19.2
PDI
9.3 mi
DISTANCE
3,210 ft
GAINED
6.3 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland
INTRO
Col des Saisies from Beaufort climbs 15.0 km (9.3 mi) from Villard-sur-Doron, in Savoie's Beaufortain, gaining 978 m (3,210 ft) at a 6.3% average grade from 721 m (2,364 ft) to 1655 m (5,430 ft) on the plateau of Les Saisies. The Saisies is one of the Tour de France's regular Alpine crossings - the race has gone over it 14 times since Henk Lubberding led the first passage in 1979, with Marco Pantani (2000), Marc Hirschi (2020) and Giulio Ciccone (2023) among the riders first to the top.
This approach comes in two halves. The first 8 km (5.0 mi) climb out of Villard-sur-Doron on long straights and hairpins, including the Épingle des Pacots at about 1022 m (3,353 ft), then swing east across the hillside toward Hauteluce past the old hamlet of Les Côtes. The road dips briefly just before km 9, then kicks up for the steepest pitch of the climb - about 500 m at 9.7% - and the final 6 km (3.7 mi) average close to 7% as the road turns back west above Hauteluce and climbs through scattered chalets to the plateau.
The views are the reason to come this way. Mont Blanc, the Pierra Menta and the Signal de Bisanne are in sight on much of the upper road, and on a clear day the Mont Blanc massif feels close enough to touch from the top. There's little shade on the open upper slopes, so on a summer day an early start pays off.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Col des Saisies from Beaufort averages 6.3% over 15.0 km (9.3 mi), but the number hides an uneven profile. The first 5 km (3.1 mi) out of Villard-sur-Doron are steady at about 7-8%, and the steepest 5 km of the whole climb (7.4%) and steepest 2 km (7.8%) both sit right here at the start. Km 6 eases to under 4% as the road swings east toward Hauteluce, and there's a short downhill just before km 9, below Hauteluce.
The steepest 500 m (9.7%) and steepest kilometer (8.7%) come right after that dip, around km 9. From there the final 6 km (3.7 mi) hold close to 7% with no real let-up until the last kilometer into the resort, which eases to under 6%. The steepest 10 km average 6.2%.
Roadway: Paved the entire way. The road is mostly wide and in good condition, though riders describe some coarse, grainy patches and a rougher surface through the resort over the final few kilometers. Short roadworks do come up - in December 2025 the Savoie department ran alternating one-lane traffic on the D218B in Hauteluce for two days to secure a water reservoir - so check Savoie's road information before you go.
Traffic: Moderate. This is the main road up to the Les Saisies resort from the Beaufortain side, so expect steady car traffic in July and August and during school holidays, though riders in early summer have found it quite reasonable. The road through Les Saisies is closed to traffic on days when the Tour de France or L'Étape du Tour comes through.
Parking: Most riders start from Beaufort or Villard-sur-Doron and ride to the base; Beaufort's town-center parking is covered on our Cormet de Roselend pages. At the top, the Col des Saisies car park (Parking du Col) sits right at the col beside the Resistance memorials, and the Carrets car park is at the lower end of the resort - both handy if you'd rather drive up and ride the climb as a descent first.
Gear: A compact crankset with a 28-30 tooth low cog is plenty here; the grade only tops 9% briefly around km 9. With little shade on the open upper slopes, sunscreen and an early start matter more than gearing on a hot day. Pack a light layer for the descent - the col is nearly 1000 m (3,281 ft) above Villard-sur-Doron.
Provisions: Beaufort, about 2 km (1.2 mi) before the start, has full services for a final stock-up. Hauteluce, a few hundred meters off the route near km 9, is the only village partway up, and Les Saisies at the top is a full resort village with cafes, restaurants and shops.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
This side of the Saisies is the one that takes you to Hauteluce, a traditional Beaufortain village of log chalets and mazots at about 1150 m (3,773 ft). Its Saint-Jacques-d'Assyrie church, a listed Baroque monument named for the first bishop of the Tarentaise, has a striking onion-domed bell tower, and the village ecomuseum, in a 19th-century house in the center, covers daily life in the valley's mountain farms. On the way up you also pass Les Côtes, a preserved hamlet with an old mill and some of the valley's oldest granaries, and Le Praz, with its very old log cabins and chapel.
At the col, look for the monument to the airdrop of 1 August 1944, when 78 American B-17 bombers dropped 864 containers of weapons onto the plateau for the Savoie Resistance in Operation Ebonite. It stands in the Col des Saisies car park beside the modern chapel of Notre-Dame de Haute-Lumière, along with the Mémorial de la Compagnie du Lac, inaugurated in 2020 to honor a local Resistance unit. For the plateau's Olympic history and its cheese dairy, see our Saisies + Mont Bisanne page.
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carlinguernsey
This is another one of the fairly difficult category 1 climbs that the pros just seem to fly up in the Tour de France. I can attest that tired old amateurs take significantly longer. There are full services at the top or in Beaufort (about 2k from the start of the climb). On a clear day, Mont Blanc seems so close that you can almost touch it!
