Kistenpass
Description
The starting point for the ascent to the Kistenpass is the top station of the chairlift in Brigels. You quickly gain altitude on an asphalt road until the route turns into a single trail at Alp Quader. The entire subsequent ascent to the Kistenpass is a variety of pushing, carrying and riding sections. The ascent route is well developed and ends in the high alpine rocky world of the Kistenpass. On the following section to the Kistenpass hut, you have to push again, and immediately after the hut, the easily accessible path leads through a steep section secured by chains. Riding is out of the question here, but the section is easy on foot.
Then comes the singletrail fireworks. A path including a counter-climb leads to the Muttseehütte and from there steeply down to the Linth-Limmeren reservoir. This section is challenging but a stunning experience. It leads through rocky passages and strips of meadow, surrounded by the magnificent mountain scenery, and far below lies the blue reservoir. You then roll through a tunnel over three kilometers long and tackle the last section at the top station of the gondola lift. The trail down to Linthal is varied, with another short passage secured with chains in the upper section, then a fun but challenging ride through the forest down to the valley floor. Ideally, you should take the road for the final transfer to Linthal station. The return journey to Brigels is a little tough: this is by train and finally by post bus and takes over three hours.
Tip: We recommend starting the tour in Chur, taking the post bus to Brigels in the morning and then taking the train back to Chur from Linthal at the end.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
30 km
1330 m
2725 m
1 day
Breil / Brigels
Linthal GL
1840
not suitable
More information
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User comments (23)
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Mega tour, absolute recommendation. By train/bus to Brigels, first SBB difficulties as there are no more bike spaces. Ride up with the chairlift, Alp Quader is quickly reached. From there, pushing is the order of the day. I carried the bike max. 100m on the whole tour. So pushing is fine. Then a thunderstorm came from Glarnerland and it got a bit uncomfortable. Beware, the Kistenpasshütte is closed for the whole of 2025 (renovation) We really enjoyed the trails afterwards (high alpine). The panorama is stunning. Good food and beer 🍺 at the Muttseehütte! The trail to the reservoir is awesome 🤩 Very wet in the tunnel. The people of Glarus love pasture fences more than anything else.... I don't want to say any more. The trail to Tierfed was amazing!
I was already in Brigels at 8.00 am. As the cable car doesn't open until 9.00 a.m., I managed the 300 m climb myself. From Alp Quader it was a 20-minute carry. Then it was push, ride, carry, push, ride, carry etc. to the Kistenpass hut. The rideable sections were short. The path was often too narrow and too deep. The cows didn't improve the conditions either. After the pass, a scree field had to be traversed (carry). The constant changes of course require strength. The descent after the Kistenpass hut is beautiful, but not particularly demanding. From the Muttseehütte it really is a hammer trail. Unfortunately too short and too many hikers. After the boring tunnel, there are 2 to 4 nice bends to negotiate. Then you have to cross a wide stream (carry), master 1 chain section and overcome X pasture fences within 1500 meters. The last forest trail is well maintained and is only just above S2. The panorama and the Muttssehütte are of course top.
Tour done on 22.6.25. Conclusion: top scenery, a treat for lovers of technical and exposed trails, simply brilliant! A leisurely roll-in from Brigels. For me, it's simply a miracle that you can find trails in this rugged, steep mountain world that you can even ride a bike on. And you can even admire the exciting dam wall of Lake Limmeren along the way. Most of the trails are just about rideable, you often need to shift the rear wheel for the many hairpin bends to keep the flow going.
Thanks Thomas for the brilliant tour!
The panorama is amazing!!! We did the tour on a Sunday, when there were lots of hikers out and about. As already written in another comment, it is advisable to ride carefully and, above all, be careful not to dislodge any stones. The climbing sections are well secured with chains. However, dry conditions and shoes with good soles are still very helpful. In terms of riding technique, it was at the upper limit for us. Lots of loose scree, exposed sections, blocked sections etc. The tour is also very long and you always have to be fully concentrated.
Note as of 18.09.2023: No train rides between Linthtal and Schwanden, i.e. you have to pedal to Schwanden.
We rode the tour on 14.08.2023. Rode up from Brigels. Ascent was quite entertaining with the flat sections that could be ridden again and again. Apart from the short sections secured with chains, the descent was great. Tunnel was pretty wet... At the end on the left side of the valley to Linthal is worth it!
Brilliant tour - thanks for the tip!
An insanely high alpine super tour with ibexes and an incredible panorama. From Alp Quader there is a lot of pushing involved, but the rideable sections are super cool. The descent from the Muttseehütte to the Limmernsee, or actually down to the valley, is very demanding and requires a lot of bike technique. With the exception of the short section at the Kistenpasshütte and the Chalchtrittli, the tour is a dream for good technicians.
