Col du Galibier is still officially closed above the tunnel, but I thought I’d have a look, to enjoy the snow and see if I could reach the summit. I’ll keep this post short as it was overcast , and I’ve probably written far too many articles about this great climb. But hopefully the photos below are worth sharing.
Some old Galibier posts that might be of interest:
- Galibier: A Complete Look – Details all three Sides (has some good snow/sun photos).
- A slightly crazy 4th way up – bypassing Télégraphe
- A Brief History of Col du Galibier
- Cycling Galibier to see the Sun Rise
- La Marmotte Cyclosportive – Glandon/Alpe d’Huez/Galibier.
- Col des Rochilles – Superb high Mountain Bike Trail off north side
- Watching the Tour de France up Galibier: North side and South Side
Today’s Ride:
Above the tunnel was fenced off as closed, but a couple of cyclists were descending and told me it was possible – just a small snow portage.
It was a safe 50 metres hike:
Above the snowy road:
I reached the top, and took some celebration photos. It was windy and cold. Maybe 2C. I’d expected sun and only had a couple of jackets, so I decided to head back down the north side, but the snow-plough guys were back from lunch. Unpassable. Oops. So I descended the south side and waited for a car so I could follow it through the unlit (usually it’s lit), long, narrow, tunnel.
Back on the north side there was a very disappointed tour group of Flemish riders that couldn’t get past the ploughs. After some discussion ….. through the tunnel and up the south side became their plan.
As I descended it started to rain. Luckily, not heavily until Valloire where I took cover for 15 minutes. No worries. But I was lucky to be off the summit. Brrr.
Not the best weather, but always fun to visit Galibier in the early season.
Finally, on the way home I had the good fortune to bump into the the very talented Professional Photographers Jered and Ashley Gruber. Fun chat, very nice people.
