Mont Chaberton is not for the faint-hearted: its ascent stretches for 13 kilometres, climbing nearly 1,900 metres in altitude. Steep, boulder-strewn, crumbly and exposed. Nevertheless, its summit has been considered ‘rideable’ since the 1990s. Unfortunately, there is no record of who was the first to conquer Mont Chaberton on a mountain bike. Otherwise, one might ask that person for their training plan. Above all, how exactly they managed to stop the front wheel from constantly slipping on the scree-covered, super-steep hairpin bends. For that reason alone, you often have to dismount – which, however, is a welcome opportunity to take a moment to catch your breath and get your heart rate back down.
Even on an e-MTB, it’s a real challenge
Even with the help of the motor, you still need to be able to assess the often loose and unpredictable terrain in good time, maintain your balance and navigate round boulders. And then there’s the ‘split rock’. A very exposed section on a steep slope, where the former military road has slipped away to within a few hand-breadths of the edge. Anyone who values their life will dismount here and gratefully accept the safety rope provided on the rock face. The relevant regional authority does not appear to have any plans for further maintenance of the path. Rockfalls and landslides occur all too frequently in the Western Alps.
Extensive repair work up here would be costly and short-lived. Therefore, anyone who still wishes to tackle Mont Chaberton despite all these challenging conditions should act quickly if they want to experience the classic ascent from Fenils whilst it is still possible.
A reader wrote to us a few years ago saying that, although he’d managed to get past the split rock, he was so physically and mentally exhausted by the climb that he gave up at the Col du Chaberton – just 450 metres below the summit. Despite the unrivalled reward that was already within reach. This is probably how it went for quite a few people, as the final hairpin bends up to the summit are indeed particularly treacherous and gruelling. Especially if you haven’t brought enough water (there’s nowhere to top up along the way!), provisions and warm clothes to protect against the biting, icy wind. But you have to take all that with you, because when you reach the concrete-covered rocky plateau at an altitude of 3,131 metres, you’re literally showered with rewards:
The highlights of the Mont Chaberton circuit
- The panorama: Take a spin round and soak it all in: Mont Blanc to the north, the Barre des Écrins and La Meije to the west, Gran Paradiso to the north-east, Monviso to the south-east, and on particularly clear days you can even catch a glimpse of Monte Rosa.
- History: The actual summit of the mountain was blasted away by the Italians in 1998 to make way for the eight gun turrets, creating what was then Europe’s highest military fortress. 400 soldiers toiled on the project for 15 years with the aim of destroying the opposing forts on the French side. However, by the time the complex was operational in 1913, a peace treaty had long since been signed. It was not until the Second World War that the turrets were put into action under Mussolini. That was until they were destroyed by the French forts after just a few days in June 1940, and the mountain was ceded to France in 1947.
- The descent: You ride down the same trail hairpin bends as far as the Col de Chaberton, then the trail branches off to the left towards Claviere: the first 130 metres of descent are so steep and boulder-strewn that even a trial ace like Hans Rey would have to navigate the rocks with care here. Beyond that, however, things get better and better. With riding skills suitable for difficulty levels S2–S3, you can easily ride all the way down to Claviere.
There’s also a cosy pizzeria in Claviere. If you fancy a bit more trail riding after your stop for refreshments, simply turn off the valley road and back into the woods just before Fenils.
Total route: 32.3 kilometres / 1,945 metres of elevation gain / Trail section: 4.9 kilometres
The GPS data for the tour
BIKE subscribers and BIKE Online Premium subscribers can find the GPX data for the route after logging in once at bike-magazin.de under ‘My Account’.
Legendary MTB tours as a BIKE series:
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor