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The Parpaillon saga

For or against the Parpaillon - Gilles Aubert CC n° 5235 - magazine n° 40, 2012

I'd been hearing about the Parpaillon (FR-04-2637) for a long time, this atypical pass in the southern Alps, a sort of fossilised vestige (according to some enthusiasts) of what the Alpine passes might have been like when the Tour de France first tackled them. All the articles I'd read had made me want to go and see for myself, so this summer 2011 I finally did.

I hope this article will shed some light on the subject for cyclists who, like me, would like to know whether it's really worth embarking on this adventure. Here are four good reasons not to go and four good reasons to go; then it's up to you to decide!

Four good reasons not to climb the Parpaillon

1- Climbing hard

A long-time hunter of »extreme» slopes (those who know the Grand Colombier, Mont du Chat or Col Agnel will know what I'm talking about), and an honest mountain biker (after all, the Vosges is the home of mountain biking: just think, I even went to school with Julien Absalon's aunt!), I thought I'd make short work of this pass, whose gradients, while respectable, don't reach those of the ramps mentioned above. Wearing a light, brand-new mountain bike, I approached this pass rather confidently, but there's about as much difference between climbing a slope on a nice tarmac road and climbing the same slope on a bad, stony track as there is between running on an athletics track and trying to run on a pebble beach...
Which brings us to the second good reason

2- It's not tarmac

Remember, the path is only surfaced up to 9 km from the summit! And even if it were a good dirt track, it's nothing but rock! How can you climb at a decent pace (or even climb at all) in these conditions? And what about the descent? But what is the DDE doing?

3- It's not really a pass

Why go to the trouble of climbing a pass if not to see what's on the other side? Well, this path doesn't cross the pass; a hundred metres below it, it leads to a tunnel that my maps (Michelin and IGN) indicated was closed... So I logically set off without bothering to take a torch. But when I arrived at my destination, surprise: the tunnel was open! It's not lit (of course) and looks very muddy, but the urge is too strong, especially as two mountain bikers who've just come out of it (just as unlit as me) tell me that »it's OK», so I don't hesitate any longer...

It's a strange and rather frightening feeling to be driving in almost total darkness, in mud up to your hub, with only a tiny light ahead (the end of the tunnel). And of course, you have to go back the other way once you've photographed the landscape on the other side! Is this a life for a cyclist, let alone one who is a little claustrophobic?

4- The place is not frequented

As a cyclotourist, I'm not above chatting to fellow cyclists I've met on the road while climbing a mountain pass. On the Galibier, the Izoard or the Alpe d'Huez, it's easy enough, but here the opportunity is rare: there's simply no one around! No cyclists, not even a backfiring car or motorbike to silence those insufferable marmots, nothing! (Ah yes, a herd of cows... but not very chatty).

And what can we say about the lack of a refreshment bar at the summit to comfort cyclists thirsty from so much effort....
Desert, I tell you!

Four good reasons to climb the Parpaillon

1- Climbing hard

Didn't I start this article by describing myself as a hunter of »extreme» slopes? Well, I've simply enjoyed it...

2- It's not tarmac

And that's a good thing! Otherwise this pass would be like the Galibier, the Izoard or the Bonette: infested with cars, motorbikes and even faster cyclists who do nothing but embarrass you by overtaking you, without any apparent effort, on the steepest gradients...

3- It's not really a pass

So what? As long as you enjoy climbing it and it features in the Chauvot, it doesn't matter if it's not a pass in the purely geographical sense of the term! And if you want to cross a »real» pass, just a few kilometres from the summit, turn off onto a path to the right (also very steep, but without any stones!) which leads to the Col de Girabeau (FR-04-2488b) in less than a kilometre. By the way, this allows you to cover two passes over 2000m in a single ascent and enjoy a lovely view of the Orres valley.

4- The place is not frequented

Did you really believe me about the marmots? I LOVE marmots! And the photo opposite, taken after the climb, will prove it to you...
Let's be serious: do you come here for the crowds or to enjoy the solitude? What a privilege, on the contrary, to have this exceptional place all to yourself, or almost all to yourself!
As for the refreshment bar, I don't need it!

Conclusion: The Col du Parpaillon is a monumental pass, and one that I'm proud to have finally included in my bag of tricks as a hunter (of extreme slopes, but also simply of passes). And if I had to give you just one piece of advice, it would be: hurry up (not all at once, though) and do it too, you won't regret it.

This pass must remain as it is, the last testimony to what the great passes of the Alps were at the beginning of the 20th century.^e century. Steep, remote and, above all, unpaved.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: if only we could make the path just a little more comfortable... The climb up the rock is still nothing, but the descent!...