homeLago di Alpe Gera (dam)
Lago di Alpe Gera (dam) Height Climbing height - length
1995m (2130m) 1722m - 30.29 km - 5.7% (Sondrio)
(1857m - 32.38 km - 5.7% (Sondrio))
Difficulty Beauty
4 (5) 3-4 (5)
How to get there

This climb starts in Sondrio (295m). This is not a just a climb, it is more like an expedition. You can try and guess how long will take, but it will take a lot longer time than whatever figure you come up with. Cime de la Bonette (2802m) feels shorter down from the start of the Tinée valley (187m), even though it is 2.5 times longer. It might be an overstatement (and only how it came across to me), but it is a very varied climb. You will have a road of varying steepness up to Lanzada (974m), where the real climb might be starting. I was tired already there.

After the valley seems to end you will start climbing up some long but not very steep serpentines. All seems fine, but then comes rather long tunnels paved with cobblestones (flat) and they are quite numerous. It is a nice road so that gives some relief. Out of the tunnels you reach Franscia (1500m). Here the road finally becomes a more normal climb and now the road is narrow and the climb is rather steep, but the road is all fine here, so still a relief from the tunnels. Eventually you reach the locality of Campo Moro and rightly think you must soon be near the end of the road. The road follows the first dam, the Bacino del Campo Moro and along the road the asphalt just ends at 1995m. The gravel road continues easily up over 2000m and then you have another more nasty little tunnel and a parking. Here you are supposed to take the road to the right that I thought was a bit too bad cycling on with a road bike and walked most. Finally there is a steep concrete ramp up to the dam where you have much better views, but the last part demands good weather and lots of time.

Other comments The way back will also be a bit slow if you are like me and do not want to cycle too fast over cobblestones in tunnels. It is however a quite nice climb worth to visit once. Lanzada is a good place for a quick stop on the way up. Do not count on making much more climbing on the same day! You could possibly combine this climb with the climb to Valmalenco/Chiareggio (1622m) and/or the Rifugio Barchi (1744m).
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