If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.

The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col du
Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these passes
are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin
map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if this
means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the weather.
Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

Mike Lane wrote:
    > If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    > The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far
    > rather go over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de
    > Montgenevre, or the Col du Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't
    > know if any (or all) of these passes are still likely to be closed
    > due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin map marks Mont Cenis as
    > closed from November to May but I don't know if this means it is
    > officially closed or just a possibility depending on the weather. Can
    > anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?

of course. it depends on weather conditions
I was on Moncenisio in October and it was snowing there.
the obvious routes are Frejus and Monte Bianco..

Monginevro and Moncenisio are narrow roads often with works in progress

www.viamichelin.it will give all needed inormations about state of the roads
and weather conditions.

Mike Lane wrote:
    > If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    > The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far
    > rather go over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de
    > Montgenevre, or the Col du Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't
    > know if any (or all) of these passes are still likely to be closed
    > due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin map marks Mont Cenis as
    > closed from November to May but I don't know if this means it is
    > officially closed or just a possibility depending on the weather. Can
    > anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?

Google "stelvio or bust" for popular driving routes.
Be aware, I beleive the Italians are due to start charging a fee for using
the scenic passes, not sure when it comes in though.
Don't let that put you off though, its well worth it, I hope you get a clear
day.
As for the snow, no idea, sorry, hopefully someone else can advise.


--
Cheerz - Brownz
http://www.brownz.org/

"Mike Lane" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] lworld.com...
    > If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    > The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    > over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col
    > du
    > Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these
    > passes
    > are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My
    > Michelin
    > map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    > this
    > means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    > weather.

It's an average depending upon the weather. Basically they don't
bother clearing the road until they are fairly sure that they're not
going to get snowed on the next day.

In some areas it's been a bad winter for snow (or a good winter
if you're a skier). The last of ours went yesterday and I'm at sea
level (though they do clear the roads here each day).

No idea what the Alps were like (but it looked pretty snowy
on the TV last month)

tim

Mike Lane wrote:
    > If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >
    > The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    > over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col du
    > Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these passes
    > are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin
    > map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if this
    > means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the weather.
    > Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >

You can get information about winter closures for Austria, Switzerland
and France from the Austrian AA here:
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/na_pro...doc_id=1013901

Sorry, it's in German, there may be other sources. Right now all the
passes listed in the French alps over 2000m are closed. It says
Montgenevre is currently open, Mont Cenis is closed. The conditions can
vary on a daily or even hourly basis. I've had to turn back on a
mountain pass in Switzerland in August due to freezing fog and snowfall.

T.

"Mike Lane" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] lworld.com...
    > If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    > The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    > over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col
    > du
    > Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these
    > passes
    > are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My
    > Michelin
    > map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    > this
    > means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    > weather.
    > Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?

There's a good site at the following URL that has a list of Alpine passes
currently open and closed as well as links to national sites
and some info on the routes

http://www.alpineroads.com/passstatus.php

They also have a forum , I'd post this query there if I were you

Keith

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:03:28 +0100, tile wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

    > Mike Lane wrote:
    >> If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >>
    >> The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far
    >> rather go over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de
    >> Montgenevre, or the Col du Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't
    >> know if any (or all) of these passes are still likely to be closed
    >> due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin map marks Mont Cenis as
    >> closed from November to May but I don't know if this means it is
    >> officially closed or just a possibility depending on the weather. Can
    >> anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >
    > of course. it depends on weather conditions
    > I was on Moncenisio in October and it was snowing there.

Yes but what I am asking is if it is likely to be snowing in May

    > the obvious routes are Frejus and Monte Bianco..
    >
I know the Frejus tunnel is the obvious route, that's what I said. Where is
Monte Bianco? Do you mean Mont Blanc?

    > Monginevro and Moncenisio are narrow roads often with works in progress
    >
    > www.viamichelin.it will give all needed inormations about state of the roads
    > and weather conditions.

I would like to know how to get this information from www.viamichelin. It
seems only to offer routing facilities and maps.

Thanks anyway for your input

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:53:49 +0100, Tom Peel wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

    > Mike Lane wrote:
    >> If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >>
    >> The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    >> over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col du
    >> Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these passes
    >> are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin
    >> map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    >> this
    >> means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    >> weather.
    >> Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >>
    >
    > You can get information about winter closures for Austria, Switzerland
    > and France from the Austrian AA here:
    >
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/na_pro...php3?mdoc_id=1

    > 013901
    >
    > Sorry, it's in German, there may be other sources. Right now all the
    > passes listed in the French alps over 2000m are closed. It says
    > Montgenevre is currently open, Mont Cenis is closed. The conditions can
    > vary on a daily or even hourly basis. I've had to turn back on a
    > mountain pass in Switzerland in August due to freezing fog and snowfall.

Yes, thanks for that website. I don't read much German, but I can see it says
under the heading "derzeit Wintersperre": "ja" for Col du Mont Cenis and
"nein" for Col de Montgenevre. Which I take it means 'yes' the Mont Cenis
pass is closed, and 'no' Montgenevre is not closed. Please correct me if I am
wrong. It's six weeks or more before I set off, so I will keep an eye on that
website to see if 'ja' changes to 'nein' :-)

Do you have any recommendations about which pass is nicer (more scenic, or
less busy, or whatever) to drive over?

