Crêt de Chatillon - Annecy

Harder than you realise at the beginning this climb. The first several km through the forest are steady and pleasant enough however the second half tests you and the last few km after the end of the forest seem to take a long time passing. Not as scenic as some though. Disappointed there was no col sign at the summit but great views to Mt Blanc. A tight rough descent for the first few km becomes more open and smoother. Great fun.

My personal climb rating:

17/4/08 Great climb. Straight from the town centre to a proper mountain top. From the old town follow the road by the lake for a few hundred metres, turn right at the roundabout, turn left on a tricky right hand bend signposted ""Le Semnoz"" and keep going. It’s mostly through woods and would be very hot in summer. The hardest section is from the Quintal turn to the ski station - 500m ascent at 9% with very little relief. The spring was cold with lots of snow but the road was ploughed. Snow was down to about 1200m and there was a stunning view as I escaped the woods and saw the summit for the first time, a thick carpet of snow everywhere. This is one of the few climbs that reaches almost the top of a mountain (the true summit is only 30m higher than the road) and the views are fantastic, with a good sight of Mont Blanc only 50km away. There is a cafe and restaurant at the top but, as I was on a family holiday I just stopped to take a couple of snaps and add layers for the descent. The route down to Col de Leschaux is much straighter and faster in descent that returning to Annecy, although I was careful at the top in case the day befores snow melt had frozen across the road. Time for ascent - about 1 hour 15 mins

My personal climb rating: