STILFSER
JOCH
Forty-eight hairpins. 2,757 metres. The hardest climb in the Alps.
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Black aluminium frame · acrylic glass · ready to hang · free shipping
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STILFSER JOCH.
Forty-eight hairpins. One thousand five hundred and eighty metres of altitude gain. A single pass that has become, for many, the very definition of what an Alpine pass is.
The Passo dello Stelvio – Stilfser Joch in German – stands at 2,757 metres, making it the second-highest paved mountain pass in the Alps. Only the French Col de l'Iseran rises seven metres higher. Yet no other road in the Alps tells its story as unmistakably as the Stelvio: through a sequence of 48 numbered hairpins that fold up the north ramp like a stone staircase into the sky. The poster shows the southern ramp from Bormio with its 36 hairpins.
The road was built between 1820 and 1825 under the Austrian Emperor Francis I – not for tourism, but as a military supply route connecting Milan with the South Tyrolean Vinschgau valley. The engineer in charge, Carlo Donegani, created one of the most significant works of early-19th-century Alpine engineering: a road whose alignment does not fight the impossible topography but traces it.
For road cyclists, the Stelvio is more than a pass – it is a rite of initiation. From Bormio, it is 21.7 kilometres at an average gradient of 7.4 percent. The maximum gradient reaches 14 percent. Those who pass the final hairpin and read the summit sign "Passo dello Stelvio 2757 m" have completed one of the hardest ascents in Europe.
In the Giro d'Italia, the Stelvio has been crowned the "Cima Coppi" – the highest point of the race – on multiple occasions. Fausto Coppi himself was the first to crest the pass in 1953, ahead of his great rival Hugo Koblet. Six decades later, in 2014, Nairo Quintana reportedly attacked beyond the Iceman regulation point in a snowstorm – a stage that remains controversial to this day.
Tour history & Records.
The Stelvio has been crossed 11 times in the Giro d'Italia – more often than any other pass above 2,500 metres. Six times it was the Cima Coppi, the highest point of the entire race. The Tour de France has never included the pass for logistical reasons.
First ascent as Cima Coppi: 1965, by Graziano Battistini. Most celebrated stage: Giro 2017, Stage 16 (Rovetta–Bormio), when Vincenzo Nibali attacked in the Sky-rider Mikel Landa's jersey and took the pink jersey on the Stelvio.
In summer the road is open between June and October. On car-free days (usually late August), the pass transforms into the largest road-cycling festival in Europe.
What you should still know.
The poster shows the southern ramp from Bormio to the summit: 21.7 km distance, 1,580 metres of climbing, 36 hairpins, average gradient 7.4%, maximum 14%. The elevation profile is rendered with millimetre precision from official GPS data.
Yes. In personalisation mode you can add your name, the date of your ride and your best time. Personalisation is free of charge.
As a printed poster in 21 × 29.7 cm, 30 × 40 cm and 50 × 70 cm on 200 g/m² premium paper – optionally ready-framed in a black aluminium frame (framed also in 70 × 100 cm). Alternatively as an instant PDF download.
Printing and shipping are handled by a local print partner in Europe and usually take 3 to 5 working days within the EU. The digital PDF download is available immediately after completing the order.
The Stelvio is one of the most iconic gifts for road cyclists. For those who are undecided, we also offer gift vouchers that the recipient can redeem for the poster of their choice.
Name, date, personal time, and an optional subtitle. All fields are optional – you can also order the standard poster without personalisation.
