French (and a bit of Swiss, and Italian) Alps roadtrip
- Thread starter Shooter
- Start date
Day 1: the south loop Notre Dame de Bellecombe -> Chamonix -> Martigny (Swiss) through the col de la Forclaz -> Aoste (Italy) through the col du Grand Saint Bernard -> Bourg-Saint-Maurice through the col du Petit Saint Bernard -> Beaufort -> Roselend -> ND de Bellecombe.
Start :
Aoste:
Quick lunch:
The Roselend dam:
(550 MW, the biggest concrete construction in France)
Start :
Aoste:
Quick lunch:
The Roselend dam:
(550 MW, the biggest concrete construction in France)
Day 2: not much to say. I started from Ugine, then go fot the pass of l'Arpettaz, then down on Beaufort through les Saisies. We wanted to go through the col du Joky, but the weather was really not nice this morning. From Beaufort, back to les Saisies, then col des Aravis (under some heavy rain), le Grand Bornand, col de la Colombière (where the weather was sunny ans almost too warm) and stop at Saint-Jeoire.
Le col de l'Arpettaz :
Le col de la Colombière :
Le col de l'Arpettaz :
Le col de la Colombière :
Day 3: i started really early under some fog and light rain. The mountain wind didn't get things better. The car said the temperature was around 7°C, but with the wind and humidity, i guess it was colder than that.
First pass of the day : Joux Plane. 7°C, wind, fog...
From Joux Plane, we go thought Morzine, back in the valley and then right to Abondance via the col du Corbier.
Col du Corbier:
Then it's back in Switzerland, Martigny and the the pass of Forclaz the other way round !
And then back to France, in Albertville in order to get some sleep before a big stage tomorrow.
First pass of the day : Joux Plane. 7°C, wind, fog...
From Joux Plane, we go thought Morzine, back in the valley and then right to Abondance via the col du Corbier.
Col du Corbier:
Then it's back in Switzerland, Martigny and the the pass of Forclaz the other way round !
And then back to France, in Albertville in order to get some sleep before a big stage tomorrow.
Day 4: the biggest day of the trip !
So, start from Albertville. Not really sunny yet, but encouraging.
I was going for the Galibier Pass directcly, but i changed my mind en-route. Now, go for the Glandon Pass first. I don't regret it a second because this pass is one of the best of the trip !
The road to get there:
Up there, the car smelled of hot brakes and tires, just like after a track session...
From the Glandon to the Croix de fer.
Now, we go down to Saint Jean de Maurienne and we can start to clim the Galibier.
First pass, the Telegraph:
And then, the Galibier:
Really good road there also.
Viewed from the top:
Now, down to Briançon, and then, the col de l'Izoard:
This is the best one of the trip. The road to climb the pass is long and large, very goos visibility, the pavement is like new, there are some quick portions, hairpins... anything you want on a decent mountain road.
So, start from Albertville. Not really sunny yet, but encouraging.
I was going for the Galibier Pass directcly, but i changed my mind en-route. Now, go for the Glandon Pass first. I don't regret it a second because this pass is one of the best of the trip !
The road to get there:
Up there, the car smelled of hot brakes and tires, just like after a track session...
From the Glandon to the Croix de fer.
Now, we go down to Saint Jean de Maurienne and we can start to clim the Galibier.
First pass, the Telegraph:
And then, the Galibier:
Really good road there also.
Viewed from the top:
Now, down to Briançon, and then, the col de l'Izoard:
This is the best one of the trip. The road to climb the pass is long and large, very goos visibility, the pavement is like new, there are some quick portions, hairpins... anything you want on a decent mountain road.
Day 6 (day 5 was spent.. well, mostly sleeping... ). From Risoul to the coast.
Let's go... there.
I was supposed to go through the Mercantour National Park, but the pass of Cayolle was closed for work. Instead, i went for the pass of Allos. So, this is were i was supposed to be:
The col d'Allos:
From the top:
Another pass, the col des champs:
This last pass was a very difficult one. 2000 m high, 12°C at the top, a very narrow road where the car could barely fit, a lot of the climb in a forest, with very low visibility, some really tight hairpins, bad pavement... really demanding, both for the pilot and the car.
Once out of the forest, you find yourself on the moon, with bare rocks everywhere, including on the road.
But after that, the road down is much better, and the Gorges du Verdon open to you.
Last part of the day is some back country road to the coast.
). From Risoul to the coast.
Let's go... there.
I was supposed to go through the Mercantour National Park, but the pass of Cayolle was closed for work. Instead, i went for the pass of Allos. So, this is were i was supposed to be:
The col d'Allos:
From the top:
Another pass, the col des champs:
This last pass was a very difficult one. 2000 m high, 12°C at the top, a very narrow road where the car could barely fit, a lot of the climb in a forest, with very low visibility, some really tight hairpins, bad pavement... really demanding, both for the pilot and the car.
Once out of the forest, you find yourself on the moon, with bare rocks everywhere, including on the road.
But after that, the road down is much better, and the Gorges du Verdon open to you.
Last part of the day is some back country road to the coast.
Really enjoyed looking through your post Shooter 
Got me yearning for when my wife retires in about a years time. . .
Did you keep any distance records Shooter - how many miles in total and if you don't mind me asking - what overall mpg for the trip?
Thanks for posting!
Got me yearning for when my wife retires in about a years time. . .
Did you keep any distance records Shooter - how many miles in total and if you don't mind me asking - what overall mpg for the trip?
Thanks for posting!
What a trip Shooter
Loving the pics 8)
Loving the pics 8)
CornishRob
Senior member
Love it. I know some of the roads you have been on as I lived in Les Gets for 3 winters. I can picture all that area. Very jelious!
Thx every one !
As for the mileage, the complete trip was around 3100 km (1900 miles), with approximately 1500 km of "fun roads" and 1600 km of "just getting there".
Average consumption for the whole trip was around 10 L/100 km, and in the mountain area only more of 12.5 L /100 km... (mpg... we don't use this in the civilized world, y'know...).
As for the mileage, the complete trip was around 3100 km (1900 miles), with approximately 1500 km of "fun roads" and 1600 km of "just getting there".
Average consumption for the whole trip was around 10 L/100 km, and in the mountain area only more of 12.5 L /100 km...
(mpg... we don't use this in the civilized world, y'know...).Shooter said:Average consumption for the whole trip was around 10 L/100 km, and in the mountain area only more of 12.5 L /100 km...
Going to have to get me calculator on the go!