At the end of the 19th century, the roads in our Alpine valleys were in very poor condition, making travel long and perilous. By that time, for the Col du Parpaillon, all that existed was a mule track that was impassable for many months in winter, and where it was impossible to move heavy artillery.
To respond to threats from the Eastern Alps and improve military mobility and transportation the construction of this road up to 2,648 meters began. To tackle the last steep obstacle, a tunnel of 466 meters was constructed, which was enormous for that time.
Work began in 1891, but the very high altitude meant it only be carried out for a few months of the year, and often in tricky conditions with snow and ice. There’s a postcard from the North platform at 2,648 metres, covered by a good 15 centimeters of fresh snow that had fallen on top of the 5-meter high snow wall already.
On the way to the summit, we were already warned about it. But when we passed through the tunnel last July 3, in the middle of summer, there was still ice in the tunnel. For you Pilgrims in September, that ice will no longer be there, but depending on the weather, the descent from 2.648 meters on the shadowed north side can be frigidly cold.