18
PDI
8.8 mi
DISTANCE
2,993 ft
GAINED
6.4 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland; Lisa Irizarry and Matt Jiang, NY, NY
INTRO
Col des Saisies North climbs 14.1 km (8.8 mi) from the Gorges de l'Arly to the Les Saisies resort, gaining 912 m (2,993 ft) at a 6.4% average from 760 m (2,494 ft) to 1658 m (5,440 ft). This is the Val d'Arly side of the Saisies, reached from the main D1212 between Ugine and Flumet, and it is the way the Tour de France came in 2021 on the stage from Cluses to Tignes, when Wout Poels led the race over the top. It ranks #1213 on our list of the world's hardest climbs.
It is a climb of three parts. The first 5 km (3.1 mi) leave the gorges on a steady line of forest hairpins at close to 8%, with no real let-up. Then the road eases through the village of Crest-Voland at about 1230 m (4,035 ft) - a near-flat kilometer through the center is the best recovery on the climb - before a harder 3-4 km (1.9-2.5 mi) out of the village where the steepest kilometer reaches 8.7%. The top third is the most varied: long straight ramps through the Crest-Voland state forest, a short downhill near the 12 km mark, and a final push past the junction with the road from Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe to the resort entrance, with the last few hundred meters close to flat.
The reward is the arrival on the open Saisies plateau, with the Signal de Bisanne above you and the Beaufortain mountains ahead. Above the village the road climbs through open pasture before returning to the forest, so the views come and go rather than building all the way up.
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 North averages 6.4% over 14.1 km (8.8 mi), but the grade comes in distinct blocks rather than one steady pitch.
The opening 5 km (3.1 mi) from the gorges are the most consistent part of the climb, running at 7.9-8.3% kilometer after kilometer up through the forest. From about km 5 to km 7 the road eases to around 5% as it reaches and crosses Crest-Voland, including a nearly flat stretch through the village.
Above the village the climbing hardens again: km 7 to km 10 average close to 8%, and this is where the steepest kilometer sits, at 8.7%, with the steepest 500 m at 9.0%. The steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) average 8.2%. Short ramps nudge past 9%, but nothing here is sustained above that.
The last 4 km (2.5 mi) are easier on average but irregular. The road levels off and dips slightly through the Crest-Voland forest around km 11-12, then climbs at 5-7% past the Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe junction at about 1607 m (5,272 ft), and the final few hundred meters into Les Saisies are close to flat.
Roadway: Paved the entire way on the D71a. The forest sections are generally in good shape, but riders report potholes and rough patches through the Crest-Voland section and on the hairpin at La Grande Mouille, so take the descent with care. The Savoie department closed the D71a between the Pont des Mottets and Crest-Voland on weekdays from 13 to 24 April 2026 for tree felling - short closures like these come up most years, so check savoie-route.fr before you go. The approach road matters too: the D1212 through the Arly gorges has been closed several times since 2024 after rockfalls (most recently from 21 November 2025, reopening to alternating traffic over the winter), with traffic diverted over Héry-sur-Ugine.
Traffic: The D1212 at the start is the main road between Ugine and Megève and carries steady car and truck traffic, so keep that stretch short. Once you turn onto the D71a, traffic is mostly residents and visitors heading to Crest-Voland and Les Saisies - busiest in July and August and on winter weekends, and quiet outside the holiday seasons.
Parking: There is no real parking at the Pont des Mottets junction on the gorge road, so most riders start from Ugine or Flumet and ride to the base along the D1212. If you'd rather drive closer, Crest-Voland has a car park by its church in the village center at about 1230 m (4,035 ft), which lets you ride the lower forest section as a descent and climb back. Parking at the col itself is covered on our Col des Saisies (Beaufort) page.
Gear: A compact crankset with a 28-tooth low cog is enough for a climb that rarely tops 9%, though the first 5 km (3.1 mi) at a steady 8% reward a gear you can spin. Check your brakes and tires before the descent - the patchy surface around Crest-Voland and La Grande Mouille is easy to underestimate at speed. The col is about 900 m (2,953 ft) above the gorges, so carry a windproof layer even on a warm day in the valley.
Provisions: Stock up in Ugine or Flumet before you start - there is nothing on the D1212 at the turnoff. Crest-Voland, at the halfway point, is a small resort village with places to eat in season, and the Refuge du Lachat on the forest section above it has served crêpes and homemade cakes to summer visitors (check current hours before relying on it). 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 is the climb that takes you through Crest-Voland, a family ski village in the Val d'Arly that shares the Espace Diamant ski area with Les Saisies. In the center, at about 1230 m (4,035 ft), the neo-Gothic church of the Nativity of Our Lady was built between 1863 and 1866 on the site of a 16th-century church, with stained glass from 1913, Carrara marble altars and a bell tower whose ten bells still ring every day. Just off the road in the hamlet of Le Crest, the small Chapelle du Crest, recorded as early as 1677 and rebuilt around 1850, is worth a look from the outside.
If you're here in early August, Crest-Voland and neighboring Cohennoz hold the Fête des Vieux Fours, a long-running festival where bread is baked in the hamlets' old communal ovens, with demonstrations of mountain trades like butter-making and threshing, and a giant tartiflette on the Sunday.
The Resistance memorials and chapel at the col are covered on our Col des Saisies (Beaufort) page, and the plateau's Olympic history on our Saisies + Mont Bisanne page. Col de l'Arpettaz and Col des Saisies (Flumet) start from the same valley if you're staying a few days - see them and other nearby climbs with our Routes in the Area tool.
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