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:24:15 +0100, Keith W wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

    >
    > "Mike Lane" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected] lworld.com...
    >> If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >>
    >> The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    >> over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col
    >> du
    >> Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these
    >> passes
    >> are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My
    >> Michelin
    >> map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    >> this
    >> means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    >> weather.
    >> Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >>
    >
    > There's a good site at the following URL that has a list of Alpine passes
    > currently open and closed as well as links to national sites
    > and some info on the routes
    >
    > http://www.alpineroads.com/passstatus.php
    >
    > They also have a forum , I'd post this query there if I were you

Yes, thanks for the URL. It actually gives a link to a German website that a
previous poster kindly gave me. However it also indicates what I had sort of
worked out, that "derzeit Wintersperre" means "closed at present". So
confusingly "nein" means "No, it's not closed".

--
Mike Lane
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane

Following up to Mike Lane <[email protected]> :

    >> the obvious routes are Frejus and Monte Bianco..
    >>
    >I know the Frejus tunnel is the obvious route, that's what I said. Where is
    >Monte Bianco? Do you mean Mont Blanc?

It's the Italian name for Mont Blanc, yes.
--
Tim C.

Following up to Mike Lane <[email protected]> :

    >On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:53:49 +0100, Tom Peel wrote
    >(in article <[email protected]>):
    >> Mike Lane wrote:
    >>> If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >>>
    >>> The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    >>> over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col du
    >>> Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these passes
    >>> are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin
    >>> map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    >>> this
    >>> means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    >>> weather.
    >>> Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >>>
    >>
    >> You can get information about winter closures for Austria, Switzerland
    >> and France from the Austrian AA here:
    >>
    >http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/na_pro...php3?mdoc_id=1
--
Tim C.

Following up to Mike Lane <[email protected]> :

    >> You can get information about winter closures for Austria, Switzerland
    >> and France from the Austrian AA here:
    >>
    >http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/na_pro...php3?mdoc_id=1
    >> 013901
    >>
    >> Sorry, it's in German, there may be other sources.

You might find my site a bit easier - I've got direct links programmed to a
couple of road status sites (including the ÖAMTC) and it's fairly reliable.
http://www.alpineroads.com/passstatus.php

--
Tim C.

Following up to Mike Lane <[email protected]> :

    >> http://www.alpineroads.com/passstatus.php
    >>
    >> They also have a forum , I'd post this query there if I were you
    >Yes, thanks for the URL. It actually gives a link to a German website that a
    >previous poster kindly gave me.

The ÖAMTC's Austrian actually ;-) The equivalent of the AA in the UK

    > However it also indicates what I had sort of
    >worked out, that "derzeit Wintersperre" means "closed at present". So
    >confusingly "nein" means "No, it's not closed".

If you want others I can passes to the list them if the data's available,
and they're not too obscure.
For the Cenis other French passes, that I don't list, I'd recommend the
"Bison Fute" link. Type in the first part of the pass you're looking for.

Late May, most passes will be "opening", and most will actually be drivable
except perhaps the big ones (Stelvio, Bonette and Iseran). My advice is to
check the status just before you go and then have alternative plans ready.
I do expect the Cenis to be open then, as it's a pretty important crossing
for heavy traffic.

--
Tim C.

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006, Brownz (mobile) wrote:

    > Be aware, I beleive the Italians are due to start charging a fee for
    > using the scenic passes,

Not all Italians, just the Sued-Tirolers :-)
AFAIK it is a proposal (criticized) involving only the Autonomous
Province of Bolzano/Bozen (aka Sued-Tirol aka Alto Adige)

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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avoid unwanted spam. Any mail returning to this address will be rejected.
Users can disclose their e-mail address in the article if they wish so.

Mike Lane wrote:
    > On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:53:49 +0100, Tom Peel wrote
    > (in article <[email protected]>):
    >
    >
    >>Mike Lane wrote:
    >>>If all goes well I shall be driving from France to Italy in late May.
    >>>The obvious route is through the Frejus tunnel, but I would far rather go
    >>>over one of the Alpine passes such as the Col de Montgenevre, or the Col du
    >>>Mont Cenis. My problem is that I don't know if any (or all) of these passes
    >>>are still likely to be closed due to snow at this time of year. My Michelin
    >>>map marks Mont Cenis as closed from November to May but I don't know if
    >>>this
    >>>means it is officially closed or just a possibility depending on the
    >>>weather.
    >>>Can anyone give any advice on a good route for driving across the Alps?
    >>You can get information about winter closures for Austria, Switzerland
    >>and France from the Austrian AA here:
    >
    > http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/na_pro...php3?mdoc_id=1
    >
    >
    >>013901
    >>Sorry, it's in German, there may be other sources. Right now all the
    >>passes listed in the French alps over 2000m are closed. It says
    >>Montgenevre is currently open, Mont Cenis is closed. The conditions can
    >>vary on a daily or even hourly basis. I've had to turn back on a
    >>mountain pass in Switzerland in August due to freezing fog and snowfall.
    >
    >
    > Yes, thanks for that website. I don't read much German, but I can see it says
    > under the heading "derzeit Wintersperre": "ja" for Col du Mont Cenis and
    > "nein" for Col de Montgenevre. Which I take it means 'yes' the Mont Cenis
    > pass is closed, and 'no' Montgenevre is not closed. Please correct me if I am
    > wrong. It's six weeks or more before I set off, so I will keep an eye on that
    > website to see if 'ja' changes to 'nein' :-)
    >
    > Do you have any recommendations about which pass is nicer (more scenic, or
    > less busy, or whatever) to drive over?
    >
I can't comment on these routes as they are off my beaten track. I'd
just like to reiterate that, even when the passes are listed as open,
you should think twice about driving if the weather is at all doubtful.
On our last drive last summer over the Gotthard Pass, which is a
comparably easy drive, we hit the clouds just short of the top and had
near zero visibility. Now, the Gotthard is a comparatively wide
well-maintained well-marked road, but it was a white-knuckle crawl until
we got out of the fog again.
T.