Col du Lautaret
	Height	Climbing height
	2057m Sign 2058m	1338m (Le Bourg d’Oisans) 1017m (Barrage du Chambon) 853m (Briançon)
	Difficulty	Beauty
	West 2-3 (5); East 2 (5)	2-3 (5)
How to get there	It is uphill all the way from Grenoble, but first after Le Bourg d’Oisans (719m) the road begins to climb more like a mountain road. You start at the big (dam) Barrage du Chambon (1040m) if coming down from Col de Sarenne. The eastern climb starts in Briançon (1204m) and is almost flat for many kilometers, but after Le Monêtier-les-Bains (1477m) it is a more pronounced climb to the pass. There are often head-wind up this side to the pass for some reason.
Other comments	The nicest part of the climb is by the Chambon dam and the stretch around La Grave with the spectacular mountain peaks of the Ecrins massif, La Meije and others, looming high above in the sky. The main problem with this pass is the heavy, heavy traffic. There is no similarly easy passage over the french Alps into Italy if one wishes to avoid tunnels as it is over the Montgenevre pass and that leads a lot of traffic this way. (Unless the traffic comes from the south and goes to Briançon via Gap and Guillestre.) There is water in Le Monêtier-les-Bains on the east side, which is a good place to fill up at. You could also come to this pass via the much more interesting (for cyclists) Col du Galibier or proceed to that pass. [05-2057;o277]