Simplonpass/Passo del Sempione
	Height	Climbing height
	2005m	1321m (Brig) 1700m (Crèvoladossola); 1166m (Gondo)
	Difficulty	Beauty
	3-4 (5)	4 (5)
How to get there	From Switzerland in the north you preferably take the old road out of Brig (684m) which is quite nice in the higher regions, although steeper than the busy main road. It joins the main road higher up and it can be very hot along the main road thereafter, but the steepness is now more moderate. The southern side out of Italy is nicer and more scenic through the Gondo gorge (even with some tunnels) and higher up. The pass road starts at Crèvoladossola (305m). If you have visited Furggu (1872m) up in Zwischbergental, your climb from the south starts in Gondo (839m).
Other comments	I prefer to go up the south side of this pass and on the way down to Brig, Switzerland, one could just as well stay on the main road and roll down comfortably at around 60 km/h on average all the way without needing to brake. If going up the Swiss side, you should definitely use the very little trafficated and good old road which eventually meets the new road. It is actually a quite nice pass at the summit, which I previously did not believe as I thought of it mostly as busy heavy-lorry traffic pass. The road is wide and the traffic is not such a nuisance as one might think. (It is definitely worse cycling down in the Valais/Wallis valley!) There is water on the north side near the summit. [CH-VS-2005, BIG 583]