Hahntennjoch & Kaunertaler Gletscher: From Valley to Glacier

Hahntennjoch & Kaunertaler Gletscher: From Valley to Glacier | Austria Motorcycle Tour | RoadRUNNER Magazine

It’s motorcycling season and today we’re going to ride a route that should cover an amazing range of scenery types as we climb two famous motorcycling roads from the verdant floor of the Elmen Valley in Austria at 3,200 feet to the very foot of the Kaunertaler Glacier at 9,000 feet.

The weather looks great but its still chilly, so we have some extra clothing in our top boxes for the higher altitudes. Soon after, we leave the apartment on route to the start of the famous Hahntennjoch Pass.

Hahntennjoch & Kaunertaler Gletscher: From Valley to Glacier | Austria Motorcycle Tour | RoadRUNNER Magazine

We spot a police speed check just after exiting a short tunnel. I'm not sure what the speed limit is as we only just joined this road from a side road before the tunnel—but luckily we don't get stopped. This region of the Tyrol has frequent random speed checks, so you have to be very careful if you want to avoid spot fines.


Motorcycles & Gear

Triumph Tiger 800 XRT
Honda NC750X

Helmet: Shoei
Jacket: Held Cool Air System Leather Jacket
Pants: Probiker Textile
Gloves: Held Advanced Touring Technology Leather
Boots: Alpine Stars Leather with Goretex liner
Safety Gear: Helite airbag vest
Comm System: Sena 20S Evo
Luggage: Givi XS307 tank bag


Whilst on the subject of regulations, the road we are heading for—the Hahntennjoch—is currently in the international news and causing major upset with some motorcyclists. It’s one of the four roads in this region where the local authorities have imposed a 95-decibel sound limit on motorcycles (curiously not cars) in the summer months.

Fortunately, our bikes are well below that noise level so we don't have anything to worry about, but many non-modified production bikes do.

Hahntennjoch & Kaunertaler Gletscher: From Valley to Glacier | Austria Motorcycle Tour | RoadRUNNER Magazine

Cliffside Drama

We leave the flat Elmen Valley floor on the Bschlaber Landesstrasse. The fun starts with a right-hand hairpin leading to a rapidly climbing straight section seemingly bolted to the side of the mountain on our left. The  road soon turns left and continues to climb alongside a deep gorge with glimpses of the Streimbach River far below us to the right.