| Beautiful scenery |
| 27 hairpin turns |
| #58 most elevation gain of Bolzano |
| #91 longest climb of Trentino-South Tyrol |
Mendel Pass / Passo Mendola from Kaltern / Caldaro is a climb in the region Bolzano. It is 9.2 mi long and bridges 3150 ft of vertical ascent with an average gradient of 6.5%, resulting in a difficulty score of 729. The top of the ascent is located at 4482 ft above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 11 reviews of this climb and uploaded 12 photos.
Road name: SS42
5.0 by taskinoThis is an automatic translation, the original language is: Italian.Great climb with nice scenes as written by all. Only water source is at around on the 3rd km of the climb right next to Kalterer Höhe on the connecting road. Other than that there is another one abous 7ish km from the top but that one is not potable. In summer time better in the afternoon as it's shady, in autumn winter mid day would be the right choice.... read more
Welcome! Please activate your account if you would like to share something. Look for the verification email in your inbox.
If you want to upload your photos, you need to create an account. It only takes 1 minute and it's completely free.
Continue with Google
Continue with Facebook
Continue with Apple
Sign up with email
I did this climb during our vacation to Italy in 2025. This is the first real col I have done, apart from some tough climbs in the Limburg hills and Belgian Ardennes.
Cycling from Kaltern, you see a mountainside on the left through which the Mendel Pass runs. As soon as you turn onto the winding S-road the climb then really begins.
As previous reviewers before me have reported, it is a steady climb and the asphalt is perfect. During the first half of the climb you cycle through a beautiful wooded area and are already treated to a hairpin turn here and there. The last part of the climb is really fantastic, the road gets narrower and if you look to the left you have a beautiful view over the valley. The final part of the climb consists of several hairpin turns, as soon as you see them (and the cable car) you know you are almost at the top.
Should you feel like more after the climb (I did ;-) ), when you arrive at the top in Mendel you can turn right after a bit and cycle up the Penegal.
Ik heb deze klim gedaan tijdens onze vakantie naar Italië in 2025. Dit is de eerste echte col die ik heb gedaan, op wat pittige klimmetjes in het Limburgs heuvelland en Belgische Ardennen na.
Fietsend vanuit Kaltern zie je aan de linkerkant een bergwand waar de Mendel pas doorheen loopt. Zodra je de kronkelende S-weg oprijdt begint de klim dan echt.
Zoals eerdere reviewers voor mij al hebben gemeld is het een gestage klim en het asfalt is perfect. TIjdens de eerste helft van de klim fiets je door een mooi bosrijk gebied en word je al getrakteerd op een haarspeldbocht hier en daar. Het laatste deel van de klim is werkelijk fantastisch, de weg wordt smaller en als je naar links kijkt heb je een prachtig uitzicht over het dal. De finale van de klim bestaat uit meerdere haarspeldbochten, zodra je die ziet (en de kabelbaan) weet je dat je bijna boven bent.
Mocht je na de klim zin hebben in nog meer (ik had dat wel ;-) ), dan kun je als je boven aankomt in Mendel na een stukje rechtsaf slaan en de Penegal opfietsen.
Living in Bolzano, this is a climb I often make from both Caldaro and Cavareno (having already done 70 km, however). Pleasant jumps and impeccable asphalt. You have to choose the time well because the traffic especially of motorcycles in summer is high, not dangerous because the hairpin bends slow down. Always done in a loop, often having the Palade Pass.
Vivendo a Bolzano, questa è una salita che faccio spesso sia da Caldaro sia da Cavareno (avendo però gia fatto 70 km). Salta piacevole ed asfalto impeccabile. Bisogna scegliere bene l'orario perché il traffico soprattutto di moto in estate è elevato, non pericoloso perché i tornanti rallentano. Fatta sempre ad anello, spesso abbiando il Passo Palade.
Nice climb, excellent tarmac and along the way the views of the valley become very nice. Unfortunately, there is very heavy traffic and that really does take much of the fun out of it.
Mooie klim, uitstekend asfalt en onderweg worden de uitzichten op het dal erg mooi. Helaas is er heel erg veel verkeer en dat haalt een groot deel van de lol er echt wel af.
