive: there is nowhere to freewheel and reset your legs.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this long, pacing is everything. Ride it as an even effort anchored to your FTP, not to the gradient in front of you — the temptation on the 20.73% ramps is to surge, and every match burned early will cost you dearly over the remaining kilometres. Aim to hold a steady power just under threshold and let your speed vary with the pitch rather than chasing a fixed pace. If you are unsure of your numbers, run the FTP estimator before you start and set a ceiling you will not exceed in the first two-thirds of the climb. With 998 m of vertical to absorb, discipline in the opening kilometres is what leaves you something for the steepest sections higher up.

Gearing

Gear conservatively. At 10.81% average with spikes to 20.73%, a compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible minimum. A 34×32 will get most fit riders up the sustained sections, but on the 20%+ ramps you will be grinding at low cadence — so if your legs or your loaded weight suggest any doubt, fit a 34×34 and give yourself the extra margin. On a climb with no flat and no descent, the ability to keep spinning rather than muscling each pedal stroke is what preserves your legs across the full 9.2 km.

Summary

Ochsenscharte is a rare, uncompromising HC ascent: short by grand-tour standards but ferociously steep for every one of its 9.2 km, with no respite and no false flat to dilute the effort. Pace it to your threshold, gear low, and respect the ramps.

Length: 9.2 km
Average gradient: 10.81%
Max gradient: 20.73%
Start: 946 m
Summit: 1944 m
Net gain: 998 m
Total ascent: 990 m
Category: HC