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Col Luitel

Le Col Luitel (FR-38-1262),

For a member of the Cent Cols club, this name triggers a "tilt" since it is linked to the creation of the brotherhood : It was after climbing this pass in 1970 that Jean Perdoux had the idea of creating the "Club des Cent Cols". "before writing the rules in 1972.

For someone from Grenoble going skiing in Chamrousse, "le Luitel" is at the crossroads of the D111 (from Uriage to Chamrousse) and the small road leading down to Séchilienne ... below the start of the Arselle cross-country ski runs ... well no, the pass is 500 metres away, in the middle of the Luitel nature reserve.

This (indisputable) location corresponds to the position on the IGN map, the location given by the Club des Cent cols, and the position of the wooden signpost indicating Col Luitel 1262 m.

On-site verification in May 2020: But where exactly is Col Luitel?

Toponymy

Luitel: this is the name of the pass, the lake, the peat bog and the nature reserve.

According to this article in the Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France (page 150) "Historical documents on the Luitel are almost non-existent. Very few ancient texts refer to it; the Isère archives tell us nothing of interest about it. At most, it is sometimes mentioned under the names Lauvestellum, Lutet, Luther, then Luytel and Luitel"(i).

Geographical location

Massif

The Col Luitel is located to the south of the Belledonne mountain range.

Geology

Here, more than 50,000 years ago, an arm of the Romanche valley glacier slowly made its way over the Col Luitel. This veritable continuous rasp carved out depressions of varying depths (from 11 to 16 metres). Lake Luitel, which was originally much larger, was formed when the glaciers retreated. Constantly replenished with water, the lake was partly transformed into a peat bog by the growth and accumulation of plant debris. At the Col Luitel in particular, the typical proliferation of mosses (sphagnum mosses) caused the peat bog to bulge out of a shallower depression than the lake.

Hydrography

Lac Luitel is located in the north of the pass. It is fed by the Ruisseau de Rambert, which comes from the Arselle plateau (peat bog). The lake's outlet is located near the bend in the D111 (coming from Uriage), just before the junction with the route de Séchilienne. Further downstream flows the Ruisseau de Prémol, a tributary of the Ruisseau de la Grande Maille at Vaulnaveys-le-Bas, itself a tributary of the Romanche at Vizille.

Snow clearing on the Chamrousse road by salting and water run-off cause large quantities of salt to be transferred to the Luitel lake and peat bog. See the study: "Les effets des épandages de sel sur la tourbière lacustre du Luitel (Massif de Belledonne, France): la dérivation des eaux du ruisseau du Rambert comme remède à la pollution". (Revue de Géographie Alpine Année 2003 91-1 pp. 51-66)

Access

From Grenoble (Palais des sports 23.5 km, 213 m), Giéres (20 km, alt; 227 m), Uriage (13 km, alt 412m) via D524, MF de Prémol (3 km, 1088 m) via D111, D111/ RF junction (0.5 km - 1268m).

From Chamrousse (Roche Beranger) (alt 1745 m) on the D111 reached the junction with the route de Séchilienne after a 7.5 km descent.

De Séchilienne (alt. 368m) it's a 10km climb (route C1) to the Luitel pass.

What to see - tourism

At the pass

La Lac Luitel Nature Reserve, the first created in France (1961), contains all the ecological stages of a sphagnum peat bog on its 17-hectare site. Lake Luitel owes its existence to the great glaciers of the Quaternary period.

The Col Luitel peat bog became part of the reserve in 1991.

This reserveThe Luitel peat bog is made up of two areas: Lac Luitel, a lake and peat bog characterised by floating rafts, and the partially wooded Col Luitel peat bog. There are a number of signposted footpaths through the area.

Administrative status

The Col Luitel is located in the commune of Séchilienne.

The boundary with the commune of Vaulnaveys-le-Haut is the D111 (route de Chamrousse).

Cycling and cycle tourism

Fiftieth anniversary of the Club des Cents Cols (Dauphiné Libéré)

On Saturday 25 June 2022, the Club des Cent Cols celebrated its 50th anniversary. Around a hundred people gathered in the car park of the Premol forest house (altitude 1088 m), 3 km from the pass.

After research and discussion between Guy Harlé, the organiser of the event, and a number of local centcolists, this venue was chosen because of its proximity to the pass (and the fact that it was impossible to hold the event at the pass itself due to the cramped conditions of the small car park on the edge of the Luitel nature reserve).

It was vital to avoid trampling on the reserve ...