Rionda is a brutal paved climb in Switzerland

Rionda is a legendary high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.157m (7,076ft) above the sea level in Switzerland. 

Rionda

The road starts from Lavey-Morcles, a municipality in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Aigle, at an elevation of 442m above the sea level. The horrendous climb arrives to 2157m on the top of Rionda. Except for km 8 and the last km, the pass never drops below 10%. Starting from this town, the ascent is 15.3 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.715 meters. The average percentage is 11.2 %.



The climb is not very hard at the beginning, but soon it becomes pretty steep and stays that way through a long series of numbered serpentines up to Lavey-Morcles. The last part of this road could be impassable for cars. The pass has a military installation atop the mountain overlooking the area around Martigny and the climb from Lavey-les-Bains is one of the absolutely hardest climbs anywhere in the world. Check weather forecasts before leaving home, and remember that it becomes cooler and often more prone to storms at higher elevations. Be prepared with jackets, water, and emergency kit in your car.
According to some dangerousroads.org users, in July 2015, 'unfortunately there is a barrier with a padlock at approx. 1.750m above sea level (there is here a car park), which is closed. Impossible to drive further: what a pity!'.
Pic: Elisabeth Haymoz