| Highest paved pass roads in the Alps This list is complete and the most accurate list on the Internet (to my knowledge). Updated: 19 Jan 2010. I have visited all the passes myself. Passes with an (*) are on the way to/from another pass (no.) in the section. – If you cycle over the other pass you will have visited this too (without extra climbing). (Scroll to the bottom for some further comments.) |
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Some further factsPasses that can be climbed as “part of” climbing another higher pass are (not exactly the same as that it cannot be escaped if going over another higher pass, that I make references for above): 7 (5), 10 (5), 12 (3), 18 (13), 20 (11), 21 (13), 22 (6), 25 (11), 26 (13), 38 (3), 47 (39), 48 (27), 50 (41), 51 (35), 58 (43), 62 (43), 63 (52), 70 (54), 71 (64), 72 (64), 75 (6), 85 (78), 86 (59), 102 (53), 109 (36), 110 (74), 113 (99), 114 (11), 115 (68), 117 (108), 120 (99), 124 (68), 125 (90), 127 (90), 129 (68), 130 (128), 138 (68), 140 (96), 141 (37), 142 (33), 146 (108), 150 (145), 158 (147), 161 (156), 162 (145), 165 (143), 166 (32), 167 (2), 173 (118), 176 (90), 177 (64), 183 (103). You may also include these here: 92 (89), 131 (68), 134 (82).This would leave you to focus on less climbs: 190-56 equals 133. Now you may want to leave out passes that are cul-de-sacs (one-way T/R, including roads with bad gravel on the other side): 1, 9, 17 (if not used as a way to get to 5), 23 (bad gravel), 29 (bad gravel), 32, 40, 46, 65, 69, 94, 97, 99, 100, 104, 106, 118, 122, 123, 126, 132, 133, 135, 149, 152(?), 153, 154, 175, 178, 179, 180, 181, 184, 185, 186(?), 187. This means 36 less and only 97 to focus on. (65 (not really cul-de-sac, special case). These means others of the excluded above would be climbed instead: 39 (62), 43 (62), 54 (70), 68 (115), 96 (140), 128 (130).) Many of these cul-de-sacs are among the nicest climbs though! You may not get access to certain restricted passes: 1 (could be closed, but this is not a specific problem as other passes also may be so at times), 99, 100, 113, 120, 142. So these 5 could be subtracted, but 100, 113 and 120 are however only one climb (possibly). |
Club des Cent ColsPasses above not currently included in Club des Cent Cols guides are: 1, 79, 126, 127, 131, 139, 166, 168, 176, 180, 182, 185, 186 – all outside France and they are usually excluded for not being properly (officially) named (Cent Cols may not deny that any of these are actual passes). (Their guides include one pass that I do not list here – Baita Foppa (1701m), but see Valico di Trivigno (Monte Padrio) (1849m)). (Club des Cent Cols are a good authority on these matters, but it is always a work in progress to define passes around the world.)I sometimes use the (slightly modified) notation method for unpaved roads and paths from Centcols.org and their Chauvot guide: R1 is cyclable unpaved road. R1-2 is cyclable with difficulty on a road bike (mountainbike is recommended). R2 is where you will have to walk (with a road bike in any case). R3 is difficult to walk. I give reference numbers to the Chauvot guide and to other guides from Centcols.org. |
BIGBIG numbers are given for the main pass climb corresponding to the relevant BIG climb. BIG is a mountain cycling club with a fixed list of 1000 possible climbs mainly in Europe. |
