Photo : Remontees / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Col de la Croix de Fer
The Col de la Croix de Fer is a road pass in the French Alps, at more than 2,000 m altitude (about 2,065 m), on the boundary of the Grandes Rousses and Arves massifs. It links Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, on the north-east side, to Bourg-d'Oisans, on the south-west side, by departmental road 926.
Its name comes from an iron cross planted at the pass. It has also been called the Col d'Olle, after the Olle valley. It offers three access routes of varying difficulty, the steepest reaching about 11% gradient.
The pass is known to cyclists: the Tour de France has used it 22 times since 1947. Classed first category until 1986, it has been hors catégorie since 1989, and it has also featured in the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de l'Avenir.
The road is open only from June to October, snow making it impassable the rest of the year. The neighbouring Col du Glandon is a few kilometres below.
