Home " Challenges " Challenge of the road passes located on the "Alps inter-sea watersheds".

Challenge of the road passes located on the "Alps inter-sea watersheds".

Gérard Galland offers us this challenge:

Climb all the road passes on the five main LPEs in the Alps: 1 - North Sea/Adriatic, 2 - Western Mediterranean/Adriatic, 3 - North Sea/Western Mediterranean, 4 - North Sea/Black Sea, 5 - Black Sea/Adriatic. 80 collars.

Several countries concerned.

This challenge is open to members and non-members of the Club des Cent Cols.

Contact: [email]LPEdesAlpes@centcols.org[/email]
Registration form PDF format      Word format

Objectives

The aim of this challenge is also to encourage participants to take a detailed look at the areas they visit in terms of the Alps' hydrographic network, and in particular to take an interest in the future course of the water flowing on either side of the passes they climb.

The term LPE (Ligne de partage des eaux - watershed) is mentioned in the comments to article 2 of our rules of the game, extract: "a named place on a cadastral map..... with a heading evoking a collar, responds to RDJsubject to .... it is located on an EPL ".
A watershed refers to a geographical boundary that divides an area into two catchment areas: on either side of the line, water flows into two different streams, or even two rivers, seas or oceans.
Dividing line means separation. Often a border - political, linguistic ... follows a watershed. Fortunately, communication is possible thanks to the crossing points ... these crossing points have a name: " collars ".

The Alps are considered to be Europe's water tower; the main European rivers have their sources here. They feed 4 catchment areas and 4 seas: the North Sea (with the Rhine and its tributaries), the Western Mediterranean (with the Rhône and its tributaries, the Var, the Roya, and the coastal rivers of the Liguria), theAdriatic (with the Po and its tributaries, the Adige, the Piave, the Tagliamento and the Soča) and the Black Sea (with tributaries of the Danube).

From 2 hydrographic tripoints (a hydrographic tripoint is a point where three catchment areas) the Witenwasserenstock (Rhone - Rhine - Po) and the Pass Lunghin (Rhine - Po - Danube), both located in Switzerland, we can define 5 watersheds in the alps :

Between the two tri-points :

1. LPE North Sea - Adriatic (almost entirely in Switzerland, with a short stint in Italy)

Starting from the Witenwasserenstock :

2. LPE Western Mediterranean - Adriatic (in Switzerland, Italy and France)

Starting from Piz Lunghin :

4. LPE North Sea - Black Sea (in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany)

5. LPE Black Sea - Adriatic (in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Slovenia).

Descriptions of the watersheds and passes located on these watersheds are available via the links above. A slide show with maps and photos taken at the main passes is also available in conjunction with these articles.

Another approach is to focus on the  main" Atlantic-Mediterranean watershed (LPE A/M) which, from the Czech Republic through the Sudeten Mountains and southern Germany, crosses the Alps (LPE 4, 1 and 3 above) and continues west and south into the Jura and then the Massif Central before crossing the Pyrenees, Spain and Morocco. This approach amounts to considering the Western Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Black Sea as a single sea. It makes the Western Mediterranean - Adriatic EPL (EPL 2) a "second-order" EPL... despite the fact that it passes by the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Mont Thabor and Mont Saccarel.

Extensive documentation on this "main" EPL is available on the  the "Ligne de Partage" association  which was set up in 2014 with "the aim of developing all activities related to the watershed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea (known as the 'A/M line')". A recently-created "By bike too" page is dedicated to crossing the EPL by bike.

Rather than endlessly increasing the number of mountain passes climbed, many of us prefer to achieve a geographically or culturally defined goal.

The challenge  the "inter-sea" watersheds in the Alps is to invite participants to visit the passes located on these EPLs.

We thought it would be interesting to offer this Challenge to non-members of the Club des Cent Cols, so that they can start a "collection of passes" in the heart of the Alps. To this end, we are providing them with our expertise on the passes and making sophisticated computer tools available to them. In this way, we hope to promote the joys and pleasures of discovery and travel by bike.

How the challenge works

The Club des Cent Cols created the Challenge des Lignes de Partage des Eaux " inter-mer " des Alpes (LPEA) (Alpine watershed challenge) whose objective is to cross all the road passes located on these LPEs. These are :

The passes are those listed in the pass catalogues of the Confrérie des Cent Cols in the countries concerned on the date of registration for the challenge. They are listed at the end of this document and in the excel table described below. This is used to declare the passes. It is sent to participants when they register.
The passes can be climbed in any order (but in accordance with the 100 collars club game rules).