I rode the climb on Bike Day, so I can't say anything about the rest of the traffic. I found the climb quite pleasant, you rarely go over 7％ and have enough time to find your rhythm. It also becomes more open at the end, with views towards the valley and in some places towards Lake Kaltern. I was able to pick up the pace considerably because there are no real ramps. So it's actually ideal if you want to ride consistently without running the risk of overdoing it.
Ich bin den Anstieg am Bike Day gefahren, kann also nichts zum übrigen Verkehrsaufkommen sagen. Den Anstieg fand ich ziemlich angenehm, man geht selten über 7％ hinaus und hat genügend Zeit seinen Rythmus zu finden. Hinten raus wird er auch offener mit Sicht in Richtung Tal, teilweise auch zum Kalterer See. Ich konnte das Tempo dann nochmal deutlich anziehen, weil es keine wirklichen Rampen gibt. Also eigentlich ideal wenn man konstant fahren will ohne Gefahr zu laufen zu überziehen.
i did this climb in august, it is a bit busy but not too busy, lots of cyclists. the road is nice and wide but the scenery is disappointing because on the way up you cannot see the valle dell'adige...i think it is much nicer to go downhill on this side. medium difficulty, the climb is fairly easy and steady. from the top you can then continue on to the palade pass
ho fatto questa salita in agosto, è un pò trafficata ma non troppo, tanti ciclisti. strada bella larga ma paesaggio deludente perchè salendo non si vede la valle dell'adige...credo sia molto più bello da fare in discesa questo lato. difficoltà media si sale abbastanza bene con ritmi costanti. dalla cima si può poi proseguire per il passo palade
Great climb with nice scenes as written by all. Only water source is at around on the 3rd km of the climb right next to Kalterer Höhe on the connecting road. Other than that there is another one abous 7ish km from the top but that one is not potable. In summer time better in the afternoon as it's shady, in autumn winter mid day would be the right choice.
Great climb with nice scenes as written by all. Only water source is at around on the 3rd km of the climb right next to Kalterer Höhe on the connecting road. Other than that there is another one abous 7ish km from the top but that one is not potable. In summer time better in the afternoon as it's shady, in autumn winter mid day would be the right choice.
Nice gradual climb with nice views, the incessant procession of racing motorbikes and racing cars is truly awful. Perhaps because of the fact that I rode on a Sunday, but half the drivers thought they had to imitate the 'tt isle of man'.
Mooie geleidelijke klim met mooie uitzichten, de onaflatende stoet van racende motoren en racebolides is werkelijk vreselijk. Wellicht vanwege dat ik op een zondag heb gereden, maar de helft van de bestuurders dacht dat ze de 'tt isle of man' moesten nadoen.
Mendelpass is very pleasant and quiet when you are in Bolzano. Wonderful even ascent. Very beautiful area. Great for rolling in.
Mendelpass ist sehr angenehm und ruhig wenn man in Bozen ist. Wunderbare gleichmäßiger Anstieg. Sehr schöne Gegend. Toll zum einrollen.
Nice climb with especially just before the top beautiful views of Bolzano. Sufficient tents to quench the thirst on the col. Asphalt is good. In the most obscure bends are handy mirrors so you can better spot oncoming traffic.
Mooie klim met vooral vlak voor de top fraai uitzicht op Bolzano. Voldoende tentjes om de dorst te lessen op de col. Asfalt is goed. In de meest onoverzichtelijke bochten staan handig spiegels zodat je beter tegenliggers kunt spotten.
Nice running climb with fantastic views. Since I share my name with this climb I had to ride it up ;)
Mooie lopende klim met fantastische uitzichten. Sinds ik mijn naam deel met deze klim moest ik hem wel omhoog rijden ;)
If you are in the region then this climb is definitely worth driving up. The higher you get, the better the view. The traffic could be a bit less, but not too annoying.
Mocht je in de regio zijn dan is deze klim absoluut het omhoog rijden waard. Hoe hoger je komt, des te mooier het uitzicht. Het verkeer zou een tandje minder kunnen, maar niet te hinderlijk.
| 5 mph | 01:51:21 |
| 7 mph | 01:18:50 |
| 9 mph | 01:01:26 |
| 12 mph | 00:46:09 |
This page is better in the app
