| Beautiful scenery |
| 29 hairpin turns |
| #62 toughest climb of Italy |
| #78 most elevation gain of Europe |
| #50 longest climb of Italian Alps |
Passo di San Marco from Morbegno is a climb in the region Lombardy. It is 26.1km long and bridges 1762 vertical meters with an average gradient of 6.8%, resulting in a difficulty score of 1391. The top of the ascent is located at 1992 meters above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 13 reviews of this climb and uploaded 37 photos.
Road name: SP8
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During my trip to lake Como I wasn't staying very close to Morbegno, but thanks to the train it was really easy to get there. The first 10 kilometers of the climb are fairly easy, but after that you face a few (maybe 6 or 7) kilometers of steep climbing, which I personally considered the most difficult part of the whole ascent. After that, you get to rest for a few minutes on a more or less flat section, before you tackle the last 400 meters of elevation.
The views are beautiful, although a lot of the climbing is done through forests. The descent on the other side is actually nicer from a scenic perspective.
Talking about the descent, you'll want to bring some extra clothes to put on before going down, as it can get really cold. I did the ride an early morning in the middle of September, which meant I did most of the climb in the shadow and descended in the sun. Still, I got really cold on the way down as I didn't get to pedal for 30min...
Asphalt is OK and the traffic was completely absent on the thursday morning that I took on this beast of a climb.
The Valtellina side is a little less busy than the Bergamo side even though most of the motorbikes that go up at the weekend then come down to Valtellina. As I have already mentioned, on weekends, especially in the summer, the traffic is quite high, and the road is not particularly scenic except for the last 2-3 km. The greatest difficulty of the climb is given by its length, after Albaredo you face the toughest section that is still rideable and is followed by a nice flat section where you can rest a little before the last climb. After Albaredo there are no fountains on the road.
Il lato valtellinese è un po' meno trafficato di quello bergamasco anche se la maggior parte delle moto che salgono nel week-end poi scendono in Valtellina. Come ho già detto nei week-end soprattutto estivi il traffico è abbastanza elevato, la strada non è particolarmente panoramica ad eccezione degli ultimi 2-3 km. La difficoltà maggiore della salita è data dalla sua lunghezza, dopo Albaredo si affronta il tratto più duro che rimane comunque pedalabile ed è seguito da un bel tratto piano dove rifiatare leggermente prima dell'ultima salita. Dopo Albaredo non si incontrano fontane sulla strada.
Challenging climb with considerable altitude gained. The road is quite narrow and the asphalt is not always ideal, but the landscape certainly makes up for it.
Not to be missed.
Salita impegnativa con una notevole altitudine guadagnata. La strada è abbastanza stretta e l'asfalto non è sempre ideale, ma sicuramente il paesaggio compensa.
Da non perdere.
Fantastic climb at the entrance to the Valtellina, very long, you climb steadily through the woods for the first 10 km that are pedalable, then the problems begin... after Albaredo (last fountain!) it gets really tough for 6 km, then a falsopiano allows you to rest, then you climb steeply again. Terrifying and beautiful the last 3km, it reminded me of the Stelvio finale. Unmissable!
Salita fantastica all'imbocco della valtellina, lunghissima, si sale regolari nel bosco per i primi 10 km pedalabili, poi iniziano i problemi...dopo albaredo(ultima fontana!) di fa molto tosta per 6km, poi un falsopiano permette di riposare, poi si risale ripidamente. Terrificanti e bellissimi gli ultimi 3km, mi ha ricordato il finale dello Stelvio. Imperdibile!
Good climb. The low gradient at km 16 is deceptive because then for the last six it's back uphill... plus 20 km of climbing behind!
Bella salita. Inganna la poca pendenza che si trova al km 16 perché poi per gli ultimi sei si torna a salire... in più 20 km di salita alle spalle! PS: scendendo di nuovo verso Morbegno vale la pena una sosta al ristorante Flora, ad Albaredo.
Very long climb that starts in a residential area but gradually becomes rural. After passing through several villages, you cycle through forests to finally arrive above the tree line. The climb has a few vicious sections of double-digit percentages. Once at the top, you can still end up in snow in June. The views at the top of the pass are breathtaking!
Hele lange klim die in een woonwijk begint maar geleidelijk landelijker wordt. Na het passeren van een aantal dorpjes fiets je door bossen om uiteindelijk bove de boomgrens te komen. De klim kent een paar venijnige stukken van percentages met dubbele cijfers. Eenmaal boven kun je in juni nog in de sneeuw belanden. Het uitzicht bovenop de pas is adembenemend!
Top point is a border between two different valleys, panoramas and attitudes. You reach the edge, where you feel you are on the highest mountain around due to amazing perspective. Last part resembles higher altitudes, barely no trees and shadow.
