Col du Vars - France
The Col du Vars is a climb in the Southern French Alps, part of the route that connects Briancon in France with Cueno in Italy. This climb is a gentle giant among the French alpine passes. It rides through a wide open valley dominated by meadows, villages and ski resorts. While there are trees, the road does not go through forests and provides great views all round.
With only 9 hairpin bends, this pass road travels a distance. All of the haipins are straight out of Gulliestre where the road climbs high above the town and into the Vars valley. From there, it continues straight through a delightful valley. The charm of the valley and its little villages is the draw to this ride.
It is little wonder though that the Vars has less of a look-in as it is surrounded by monster passes and monuments of French cycling. To the north sits the Col d'Izoard with its moonscape landscape in the Casse Deserte, further north is the Galibier with its unrivalled TdF pedigree. To the south is the Cime de la Bonnette which at 2,803m is higher that the mountain surrounding the Col de Vars. For many cyclists, the Col de Var is therefore a transit pass between these more illustrious roads. The TdF likes the Col de Vars though and for good reason. Since its first inclusion in 1922, it featured more than 30 times and counting.
Col du Vars 2,109m - Northern ascend from Guillestre
The Col du Vars from Guillestre is 19km long and climbs 1115m in altitude. This is no slouch but also not the most demanding climb you ever ride. The first 8km are the hardest and then the road meanders up and down through villages and a ski station before it pushes to the top. Never on the limit, this is the perfect warm up climb for a longer ride the Cime de la Bonette to the south. Given the lower altitude of the valley and the surrounding mountains, the valley can get quite hot in the summer. But as with all montain roads, the weather can change rapidly.
Into the valley
The first 8km from Gulliestre are through wonderful long sweeping switchbacks and the road rises to 1615m. This section climbs around 600m and has the steepest gradients of the entire climb, temorarily reaching 14%. As you climb higher, there nice views of the Gulliestre where four different valleys originate and form a wide open space below. The road ahead also allows glimpses of the valley to come. Lovely stuff. Enjoy these switchbacks as there are no further to come down the valley.
Up and down
The next 4km to Sainte Marie are an up and down affair with little elevation gain and a couple of downhill section. The road passes Saint Marcellin and bobbles along to Sainte Marie which is around 1,650m high. The valley is wide open and the mountains to either side are of modest altitude with the Crete de Vars on the left being the highest at 2,600m. This lack of drama defines the pass. Open valley, meadows, some forested hill sides and lower level peaks all contribute to a loveliness of the Vars valley. There are villages to ride through and maybe stop for a coffee.
Ahead you ride towards the jagged Pointe de l'Eyssina massif which stands at 2,837m.
Push to the top at 2109m
Once you leave Sainte Marie, the last, approximately 7 km continue to the top of the pass at 2,109m. There is an elevation gain of around 460m which is very doable. The valley tightens a little and the road steers towards the Pointe de l'Eyssina mountain which is like focal point in the road ahead. Once through the Vars ski station the mountain pulls up alongside side of you and the road meanders through greenery, trees and meadows, to the pass height. This is quite a lovely road and the modest gradients allows you to enjoy the surroundings.
The Vars ski station is pretty ugly and best left behind swiftly so not to spoil the overall prettiness of this road.
Col du Vars from Guillestre
Length: 18.9km
Altitude gain: 1115m
Max altitude: 2109 m
Average gradient: 5.9%
Max gradient: 14.4%
Route Tip: The Col du Vars is a little bit at a dead end and circular rides via the Ubaye valley are very long. To extend, you can either do a double ascent north and south or continue to the Col de Larche at the Italian border. The former is around 70km long and 2,000m climbing, the latter (see route) is around 100km long and 2,750m climbing
