23.1
PDI
5.8 mi
DISTANCE
2,920 ft
GAINED
9.6 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Rocher du Corbeley climbs 9.4 km (5.8 mi) from the village of Saint-Cassin, just south of Chambéry, up the northern edge of the Chartreuse massif to Les Granges du Planet, a small hamlet below the Col du Planet. It gains 890 m (2,920 ft) at a 9.6% average grade, one of the steeper, more consistently hard climbs in the Chambéry area.
The road takes its name from the limestone outcrop it climbs toward, but doesn't actually reach it - the pavement ends at Les Granges du Planet, and the Rocher du Corbeley's true 1,419 m summit is another undertaking entirely, a hiking trail with a cable-assisted scramble for the final approach to the lookout. For riders, that means this is a pure road climb through Chartreuse forest and pasture, with the rock itself visible above as a destination for another day on foot.
This is classic Chartreuse terrain - steep, wooded, and largely free of the tourist traffic that the bigger, better-known Chartreuse passes (Granier, Cucheron, du Coq) see in summer. The grade rarely relents: the opening quarter-mile averages nearly 15%, and there's no real flat section anywhere on 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. From Saint-Cassin, Rocher du Corbeley gains 890 m (2,920 ft) over 9.4 km (5.8 mi) at a 9.6% average grade. The opening quarter-mile is brutal, averaging 14.9%, and the first half-mile still averages 13.2%.
The climb never really lets up after that: the first mile averages 11.9%, the first 4 km (2.5 mi) average 10.7%, and the first 8 km (5 mi) average 9.7% - a grade that stays in double digits for most of the ride's length. This climb's #709 world-difficulty ranking, packed into less than 6 miles, makes it one of the steeper sustained efforts in the Chartreuse.
Roadway: Paved the entire way to Les Granges du Planet, confirmed by recent street-level imagery near the start; narrow but in good condition for a small Chartreuse back road.
Traffic: Light. This road serves Saint-Cassin's outlying hamlets and hikers headed for the Corbeley trailhead, not any through-route, so traffic is minimal outside of peak summer hiking weekends.
Parking: Saint-Cassin has parking near the village center to start from; there's also a small lot at Les Granges du Planet itself, at the top of the paved section, that doubles as the trailhead for hikers continuing on to the Rocher du Corbeley lookout.
Gear: Bring the lowest gearing you have - this climb spends almost its entire length in double-digit grades, starting with a nearly 15% opening quarter-mile, and there's no flat stretch anywhere to shift up and recover.
Provisions: Nothing along the route itself. Stock up in Saint-Cassin or nearby Chambéry before you start - there's no shop or cafe at Les Granges du Planet.
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.
Saint-Cassin sits right where the Chartreuse massif rises out of the Chambéry basin, and the village itself has sweeping views back across the valley - worth a look before you start climbing. Chambéry, a few kilometers north, is the practical base for services, with the closest real bike shops and a train station on the Paris-Lyon-Turin line.
If you're willing to rack the bike, the hiking trail that continues past Les Granges du Planet to the Rocher du Corbeley lookout is a worthwhile add-on on a rest day - it's a genuinely difficult scramble near the top, not a casual walk, so treat it as a separate outing rather than something to squeeze in mid-ride.
The wider Chartreuse massif has a dense cluster of other climbs within easy reach of Chambéry - see our Routes in the Area tool for what else is nearby.
ROUTE MAP
MEMBER RATING
CURRENT WEATHER
PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES
Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure.
NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY
FROM No Climbs Found
MEMBER REVIEWS & COMMENTS
Let us know what you thought of this climb. Signup for our FREE membership to write a review or post a comment.
Already have an account?
LOG IN HERE
