The Alps west of Austria - looking for small roads

[glitch]

Originally Posted by Zuckerbaron

So I started up the hill past the hamlet Gleise and stranded at the Hotel Jafferau where some ski lifts meet. No way further after yesterday evenings rain.

Whoohoo...you tried the hard way
It's bloody STEEP! from there.

Word is that the tunnel is open again from the Salbertrand end since mid-October...supposedly still full of water but the walls have been stabilized with sprayed-concrete.

Originally Posted by Zuckerbaron

Just before the gravel a 15 min walk takes you to a vista called Monumento Sacro Cuore di Gesu. It's worth the time. It offers a fantastic view down to Susa, opposite you see the area around Mont Cenis.

Originally Posted by Zuckerbaron

Down there is the bike and the saddle of Colle delle Finestre.

Checking that map...there are some really worthwhile routes from Sauze d'Oulx/ Bonafous across the top to Sestriere (past the start of the Assietta)....also the tiny single-laner from the Finestre south-ramp/ Alpe Pintas down to Fenestrelle (SP172?) ....and when there, hop across the valley floor for a cruise through the tiny village of Chambons....the main road is as wide as a Smart is long, with half dozen twists and turns ....gorgeous!!
Next time :-)



Ohhh....the Parpaillon next? Bewdy!

There is talk of the local community shutting it down for motorized traffic, more $$ in the hikers and MTB-crowds, hmmm.

[Zuckerbaron]

Now it is time to make it up to Colle delle Finestre. Yeah perfect!











As Pete saw it already on the map, my personal destination for today is the tunnel of the Parpaillon. So I left after the typical Col photo ....





.... in the direction of Sestriere through the Pian dell'Alpe.



Sestriere unbelievable , the tourist cages are really worth looking at . Here are photos of a Cage Pillar, which is abandoned in summer. But for the winter season it will reopen.





Now to Briancon.

The km south of Briancon are not worth talking of. It changed in the moment I left N 94 to the left bank of the Durance river.



Tunnel du Parpaillon is a personal must. I was there already twice, last time is probably twelve years ago. It was with my wife our transportation was a Beemer GS 100 with a rig. In my memories it was easy going up on gravel through the alpine meadows. We stranded in a snow drift perhaps 500 m away of the tunnel. So we walked up and through the watery tunnel.




The gravel road up there was in a catastrophic condition: ruts all over, lopsided, the gravel chips were gone. Not only once I said to myself: You are an idiot not to turn. But I reached the tunnel.



Up there was only a French speaking hiker, after some time it roared in the tunnel and out popped a Swiss Beemer.





He was totally Touratech-ed. We talked a bit. He said it is a lot of water in the tunnel, which I could also see from his wet boots. After taking everything in,



we drove down again and parted after the gravel. Poor guy I hold him up for sure.

[glitch]

Oh man, those pics...especially those of the Finestre and the shot into the valley at Pian del Alpe....nice to see you got fairly clear skies, often the smog of the close industrial lowlands around Torino spoil the vistas.

Sestriere...it's a disgrace, isn't it? I read somewhere that Sestriere was a privately built + owned resort by some shonky Mafia developer-family which was paid squillions of Euros by the EU in Brussels/ Development Funds/ Olympic Commitee etc etc to "provide" everything needed, and "in time", for the 2006 Torino Winter-Olympics.
(...and slowed everything down to blackmail more $$ out of the authorities/ communes etc along the way)


No surprise those chicken coops are falling apart only 10 years later...

The Parpaillon....wasn't it Michael (Mimoto) and his crew who nearly got stuck in that tunnel a few years back?....they had about a half-meter of sheer ice in there, plus the melt-water (and it's pitch dark, of course).
Took them hours to pop out the other end and they had some injuries, busted bikes etc....it might have been the HardAlpi group...can't remember.


That thing's got some reputation, alright!
Keep it rolling, this is great stuff!!

[Zuckerbaron]

Originally Posted by glitch

The Parpaillon....wasn't it Michael (Mimoto) and his crew who nearly got stuck in that tunnel a few years back?....they had about a half-meter of sheer ice in there, plus the melt-water (and it's pitch dark, of course).
Took them hours to pop out the other end and they had some injuries, busted bikes etc....it might have been the HardAlpi group...can't remember.


That thing's got some reputation, alright!
Keep it rolling, this is great stuff!!

You are right. I looked it up it was Mimoto in the tunnel together with a lot of ice and a way to heavy Beemer.
Parpaillon starts at 9:00 min, first it looks easy.

[Zuckerbaron]

After coming back from the tunnel I stayed on the left bank of the Durance and headed for the Lac de Serre Poncon and its turquoise water.
Here is Serre Poncon already with the N94 crossing the lake.



I was on back roads on my way to Savines le Lac on the south shore.
one of the locals put up a "Chair with a View"







In Savines I reached a real GEM for the night: Hotel les Chaumettes



http://www.hotel-leschaumettes.eu/fr


When I drove into the parking area of the little hotel an English (!) speaking French landlady opened a window and offered the garage.

I had a "Room with a View" to Serre de Poncon. https://www.google.com/search?client....0.yR7qRLVt3QE



The sun was going down while I rested on my balcony. I told myself: You earned that place because you didn't turn on the eroded gravel to Parpaillon.










The hotel is a really nice place and Madame cares for her guests and as I already said: She speaks English without hesitating when your French isn't good enough. I recommend that place!