To describe the tour as mediocre in terms of trail technique is not something I can subscribe to and tempts less good technicians to do the tour, which can be fatal. I maintain that this tour is just as demanding as the Madritschjoch or Plain Morte, for example.
The eternally long train rides can only slightly diminish the super experience. I had an insane bike day!!!
By mediocre, I didn't mean the standard but the quality. Madritschjoch is definitely nicer in terms of trails
We went over the Kistenpass on July 7. The ascent is easy, you can ride quite a few sections.
On the descent to the Muttseehütte there are various larger snowfields which will probably remain longer.
Trail from Muttseehütte is challenging but rideable for us. The descent into Lintthal after the long tunnel is ok, but nothing special.
Overall: High alpine tour with a beautiful panorama, trail-technically rather in the midfield compared to the big alpine tours (Banzai, Madritsch, Argentinian etc.).
Super landscape - simply fantastic. The trail from the Muttseehütte down to the lake has a lot of loose scree, this trail was not fun. If it has rained, there can be a lot of water in the tunnel (wet butt ...;). Another problem in summer is that you have to open/close what feels like 30 cow fences in the lower part (end of the tunnel). Muttseehütte is worth a stop, by the way.
Grandiose tour in a wild landscape with downhill fireworks. Tip: The Kistenstöckli can be integrated with little additional effort. This royal tour is crowned with a bizarre and fascinating summit.
Ah wow! What a fantastic tour! Thank you Ride for this alpine trail pearl. The Kistenpasshütte is very cozy, the descent that starts afterwards is absolutely great. The glacier panorama is simply stunning. This was definitely not the last time I rode this beautiful tour.
We did the tour on Saturday, Kistenpasshütte is already abandoned and right after the hut there is some frozen snow at the fixed ropes but with a little caution it was easy. In addition, the path over the Muttsee dam is currently closed due to the construction site (until the end of October). But the detour is also ok.
About the tour. We took the train from Chur to Tavanasa shortly before 8am and continued by post bus to Brigels Post. The train rides from 9 o'clock, which worked out pretty well. The ascent to the Kistenpass is easy. After the first few meters of walking, we were initially worried that we were in for a long hike, but there are always sections (even longer ones) that are easy to ride. Kistenpass was reached after about 2 hours from the mountain station. It was another 30 minutes to the hut, including admiring the ibexes. We were extremely positively surprised by the descent in combination with the breathtaking landscape. If you have a solid biking technique and like high alpine terrain and also enjoy riding hairpin bends, this is an absolutely awesome tour and the descent is practically rideable throughout (if not, the hike will be long ;-) ).
Thanks for the great tour, will definitely do it again.
Insanely beautiful area. I really enjoyed the tour. I started in Ziegelbrücke, so most of the train riding was already done in the morning. Great atmosphere on the trails. Considerate and friendly interaction with other trail users was always positively acknowledged. The trail at the end above the sponge is an absolute treat. Here are a few impressions of the descent: https://youtu.be/MdbCUKZcYI4
Checked 2020
I have the gold subscription, where can I get the gpx.data? thank you very much!
I have the gold subscription, where can I get the gpx.data? thank you very much!
I did the tour on Saturday. Wow, what an experience, the scenery was amazing! The chairlift in Brigels takes bikes free of charge (one-way ticket 16 CHF). The ascent is really moderate, about 2 hours to the Kistenpasshütte.
The descent from the Muttseehütte is breathtaking. Technical, but ok. But beware: the faster you go, the more likely you are to dislodge loose stones, which can then hit hikers below!!!!! Ride slowly and carefully on steep terrain!
Have fun
Hello Baschi99
May I ask: did you arrive by public transportation ? By train to Brigels Tavanasa ? And then how up to the chairlift ? Is it about 500 meters = 1 hour of pedaling ?
Thank you and ride safe.
I would definitely advise against the Chalchtrittli variant, unless you are a fan of carrying your bike downhill. You can find a good description of this route at www.muttseehuette,ch (exposed sections, exposed, only for mountaineers with a head for heights...)
It's hard for me to imagine how the Kistenpass route is feasible by bike, but: At the end of the tour, from Tierfehd to Linthal, you certainly don't take the road, but the great trail on the left side of the Linth!
And: You don't need a lamp for the tunnel, there are lights and even streetcar tracks!
For good riding technicians, it is not only useful but also a highlight. The trail option at the very end is good. However, most people are so exhausted after 2000 meters of challenging single trails that coasting on the road comes in handy. But thanks for the tip!
Thanks Christoph.
Can you also change the tour from the Muttseehütte via Chalchrittli or Torchopf?
Great description, thank you. You need a lamp for the tunnel, correct?