Five days from Graubünden into the Dolomites and back. Churwalden was both start and finish of this edition, with nights in Livigno, San Vigilio di Marebbe and Pinzolo in between. Most days offered a leisure and a sport route, and for the first time in the history of the Collen one stage came with a third option: a 520-kilometre supersport route for the diehards.
We gathered at Hotel Krone in Churwalden on 26 September. The first stage took everyone over the Splügen and the Maloja and into the Engadin, while the supersport route added the Oberalp, the Susten, the Grimsel and the Nufenen. All routes met on the Ofenpass and ended in Livigno, the village that has kept its duty-free status since the sixteenth century.
Culinary experiences ranging from fine dining to local specialties.
Flexible car options: bring your own car, transport it, or rent a car.
Professional support: GPS tracker, digital roadbook, and on-site organization.
From Livigno we crossed into Italy for the Stelvio, with the Umbrail as a fine alternative for lower cars. A beautiful run through South Tyrol followed, over the Passo della Mendola, through Bolzano and past the Passo di Costalunga, to San Vigilio di Marebbe, where Ladin is mainly spoken. We stayed at AMA Stay and dined at Ristorante Fana Ladina.
A fully Italian day in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Dolomites. Both routes climbed the Valparola and the Falzarego. The leisure route continued over the Passo San Pellegrino, the sport route over the Giau, the Forcella Aurine and the Passo Rolle, and the two came together again at the Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti in Pinzolo, perhaps the finest hotel of the trip.
The last stage was one route for everyone: 300 kilometres of Italy and Switzerland. A series of lesser-known passes led from Pinzolo over the Sella di Bondo, the Giogo del Maniva and the Passo di Crocedomini to the Aprica and the Valtellina. After Tirano we crossed back into Switzerland for the Bernina and the Albula, with views of the Rhaetian Railway on the descent, and closed the Challenge where it began, at Hotel Krone.