Susten Pass

While I was almost entranced by the beautiful scenery

As we slowly descend the Grimsel Pass, we pass the lovely little village of Guttanen and head towards the Susten Pass. As we descend to the town of Innertkirchen, the scenery changes from being surrounded by high mountains just a short time ago to an ordinary provincial town, almost as if it were a distant memory, and I feel like I’ve been pulled back to reality. With the roof open in my cabriolet and looking up at the blue sky, the air and smells inside the car also feel different from when I was up in the mountains.

However, if you turn right from this town at the sign pointing towards Sustenpass, you’ll find yourself dotted with typical Swiss traditional houses, reminiscent of Heidi, Girl of the Alps. You continue on along a narrow, winding road with a steep gradient and a series of hairpin turns. You’ll be entranced by the beautiful scenery, but the narrow road keeps you on your toes. Perhaps one of the joys of mountain passes for me is these moments of concentration, which are not found in everyday life. If I lose concentration and make a mistake in steering, there’s a high risk of falling into a deep valley, and the fun will be taken away in an instant.

On the steep, winding road from the entrance to Susten Pass, there were cars driving in front of and behind me at a fairly fast pace, so I kept close to them to avoid creating a traffic jam, but a van a few cars ahead of me stopped on a slightly open shoulder to let our car go ahead. There were signs warning of traffic jams, probably because this road gets quite congested during the summer high season.

This route

It took about 100 years for the entire route to be completed.

After a while, the road opens up and we suddenly arrive at a spacious parking lot on the side of the mountain. There are several hotels and restaurants here. We get out of the car, take a deep breath, and walk around the area a bit. This feels like the second chapter, and we continue our uphill drive towards the summit on a road carved into the rock face.

Evidence of human presence along the Susten Pass is said to have been found as early as the early 17th century, but at the time it was a road that played an important military strategic role during the Wars of Religion, rather than for economic development. Meanwhile, when Napoleon occupied the nearby Simplon Pass, Bern’s trade route to Piedmont and Lombardy was cut off, and it was deemed necessary to quickly improve the old, rough animal trails near the Susten River. Road improvement work on the Susten Pass (pass) began in 1811, and the road to Veden/Mayen was opened in 1818. However, it took about 100 years for the entire route to Wassen to be opened.

In 1938, the year before the outbreak of World War II, the Swiss federal authorities and the cantons of Bern and Uri decided to build a well-maintained route from the perspective of transport policy and national defense during World War II, and the road that is now the Sustenpass (pass) was opened to traffic on September 7, 1946. The plaque reads, “1938-1946, Dedicated to Peace in Serious Times.” After a long history, the magnificent snow-capped mountains no longer show any trace of it having been a strategic point of war, and the beautiful Sustenpass, a symbol of peace itself, is now one of the most popular mountain passes in Switzerland.

The strange thing is that the color of the lake changes every time you look at it.

Before long, we arrive at a spectacular view point where the snow-capped mountains stand out beautifully against the blue sky. On the valley side, we can see Lake Stein, which is fed by a glacier in the Alps, and it seems there is a hiking trail around the lake. I have visited this place several times, and it is strange how the color of the lake appears different each time. Nearby, we saw a senior couple who had pulled out a small table and chairs from their hatchback and were enjoying a coffee break in front of the spectacular view. There is nothing around, but it is sure to be a luxurious moment.

Continuing on from Lake Steinsee, admiring the snow-capped mountains, we soon arrived at an altitude of 2,224m near the peak of Sustenpass. There was also a small lake here, with the snow-capped mountains visible in the distance, its surface sparkling in the sunlight. As it was the off-season, there were few visitors, but there were people parking their cars around the lake and taking walks, and numerous Swiss military vehicles were parked there, with soldiers returning from work happily eating sandwiches while admiring the mountain scenery before heading home in formation. As the sun began to slowly set and cast a shadow over the mountainside, we reluctantly headed back down the mountain.

There are restaurants and cafes along the way

The best part of driving through European mountain passes is simply “driving” while feeling the closeness of the sky and the sun. Although there are restaurants and cafes along the way, there are very few stylish cafes or local foods like those found in Japan’s trendy tourist spots, and there are no convenience stores or facilities like roadside stations, so compared to driving trips in Japan where the food is plentiful, you might end up feeling like there was “nothing” there other than the mountains.

For me, mountain pass driving means “escaping reality,” so I deliberately choose a situation where there is nothing going on and drive through the mountain passes all day long, except for breaks.

Everyone has their own reasons for traveling, and some people may not necessarily like it. Traveling in search of delicious local specialties is full of a different kind of charm, and I hope to one day try a delicious journey where I can visit locals and find things that aren’t listed in guidebooks.