homePlan d’Aval (Barrage de Plan d’Amont)
Plan d’Aval (Barrage de Plan d’Amont) Height Climbing height - length
2037m (2078m) 985m - 13.70 km - 7.2% (Pont de Loutraz)
966m - 12.98 km - 7.5% (Avrieux)
858m - 14.59 km - 6.6% (Sollières)
Difficulty Beauty
3-4 (5) 3-4 (5)
How to get there

From down the Maurienne valley you start this climb in Modane at the Pont de Loutraz (1060m) and it is still not a +1000m climb from there, but it will likely be as you probably arrive here from further down the valley. It is a fairly steep climb up from Aussois where the three possible roads up here join up. If you want to pass by the nice forts below Aussois, you continue on the main Maurienne valley road to Villarodin and descends to the bridge below Avrieux (1094m a bit lower than the IGN map suggests) where the climb properly starts and it might be the hardest variant.

If you come down from Col de l’Iseran (2764m) or from the Col du Mont Cenis/Colle del Moncenisio (2083m, road height 2094m) you would do well to start the climb in Sollières (1271m) as I did myself in 2014. It is a little up and down on this road with some extra climbing, but you do after all start higher up. The road has apparently been paved since 2014 to the upper parking at the end and thus ends at 2037m rather than 2015m as before.

Other comments You would do well to continue up to Barrage de Plan d’Amont (2078m) even if you will have to walk the very last stretch from the parking just below the dam (730m gravel + 350m walking). The views up there are much better! Possibly one could alternatively continue up from the parking on the gravel road to the ski area where one should have great views too, but not sure the gravel is good enough for road bikes there. The road from Solliéres is fairly steep to Croix de Murets (1512m), then easy to Aussois (1483m) via Plan de la Croix (1524m).
Map