Curve by Curve

Stefan Bogner has personally driven most of the world’s mountain passes and roads. From the French Maritime Alps in the west, through the Swiss mountain passes, Austria’s high Alpine roads, and the Dolomite crossings in the east, he probably knows every thrilling curve. He has explored the Andes in South America, all the way down to Tierra del Fuego. He knows the Rocky Mountains in the US just s well as the lesser-known mountain regions of China, where the roads are even more spectacular. And he recently completed the journey from Thailand back to Munich in a 911, crossing remote mountain regions in the process. If anyone can judge which are truly the most beautiful mountain roads in the world, it’s him.

We have arranged to meet Stefan near the top of the Flüela Pass in the Swiss Engadine. We arrive at the agreed meeting point in two Porsche Taycan cars. Stefan is in the helicopter, which is his work vehicle this morning. Even before we see him, we hear the distinctive roar of the rotors rising from the valley. With wisps of the previous night’s rain clouds still hanging in the valley and clinging to the mountaintops, the helicopter suddenly rises over the rocky ridge, hovers just above our Taycan, swings in a steep turn over us, and drops down to land.  

Of course, Stefan isn’t just sitting in the copilot’s seat; he’s leaning out of the open door wearing a harness, with both feet resting on the skids. Camera in hand, he has spent many years capturing the world’s most beautiful roads for his CURVES magazine and for Porsche. We’ve caught a fantastic summer day for our meeting, and he uses the landing approach to add new shots of the Albula and Flüela passes to his portfolio. And of course, to take photos of the two Taycan Cross and Sport Turismo sedans in this unbelievably wild landscape.

As spectacular as his appearance in the helicopter was, we had actually arranged to meet up here not for a helicopter ride, but to drive cars and go mountain biking. To have some peace and quiet together and to discover what makes mountain roads so fascinating. We want to find out which passes and regions he, who knows practically all of them, considers the most stunning. We also want to know which routes he would recommend to anyone with limited time who wants to experience the greatest possible driving pleasure and mountain scenery.

On the road

For him, the Flüela Pass is one of those passes that you have to drive at least once in your life. Just like the Bernina Pass, which we drove to together in our Taycan vehicles. Of course, the legendary passes along the “Grand Tour of Switzerland” are at the forefront: the Furka, Grimsel, Sustenen, and Nufenen passes. And of course, the Great St. Bernard Pass.

What fascinates him about these roads? What makes driving on them so special? Of course, it’s the spectacular views. The curves and bends. Especially in an agile Porsche, Stefan thinks. But also the knowledge that these roads have connected the regions north and south of the Alps for many centuries. These routes didn’t just serve trade; they also became crossroads where the Roman cultures of the European south met the Germanic cultures of the north, forming a unique cultural blend. A magic that you can experience at first hand when you travel on these roads.

Loving mountains

For Stefan Bogner, a few days alone with himself, his Porsche, and a dozen mountain passes offer a special opportunity to focus on what truly matters – an experience that feels almost meditative and repeatedly inspires him. Anyone who has never charged up an Alpine pass in a Porsche can’t fully grasp how the explosive acceleration out of one hairpin bend toward the next can simultaneously help you take your foot off the gas, mentally speaking. Your perception focuses on the next curve. And at the same time, it is wide open to the magnificent impressions to the left and right of the road. The mountains, forests, and glaciers that are the soundtrack to every Alpine tour. In any case, you feel completely removed from the things that seem so unavoidable at home or in the office.

A short detour offroad with the Porsche eBike Sport 2025 offers us the opportunity for a picnic and an inspiring conversation. Above all, we share the simple pleasures of the delicacies we bought down into the valley this morning. Here in the Engadine, people don’t talk about quality. They simply take it for granted. When we called into the local butcher’s to pick up some Engadine dried meat, an enchantingly fragrant Salsiz sausage, and a piece of mountain cheese for our tour, we naturally tasted and sampled them beforehand. We let the anticipation build as we climb,

Enjoying silence

Stefan believes the Alpine Ultimate Porsche Travel Experience is an ideal choice for anyone who wants to experience the most scenic landscapes and curves of the Alps in a single tour. Traveling from east to west, you not only experience the most spectacular Alpine passes, but also meander almost imperceptibly between the Francophone world of the Maritime Alps, the Romansh language enclaves of the Engadine and South Tyrol, and the areas of Germany and Austria where the proximity to Porsche is almost palpable. Of course, the route includes the Großglockner and an overnight stay in Zell am See, home to the Porsche family and the F. A. Porsche Design Studio, named after the creator of the Porsche 911, from where our bikes also originate.

In his CURVES magazine, however, Stefan Bogner focuses entirely on the road. Entirely on driving. The immediate experience of an Alpine pass. In its purest state magnificently photographed, nature often appears unreal and empty in his pictures. Only the roads, which from a helicopter look like Alpine reptiles turned to asphalt, hint that humans have created something magnificent here, best experienced – in its purest form – in a Porsche.

Info

Text first published in the Porsche Experience Magazine.

Author: Berthold Dörrich

Photos: Klaus Schwaiger, Stefan Bogner

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