It is well known that in Valtellina if the climbs are not at least 25 km they don't even begin to asphalt them :) the san marco from morbegno is long...lots of woods up to 1500 then the most beautiful part begins with rocks and lots of side streams...often towards the end during the week you can find Bengal goats sitting on the asphalt or some ibex on the side of the road. As far as albaredo the gradient is fairly constant but breathless...there you will find the last fountain before the pass...then the hardest 6km begin with gradients in the double digits and you arrive at 1500m...a few km of false-flat and then the last 6km begin with constant gradients between 6 and 10....not very hard but you get there after 20 km of climbing...so you have to use your strength well during the first part otherwise you arrive exhausted. in the summer and on weekends there are lots of motorbikes...cars are always few. I did it again today with almost zero traffic...mild temperature, 8 degrees at the pass. The descent is long and it is better to cover yourself well otherwise in the second half you start to suffer the cold, at least in this period while in August I descended in short sleeves without any problem. one of my favourite climbs like all those in Valtellina
si sa che in valtellina se non sono di almeno 25 km le salita manco iniziano ad asfaltarle :) il san marco da morbegno è lungo...tanto bosco fino a 1500 poi inizia la parte più bella con roccia e tantissimi torrenti laterali...spesso verso la fine in settimana si trovano le capre del bengala sedute sull'asfalto o qualche stambecco a bordo strada. fino ad albaredo pendenza abbastanza costante ma senza respiro...li si trova l'ultima fontana prima del passo...poi iniziano i 6 km più duri con pendenza di poco in doppia cifra e si arriva a 1500 mt...qualche km di falsopiano e poi iniziano gli ultimi 6km con pendenza costanti fra il 6 e il 10....non durissimi ma ci si arriva dopo 20 km di salita...bisogna quindi dosare bene le forze durante la prima parte altrimenti si arriva scarichi. in estate e nei fine settimana tante moto...auto sempre poche. l'ho fatta anche oggi traffico quasi zero...temperatura mite, al passo 8 gradi. paesaggio stupendo con i torrenti strapieni di acqua. la discesa è lunga ed è meglio coprirsi bene altrimenti nella seconda metà si inizia a soffrire il freddo, almeno in questo periodo mentre in agosto sono sceso in maniche corte senza nessun problema. una delle mie salite preferite come tutte quelle valtellinesi
Very nice. I really enjoyed this one. But maybe better to avoid the weekends, as this pass is popular with the motor cycle crowd.
One of the beautiful climbs of the Valtellina that joins it to the Val Brembana (BG)
A long and demanding climb only in the initial part, just after leaving Morbegno. Past Albaredo you enter a beautiful valley that ends before the last hairpin bends leading to the pass.
Exposed to the north, it often has snow until late in the season.
Much frequented by motorcyclists, few cars.
Possibility of refreshments at the pass.
Water fountain at Albaredo.
Ample free parking in Via S.Martino (near the cemetery).
Una delle belle salite della Valtellina che la unisce alla Val Brembana (BG)
Salita lunga e impegnativa solo nella parte iniziale, appena lasciato Morbegno. Passato Albaredo si entra in un bellissimo vallone che termina prima degli ultimi tornanti che portano al passo.
Esposta a Nord ha spesso presenza di neve sino a tarda stagione.
Molto frequentata dai motociclisti, poche auto.
Possibilità di ristoro al passo.
Fontana per acqua ad Albaredo.
Ampio parcheggio libero in Via S.Martino (vicino a cimitero).
Very long ascent but never particularly steep, the risk is to underestimate the duration and exhaust the bottom of your legs before the summit! Even in summer, always wear a cape and long gloves for the descent, the length of the return can lead to a serious risk of hypothermia!
Salita molto lunga ma mai particolarmente ripida,il rischio è di sottovalutare la durata ed esaurire il fondo delle vostre gambe prima della cima! Anche in estate portate sempre mantellina e guanti lunghi per discesa, la lunghezza del ritorno può portare a serio rischio di ipotermia!
Start from Morbegno. Immediately nice road surface and beautiful uphill through the forest. After Valle Campoerbolo it gets quite steep. Great landscape and with us little traffic. Above 1650 meters it's mainly the cows and goat bells that you hear. Beautiful but steep last part (after a short descent) You should never compare but has Galibier-like character. Narrow top. Long but recommendable climb.
Start vanaf Morbegno. Meteen mooi wegdek en prachtig omhoog door t bos. Na Valle Campoerbolo wordt t flink steil. Geweldig landschap en bij ons weinig verkeer. Boven 1650 meter zijn t vooral de koeien en geitenbellen die je hoort. Prachtig maar steil laatste deel (na een korte afdaling) Je mag nooit vergelijken maar heeft Galibier achtig karakter. Smalle top. Lange maar zeker aan te bevelen klim.
| 7 km/h | 03:43:21 |
| 11 km/h | 02:22:08 |
| 15 km/h | 01:44:13 |
| 19 km/h | 01:22:17 |
