Pass opening dates/Col d'Iseran

Off topic, but it's quiet... I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).

Cheers.
Iain.

wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).

Cheers.
Iain.

Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource is www.alpineroads.com

Rob

On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:
wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... *I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. *I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. *Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).

Cheers.
Iain.

Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

All I can tell you is it sure won't be open yet - we've got about 3
metres depth of snow at 3000M at the moment, and it just keeps on
coming. Tignes lifts shut on the 11th May this year, so I reckon it'll
be June before the passes are reliable. I might be completely wrong
though.

Cheers,

Matt

Matt T wrote:
On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:
wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).
Cheers.
Iain.
Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

All I can tell you is it sure won't be open yet - we've got about 3
metres depth of snow at 3000M at the moment, and it just keeps on
coming. Tignes lifts shut on the 11th May this year, so I reckon it'll
be June before the passes are reliable. I might be completely wrong
though.

Cheers,

Matt

Matt

From memory its open about July-October. We went the 2nd week of
September, but the problem by then was that France had pretty much
"closed" after the Summer season. There was only a single restaurant in
Val d'Isere open. Fortunately we were only staying 1 night, but we met a
couple who were there for 3 or 4 days!

Rob

On 20 Apr, 09:24, LittleRob wrote:
Matt T wrote:
On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:
wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... *I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. *I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. *Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).
Cheers.
Iain.
Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

All I can tell you is it sure won't be open yet - we've got about 3
metres depth of snow at 3000M at the moment, and it just keeps on
coming. Tignes lifts shut on the 11th May this year, so I reckon it'll
be June before the passes are reliable. I might be completely wrong
though.

Cheers,

Matt

Matt

*From memory its open about July-October. We went the 2nd week of
September, but the problem by then was that France had pretty much
"closed" after the Summer season. There was only a single restaurant in
Val d'Isere open. Fortunately we were only staying 1 night, but we met a
couple who were there for 3 or 4 days!

Rob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That makes sense - I've seen snow up here in August, so I guess it's a
pretty limited window. I don't know what the col de petit st bernard
opening times are like, but probably similar.

I've been in Tignes a couple of times in September - I wouldn't
recommend it!

Matt

Matt T wrote:
On 20 Apr, 09:24, LittleRob wrote:

Matt T wrote:

On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:

wrote:

Off topic, but it's quiet... I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).
Cheers.
Iain.

Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

All I can tell you is it sure won't be open yet - we've got about 3
metres depth of snow at 3000M at the moment, and it just keeps on
coming. Tignes lifts shut on the 11th May this year, so I reckon it'll
be June before the passes are reliable. I might be completely wrong
though.

Cheers,

Matt

Matt

From memory its open about July-October. We went the 2nd week of
September, but the problem by then was that France had pretty much
"closed" after the Summer season. There was only a single restaurant in
Val d'Isere open. Fortunately we were only staying 1 night, but we met a
couple who were there for 3 or 4 days!

Rob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


That makes sense - I've seen snow up here in August, so I guess it's a
pretty limited window. I don't know what the col de petit st bernard
opening times are like, but probably similar.

I've been in Tignes a couple of times in September - I wouldn't
recommend it!

Matt
There are no fixed dates and it can be very late in the season when the
Col opens. It may open in late June, but it will almost certainly be
closed in early June. It has been known to be closed in July - it
depends upon the weather. The Petit st Bernard opens a little earlier.

I did ride my bike over it one summer, but cannot recall it being
anything special. The Galibier is much better. It was a long time ago
and IIRC we went from the Mauriene via Valloire, Briancon, over the
Montgeneve pass then back into the upper Mauriene valley over either the
Cenis or the Frejus passes, up and over the Col Iserian then via the
Cormet de Roseland to Annecy. I was riding a BSA A65 at the time, which
was great for thundering up the passes but it really tested the brakes
on the way down and hauling it around hairpin after hairpin got tiring
in the end.