When the challenge was launched, 78 passes on the LPEs of the Alps were listed in the catalogues. In 2020, the Col de Gourze (CH-VD-0799) and in 2022, Le Basset (CH-VD-0683) have been added to the Swiss catalogue. They have been included in the challenge (July 2022).
For participants registered before 2022, the challenge includes climbing all 78 passes (the Col de Gourze and the Basset are optional but recommended).
For entries received from July 2022 onwards, the number of passes to be climbed is 80.

The descriptive articles (see links in the objectives section) suggest routes that will enable you to reach the various LPE passes as quickly as possible.

Passes climbed before the challenge was created are taken into account.

• The LPEA Challenge "Platinum is obtained when the participant has crossed all the passes located on the five EPAs i.e. the 79 passes concerned.
• The LPE Challenge "Gold is obtained when the participant has crossed all the passes on the Atlantic-Mediterranean watershed (LPE A/M)  28 passes (9 for LPE North Sea / Black Sea, 4 for LPE North Sea / Adriatic and 16 for LPE North Sea / Western Mediterranean),
• The LPE Challenge  "Money is obtained when the participant has crossed all the passes of the three EPLs (It may be confused with the Gold Challenge, if these 3 EPLs are those of the Atlantic/Mediterranean EPL.
• The LPE Challenge "Bronze is obtained when the participant has crossed all the passes of the two EPLs.

Registration

Download the registration form (pdf),  or in Word format or request it from the challenge manager [email]LPEdesAlpes@centcols.org[/email]

• A number will be assigned in the order of registration.
• A number will be allocated on receipt of the declaration of completion of the challenge.

On receipt of the entry form, the person responsible will send the applicant the declaration table listing the passes for each LPE.

This table is made up of 7 sheets, one for each of the 5 LPEs, and two summary sheets. It enables participants to manage their list of climbs and to see how far they have progressed.

For each LPE, the names, altitudes, codes and access to the passes are shown on the corresponding sheet, together with a link to the pass viewer. For border passes, information from the various catalogues has been included.
In the "date" column, the participant will enter the information of their choice (in digital format: for example the date of escalation or an order number) for each pass climbed, excel will calculate the number of passes climbed for the corresponding LPE. This information will be automatically transferred to the summary sheet. When all the passes on a LPE have been climbed, this will be indicated on the summary sheet. It will also indicate the level (from bronze to platinum) of the challenge obtained.
The declaration is made by sending the completed Excel file (named 999-NOM Challenge LPE Alpes - 999=Challenge entry number) to the Challenge manager [email]LPEdesAlpes@centcols.org[/email], who analyses the results and draws up the Honour Roll.

Once the Gold and Platinum challenges have been achieved, at the participant's request, the person in charge of the challenge will prepare a diploma certifying that the participant has achieved the Gold or Platinum challenge.  Gold" or "Platinum" Dividing Lines Challenge Alpine "inter-sea" waters (LPEA)

Participants will have the option of printing it out themselves or having it sent to them by the person in charge of the challenge for the sum of six euros. (This sum includes the cost of special paper, printing and postage). Only the Challenge diploma "Platinum can be handed over personally at Club des Cent Cols events.

A Roll of Honour of the holders of each Challenge and the registered participants (with their degree of progression) will be drawn up. Initially, this list will be available from the person responsible for the challenge, and the conditions for its inclusion in the published publications of the 100 Cols Club will be decided at a later date. (A participant may request that his or her name not appear on the published list).

Challenge rules

• This challenge is open to members and non-members of the Club des Cent Cols.
• To register for the Challenge, you need to: fill in registration form acceptance of these rules
• The aim of the Challenge is to cross all the passes located on the "inter-mer" LPEs of the Alps. The list of passes is drawn up by the Club des Cent Cols according to strict criteria of topography and place names.
• The passes must be climbed in accordance with the rules of the Cent Cols Club.
• Each pass climbed is declared as such on the good faith of the participant.
• There is no set deadline.
• A brevet is awarded when all the passes on the LPEs in the Alps have been climbed.

LIST OF NECKLACES

 1 -LPE North Sea / Adriatic 4 passes

2 - LPE Western Mediterranean / Adriatic                   27 collars

 3 - LPE North Sea / Western Mediterranean. 17 passes                 

4 - LPE North Sea / Black Sea 9 passes  

5 -LPE Black Sea / Adriatic 23 passes