Well, the day started without rain and the weather seemed to be all fine this day at first. I had already decided to take the train from start to continue westward to be sure to get back in time for the evening. So I took the train in the morning from Interlaken to Zweisimmen (941m). Then in sunny weather climbed up to Saanenmöser (1280m). I think I stopped for a short cake and coca-cola stop soon after in Schönried. Then went down the valley to Châteaux-d’Oex (903m) in the French speaking part of Switzerland and already now the weather turned worse again.

Then it was the normal way up over Col des Mosses (1445m) (photo here) and the rain is in the air. It was cold and I quickly descended to Le Sépey, where I stopped for tea and to see if the weather would get more stable or if it would start rain heavily and then be under a roof.

Nothing much changed with the weather, so I continued with some raindrops up to Leysin, which is a very popular place with Japanese tourists apparently. I did not even know this was a tourist destination. Nice long serpentines up through the village and then the road becomes more narrow. I saw the interesting turn-off up to Lacd’Aï/Berneuse (1911m) with a possible, but unnamed, pass that might be able to reach with a road bike as it seems like all is paved except the last 500m up to the highest 1911m point (but the pass is 1100m on gravel to 1905m on the other side of the lake really). Something for next time to look into.

I had heard that the road up to Col de Prafandaz (1575m) was steep, but the steepness only comes at the very last ramp up where it is 20% and I had to sit down on the now all wet road not to slip and just about made up. Then it is a little stretch almost flat on gravel (220m) (the sign only appears half-way there and only says Prafandaz 1944m, but the signs in the photo are at the actual pass, but the whole area is the pass, so …) and easy even if it was wet.

Above I look back and you see the roof of the restaurant up here, would have loved to stay there in better weather, and where the asphalt ends. Here we look ahead. Unfortunately the road becomes only a path for a while on the way down to Luan above Corbeyrier, but anyway I would have gone back here, I think.

Here you see the pass from the end of the asphalt.

Here the steep ramp down and no views up here this day. Had to be careful on the steep part down here.

When just coming under the clouds I stopped by a huge hotel (?) building that looks abandoned, but guess it is used somehow. Apparently it had been around since 1905 or so if looking on the Swiss maps.

Here again with better views over the Monthey area and the mountains behind.

Now I was getting sort of tired of this whole touring and just wanted to finish it as soon as possible. I got down the long way down to Aigle (417m) and the rain started to increase the further down I got and I was almost totally soaked when I got down. Then I just cycled up to Martigny and took the train back to Chamonix. Even if the weather started to get better again now, I was not in the mood of climbing these passes I had now climbed several times already. I also did not want to get back too late and too tired.

So, instead I had a few photos from the train. This station stop is hilarious with the vertical edge down the mountain just outside the railway stop – you better go off on the right side if coming from Chamonix here.

Now I was starting to feel fine with cheating seeing the weather was not the best up around Col des Montets (1461m), but guess I would not have had any rain.

So back ”home” below the Les Bossons glacier up toward where my sister lives (just south of Chamonix), but not that far up ;-). I think we went out for dinner and beer later in the evening.

Really good to come back and feeling mostly fine. It had been a tough journey this Summer.