3000m - col de sommeiller

With all this effort, we end up at the Col de Sommeiller by 14:00. The Bardonecchia website claims, "The highest road in Europe is 27 km long and crosses the Rochemolles Valley from 1300 m in Bardonecchia to 3009m at the Sommeiller Col". So here we are, quite a bit earlier than we thought we would, at 3000m. The impact of altitude is not too serious yet.

While we had contemplated the possibility of crossing over directly to the Maurienne Valley, some sources suggest the route is not advised for bicycles- and we are heavily laden. We do however meet two cyclists who are planning to make the crossing.

At the top, a gorgeous lake and a superb refuge. We have time for a venture by foot over the french side of the border. This immense valley was until recently home to a great glacier. Its very barren and full of scree. A group of 20 bouquetins (Ibex) are grazing on the rocks below the glacier. Although there is rock everywhere we find an amazing collection of alpine flowers tucked into the crannies. The weather is overcast, so no Mt Blanc view! Back at the top, a lonely bouquetin kindly poses for us.

The target is to sleep at altitude, and yes, by 18:00 or so, it is all quiet up there. After dinner, we lay our sleeping bags in the dining room of the refuge, with a nice view, and undertake sleeping successfully. Bummer, around 21:00 a very polite German leading a group of several 4×4 trucks, comes to request that we move to a dormitory, as his crowd is hungry and plans to eat and sleep here. Not only eat, we realize, as they bring a few six-packs along. Oh well... It was not the best of nights.Læs mere