Driving Route - Dijon -> Briancon/Serre Chevalier

A snowHead

There seem to be umpteen routes to Serre Chevalier from Calais

Can anyone give me a clue as to which is the quickest, most likeliest not to be prone to delay? Is there much difference in drive time?

1) Chambery, Saint Jean de Maurienne, Valloire, Col du Lauteret, Briancon
2) Chambery, Saint Jean de Maurienne, Frejus tunnel, Montgenèvre, Briancon
3) Grenoble, Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes, La Grave, Col du Lauteret, Briancon
4) Grenoble, Gap, Briancon

And if Lauteret is closed, what then? Frejus or Gap?

Pass status:
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/acces-aux-cols/index.do
Hautes-alpes, alpes, tous

Is there a better URL for alpine route status?

A snowHead

crosbie, Route no3, then no 2 if the Lauteret is closed. We reckon from Monetier that the Frejus tunnel adds about 20-30 minutes on to the journey. No 1 is the Col di Galibier, and is already closed. Telephone number for the Lauteret and Montgenevre is + 33 (0)4 92 24 44 44 (information line in French) . The route via Gap adds quite a bit of time to the journey, but is very pretty.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Helen Beaumont, I have this strange feeling you've done this before...

Thanks very much for what is no doubt a most authoritative answer. Toofy Grin

Is that telephone number an automatic menu system/recorded message thingy? Or does one have a chat with a human?

Does the pass get closed the second the weather deteriorates or do they decide every morning whether to open/close it for the next 24hours?

It'd be terrible for it to be open at 6pm and then closed at 9pm when one gets to it.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I notice there's a Hotel Bonnabel at Lauteret. I wonder if that hotel is still accessible from the Grenoble end if the pass is closed?

http://tinyurl.com/62myyn

I don't suppose one can access any ski area from this hotel?

Probably booked up if it is.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

crosbie, there's a lot of off-piste up there, If you do get to the Col and the weather is bad, they may not even let you get that far, there are some hotels and Chambre d'hotes in Villars d'Arene, there's some cross-country there, and a tiny little ski area at La Chazelet (?) and of course La Grave. We've been fortunate not to have to find anywhere, although one family we had staying did at Easter 2007. The Col is cleared pretty quickly though unless it is very windy or there is extreme avalanche risk

You'll need to Register first of course.

Helen Beaumont, that's very helpful. I'm now thinking it may be better to ski the Saturday on the Grenoble side of the Col, and that at least allows us to waste Saturday getting to Le Bez. if the pass is closed Friday night. I had intended to spend Friday night in Briancon (possibly a bad idea if the weather turns bad and I'm already committed to Grenoble).

Where would you suggest two couples spent a Saturday if one couple had a beginner, and the other couple spent more time in lifts than on the piste?

I think I'll have a look at La Chazalet and La Grave. What's the cheapest of the resorts on this Alpe d'Huez/Deux-Alpes/Grave road that's likely to have a Friday-night-only available?

I don't ask much do I? snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

crosbie, when are you travelling? I really wouldn't be too concerned about the Col being closed, it doesn't happen that often, it is a Route National .

After all it is free · Last edited by After all it is free on Thu 4-12-08 22:35; edited 1 time in total

davidof,

The Bonnabel is also very expensive.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I'm driving on the 30th Jan. I thought what with the Col di Galibier closing maybe I should worry about going via Frejus or Gap.

I was going to stay either in the Parc Mona Lisa or de Paris in Briancon that night - on the assumption it is possible to get from Calais at 9am to Briancon by around 7pm. Then spend a day skiing having gone up the Briancon cable car.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

crosbie, Galibier is always closed all winter, from November to May, so nothing unusual in that. It goes quite a fair bit higher than the Lauteret too. If you are going to Briancon anyway, by all means use the Frejus tunnel , it is 32€ one way, and 40€ return, but only if you go back within 7 days.

snow reports

davidof, Shining? Jack Nicholson saying "Here's Johnny!" Or something like that. I thought it was a hotel somewhere in Canada?

Is that video your's then? Are you David George? Where there's snow, there's skiers mad enough to ski it.

I think I'll skip the Bonnabel - doesn't look like they have any vacances that day anyway (even if I could afford it).

You know it makes sense.

Helen Beaumont, well, I am going back to the Grenoble-Isere airport on the Saturday night to transfer the rest of my group to Le Bez for a week at Maison du Bez. So I might as well get used to the Grenoble-La Grave-Lauteret route - practising my handbrake turns on the hairpins. Evil or Very Mad

(too much GTA)

It's good to hear Lauteret is usually open. The Google satellite view does seem to show it a bit lower than the cols via Galibier.

The classic snow prayer of hoping it dumps down after arriving on the Saturday night (at 2am) and not before.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

1. Not in the winter you don't.
2. Expensive and a bit round the houses
3. That one.
4. Why would you do that?

A snowHead

crosbie, in that case, why not stay at the Grenoble side, maybe Bourg d'Oisans, and ski in Alpe d'Huez for the day?

Help!!

Driving Route - Dijon -> Briancon/Serre Chevalier

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