Oberalp Pass, Switzerland

The Oberalp Pass links Central Switzerland with Graubunden in the east. Coming from Central Switzerland and having arrived at Andermatt, it is only another 11 kilometres to the pass head with a height difference of just under 600 metres, a relatively easy climb with a gradient of about 10%. Shortly before the top of the pass the road runs through an avalanche gallery and then the lake comes into view on the right together with the Rhatian Railway, the line of the Glacier Express. From the pass head the road snakes down to Tujetsch, a municipal area in the district of Surselva in Canton Graubunden that also includes the village of Sedrun. This is the area holding the source of the River Rhine and although it has a modern air, it is steeped in tradition. The photographs are taken in sequence from Andermatt to Sedrun, with shots of the Glacier Express at the bottom.