A very steep road to Ronda in the canton of Vaud

# Rionda: Switzerland's Ultimate Mountain Challenge

Rionda is an iconic Alpine peak towering at 2,157m (7,076ft) in Switzerland's Vaud canton, sitting pretty near the French-Italian border with sweeping views over Martigny. Fair warning: the climb from Lavey-les-Bains is legitimately one of the most brutal mountain roads you'll encounter anywhere on Earth.

Starting from the small municipality of Lavey-Morcles (just 442m elevation), you're in for a 15.3km (9.5 miles) white-knuckle ascent that'll gain you 1,715 meters with an eye-watering average gradient of 11.2%. The road surface switches between paved and unpaved sections, and here's the kicker—except for a brief reprieve around km 8 and the final kilometer, you're never dealing with anything gentler than 10%.

The first stretch tricks you into thinking it's manageable. Don't be fooled. Things get seriously steep, seriously fast, and stay that way as you navigate an endless series of numbered switchbacks climbing through Lavey-Morcles. It's relentless, it's grueling, and it's absolutely unforgettable.

One heads-up though: there's reportedly a locked barrier at around 1,750m where a car park sits, which may restrict vehicle access to the summit. Worth checking conditions before you make the drive up—you don't want to come all this way only to hit a dead end!