Malbun

Overview

Malbun is a route defined by density. Across just 15.3 kilometers, it stacks up 1175 meters of climbing, and that ratio alone is enough to mark it as one of the most concentrated efforts in the Rätikon corner of Liechtenstein. There is no filler here, no long valley approach to spin the legs loose, no rolling middle section to bank recovery. From the moment the road tilts, it stays tilted, and the point-to-point layout means every meter of ascent is committed rather than repaid on a return leg. This is a climb you arrive at, empty yourself on, and finish somewhere higher than you started.

What makes Malbun iconic is precisely that honesty. A 15.3 km route that gains over a thousand meters cannot hide behind scenery or clever pacing. It rewards riders who can hold a rhythm under sustained load and punishes those who go out hard expecting the gradient to ease. In a small country not short on mountain roads, Malbun stands out as the one that asks the most per kilometer.

The Route

The line runs point-to-point across 15.3 km, threading up through the Rätikon toward the high ground it is named for. Because it does not loop back, the route has a clear narrative arc: a start, a relentless middle, and a summit finish that doubles as the endpoint. There is no coasting home built into the profile, which changes how you ride it. Effort spent early is effort gone for good, so the smart approach is to meter yourself against the full 1175 meters rather than any single ramp.

The asphalt carries you the entire way, giving the route a continuous, uninterrupted surface from bottom to top. That consistency lets riders settle into the climb and read the road ahead without recalculating traction from one section to the next.

Key Climbs

The defining feature of Malbun is the Mattlerjoch, the high point the route reaches on its way across the Rätikon. Everything about the profile bends toward it. The Mattlerjoch is where the route's 1175 meters of climbing accumulate and where the point-to-point logic pays off, delivering you to genuine altitude rather than back to the valley floor. It is the reason the route exists and the reason it earns its reputation: not a decorative summit tacked onto a longer day, but the whole point of the ride. Reaching the Mattlerjoch is the achievement, and pacing the climb well is the entire tactical problem Malbun poses.

Terrain & Surface

Malbun is asphalt from start to finish. That single surface shapes the character of the ride: smooth, predictable, and fast to read, so the challenge is purely the gradient and the accumulating meters rather than anything underfoot. On a paved climb this steep-averaging, tire choice and line become secondary to gearing and legs. Riders can commit fully to the effort, knowing the road surface will hold consistent all the way to the Mattlerjoch. The asphalt also makes the descent side, wherever your day takes you afterward, a clean and controllable proposition.

When to Ride

As a high mountain route in the Rätikon, Malbun is best tackled in the warmer, drier months when the upper road toward the Mattlerjoch is clear and the asphalt is dry. The concentration of climbing means heat management matters: 1175 meters over 15.3 km leaves little chance to cool down once you are into the effort. Aim for conditions that are settled and comfortable, and give yourself daylight and margin, because a point-to-point finish at altitude is not a place to be caught out by weather closing in.

Logistics

Being point-to-point, Malbun requires a little planning that a loop would not. You finish somewhere different from where you began, high on the route toward the Mattlerjoch, so arrange your onward transport or descent in advance. Carry what you need for a sustained climb: enough to eat and drink for a full 1175-meter effort, and gearing that lets you hold a sustainable cadence rather than grinding. The short overall distance is deceptive; treat it as a mountain day, not a quick spin.

Summary

Malbun distills mountain cycling into 15.3 km. With 1175 meters of climbing on continuous asphalt, culminating at the Mattlerjoch in the Rätikon, it is a pure, uncompromising point-to-point that trades length for intensity. Ride it well and it rewards you with one of Liechtenstein's most honest and memorable ascents.