BTW the scenery on the Bonneval sur Arc side is better than the Val
d'Isere side.

John

"Matt T" wrote in message
...
On 20 Apr, 09:24, LittleRob wrote:
Matt T wrote:
On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:
wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).
Cheers.
Iain.
Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove
it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

All I can tell you is it sure won't be open yet - we've got about 3
metres depth of snow at 3000M at the moment, and it just keeps on
coming. Tignes lifts shut on the 11th May this year, so I reckon it'll
be June before the passes are reliable. I might be completely wrong
though.

Cheers,

Matt

The Col de l'Iseran is 'usually' open from late May/early June, but with
this year's exceptional late snowfalls who knows?

The Col (and the whole of the Route des Grandes Alpes) is an amazing drive,
roadside piste-markers and all.
Our experiences in late October, trying to beat the Col closures due to the
first snowfalls :
http://www.mountainpassions.com/summ...es_alpes_1.htm - Lac
Léman to the Beaufortain
http://www.mountainpassions.com/summ...es_alpes_2.htm - The
Beaufortain to Briançon.
http://www.mountainpassions.com/summ...es_alpes_3.htm -
Briançon to the Vallée de l'Ubaye
http://www.mountainpassions.com/summ...es_alpes_4.htm - Col de
la Cayolle to Menton

Enjoy - we did, and we'll certainly do it again...

RM

On 19 Apr, 13:46, LittleRob wrote:
wrote:
Off topic, but it's quiet... *I'd like to do this kind of motorbike,
sunny day,
dry road with walls of snow either side thing. *I'd always imagined,
that
after the lifts close down in val d'Isere they run a snow plough over
the
top, though as it sometimes snows right through to May/June I guess
it's not really like that. *Any ideas on fixed dates for opening the
Col
d'Iseran, or ideas where freshly opened high passes might be the first
couple of weeks in may (within 3 hours of Geneva).

Cheers.
Iain.

Iain

I've not ridden this route (though I'm tempted this year) but I drove it
in an open-top car a few years ago. I can recommend it.

A very good resource iswww.alpineroads.com

Rob

BTW, and back on topic, there's loads of snow in the Espace Killy at
the moment. The Grande Motte just got another 20cm of powder on it
last night bringing the depth up to 310cm. Awesome skiing for the time
of year and I think it's going to get sunny at the end of the week.
Anyone fancies a bank holiday skiing trip there should be some good
deals about.

Matt

Ace wrote:
On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:55:44 -0700 (PDT), Matt T
wrote:


BTW, and back on topic, there's loads of snow in the Espace Killy at
the moment. The Grande Motte just got another 20cm of powder on it
last night bringing the depth up to 310cm. Awesome skiing for the time
of year and I think it's going to get sunny at the end of the week.
Anyone fancies a bank holiday skiing trip there should be some good
deals about.

Indeed. Chamonix was excellent last weekend (Thurs-Sun) too - skied at
Grand Montets, where we had some great powder, especially on the
glacier, and only slightly slushy conditions on the last run home down
to the car park level.

"Slightly" mushy ?

Shame I didn't know you were there, as I was there with a couple of old
RSA regulars too. Were you with the group wearing SCGB monogrammed kit
outside at the restaurant at Grand Montets mid-station on Sunday
lunchtime ? If so, I think I saw you...

We enjoyed the powder off Hearse chair Sat. morning too and had a great
time, but were too disorganised to sort out tram to glacier until Sunday
afternoon. Things were not helped by the Vagabond Gits who slept in
after the big end-of-season-workers party on Sat. night, so the ski room
wasn't unlocked until about 9.30

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:30:36 +0200, Ace wrote:

Not me - I'd gone homw by then, having been completely exhausted by it
all. Despite 60 days skiing this year my back[1] was still complaining
after three full days of hard off-piste skiing, with a fair dose of
digging for avalanche victims thrown in.

Real or practice?

--
-Pip