Road Bike Kit - Val Thorens

About the Mountain

The climb to the ski station at Val Thorens is more of a test of endurance rather than gradient due to the ascent length of 30km plus. The climb begins in Moutiers and is located in the Rhone-Alpes region of France.

The climb has longer straighter sections with only a few hairpined sections more towards the summit area. The start of the climb is sheltered with tree sections but, as with most climbs, the trees disipate to leave open vistas exposed to the elements. The Val Thorens climb goes through several settlements on the way up so the scenery is varied to keep you interested on the 30km plus ascent.

The Val Thorens ski resort at the summit is a well established and popular holiday resort and also the highest ski resort in Europe at 2365m altitude. The resort had a tourist information, many accomodation options and both summer and winter activities.

The Val Thorens climb has been rarely used in races and was last used in the 1994 Tour de France on Stage 17. The stage was won by Colombian Nelson Rodriguez. Val Thorens was the summit finish on a shortened stage 20 of the 2019 Tour de France.The stage was won by Bahrian Merida's Vincenzo Niballi.