Last updated on April 8th, 2020 at 06:49 am
The Timmelsjoch, the popular north-south link between the Ötz and Passeier valleys, will be reopened for traffic on Saturday 01 June at the earliest, according to the local tourist office.
The snow clearing teams have been working since the end of April with their heavy machinery to remove the masses of snow left over from last winter.
The amount of snow which fell in the past winter months meant the clearing teams at the Timmelsjoch had a Herculean task this year.
Despite the heavy machinery, including Austria’s most powerful road snow blower, up to ten metres of snow had to be removed from the pass road.
All in all, this meant freeing the Alpine crossing – a popular destination for cars and motorcycles – on the North Tyrolean side alone from around 300,000 cubic metres of the white stuff,
“There is a lot of time pressure as well as all of the work for our employees,” explains Timmelsjoch Board Member Manfred Tschopfer. “After all, the goal, as every year, is to open the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road at the end of May if possible,” Whether the planned date on Saturday 01 June can be met this year is still unsure at the time of writing due to the persistent spells of bad weather.
Updates on the situation at the 2509 m high Timmelsjoch can be found at www.timmelsjoch.com.
Plenty to discover
Visitors like to stop at the foot of the toll road in Hochgurgl at 2175 m at the Top Mountain Crosspoint (restaurant and museum operation from 1 June).
The multifunctional building impresses with its external architecture and many highlights inside.
The Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum is Europe’s highest motorcycle museum. The two collectors Alban and Attila Scheiber present an expedition through the history of motorcycles in a unique atmosphere.
All the major motorcycle brands of the past 100 years are represented, as well as rare treasures on four wheels that have won prestigious races such as the Mille Miglia.
The new special exhibition for summer 2019 will delight all fans of racing motorcycles. In addition to selected specimens from the company’s own stock, the presentation will feature items on loan from all over the world, such as Norton, Aermacchi, Royal Enfield, Ducati or MV Augusta. All of the motorcycles were used in cult races such as the Isle of Man or world championships.
Those heading further to cross the border between Austria and Italy over the Timmelsjoch will discover several stops along the way that provide information about nature, history, culture, society and economy.
More information: www.gurgl.com
