Col du Galibier (2645m)

This giant of a climb at 2645 metres and above the Col du Lautaret was first used in the Tour de France in 1911 and has been used 31 times by the Tour de France since 1947. It has two ascents one from the North and taking in the Col du Télégraphe and the one from the south that most of our guests do from Bourg d'Oisans that takes in the Col du Lautaret.

The climb from the Lautaret is approximately 10 km up some very exposed roads. Near the top there is a monument to Henri Desgrange the first director of the Tour de France and also a cafe.

Southern ascent: The round trip though La Grave and up the Lautaret is approximately 100km from Bourg d'Oisans. This route does take in some long tunnels so we offer an uplift service to either La Grave or Villar-d'Arêne as part of your stay. The return leg from the Col du Galibier to Bourg d'Oisans feaures in La Marmotte Sportive before it turns up to climb Alpe d'Huez.

Northern ascent: We also arrange trips out to the bottom of the Col du Télégraphe in our minibus so that you can ride the Telegraphe and the Galibier before descending back to Bourg d'Oisans. This is a real classic "out there in the mountains day" and because we have the minibus you can jump in and out as much as you need to. This is a real favourite amongst our guests.

Stories from the Col du Galibier