Monte Chaberton
Description
The tour to Monte Chaberton is tough - and starts in the same style. The gravel road from Fenils to Alp Pra Claud is steep, rough and strenuous. After Pra Claud, the route continues in the same style, with the former military road winding its way up seemingly endlessly. There is a landslide at one point, but it is passable by bike. After a rocky passage, the path becomes even steeper, from here onwards only very few people ride. As a rule, you push your bike up to the Colle del Chaberton. The summit is now within reach and is reached on a singletrail. Theoretically, this is rideable, but hardly anyone still has the strength here. Finally, the impressive summit with its memorable ruins of the fortress is reached. 1900 meters of altitude have been mastered!
The descent leads to the Colle del Chaberton via the ascent trail, but then you turn left and head into the Vallon des Baisses on the western side of the Chaberton. The trail is steep, rough, slippery and challenging. At the bottom of the valley, you used to head towards Clavière on the left-hand side of the valley on a wonderful trail. This path has slipped and is no longer passable, which is why you have to switch to the gravel road, which provides occasional trail interludes. Along the Piccola Dora river, you finally reach Italian soil again on a trail and reach Cesana Torinese. Take the road back to the starting point. If you don't have enough trails yet, take the route to the left of the river for this last section, alternating between trails and gravel roads back to Fenils.
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Details of the tour
32 km
1850 m
1850 m
1 day
Fenils
Fenils
1670
limited
More information
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User comments (10)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Today I undertook the impressive tour of the Chaberton by eBike. The tour is easily doable for experienced riders with an eBike. The path from Fenis to the road's slip-off point is easy to ride. I was also able to overcome the slip-off point itself by pushing without any difficulty.
The challenge begins before the pass, where the road often consists of fine pebbles and the rear wheel constantly slips off. Nevertheless, this section is rideable throughout. From the pass to the summit of the Chaberton, the trail is easy and easy to ride. The 360-degree panoramic view at the summit is phenomenal and makes up for all the effort.
The descent from the summit to the pass is easy. From the pass in the direction of Claviere, the descent becomes more challenging and exposed in places. For me, some parts were not rideable or too dangerous, but on foot and pushing the bike it was no problem.
An important tip: don't ride the trail to the left of the stream, even if it is very varied. Instead, the gravel road should currently be used. The trail is impassable further down, almost at the end, where the stream is crossed again. Bypassing this point is difficult, exposed and dangerous (as of 14.7.2025).
Overall, it was a very beautiful and impressive bike tour that offers an unforgettable experience for experienced eBike riders.
We adapted the route on the descent on the French side after the former trail was obviously no longer feasible.
I can only advise against doing the tour from Claviere. The terrain there is extremely steep and rocky/stony, so you have to carry almost everything up to the col. The road from Fenils is in poor condition the closer you get to the col, but even without an ebike you can ride almost all the way with the right level of fitness. The downhill is also easier on this road. After Claviere you need very good riding technique. We also highly recommend not exploring the mountain fortress. I can recommend the so-called 'Galerie des Glaces'. Here you go down a well-preserved staircase about 20 meters into the catacombs where the ammunition used to be stored. The ice never melts down there, even in summer, and the ice crystals on the wall sparkle everywhere in the torchlight.
Hello m.mittex_65338,
did you do the tour this year?
From Fenils?
Is it possible to pass the place where the slope has slipped by bike? Has it been repaired or at least stepped in?
We are in the Susa Valley in August and want to do the tour from Fenils.
If anyone has any information on whether it is possible again, I would be very grateful.
Hey Tim,
I rode the tour today and can confirm that you can cross it. The slope is really slippery but there is a trail over it. I wasn't the only one making the ascent from Fenils today either
The descent to Claviere is technically quite demanding and not without danger. It is very rocky terrain with strong signs of erosion. Here you have to pick up your bike and walk from time to time. Otherwise, the whole ascent is more or less rideable. It is particularly good from the col onwards!
Tip: lower the tire pressure for the ascent. I drove up there today with 1.25 bar front and rear. With higher tire pressure I had problems with traction due to all the loose gravel.
Have fun on the driveway!
Here you can see photos of the passage where the road crashed:
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/warnung-chaberton-von-italien-fenils-au…
Hello alteoma,
Thank you for the information.
We climbed up from Clavier in 2019 (with e-bikes) because the section in question was impassable from Fenils. It was tough and I wouldn't do it again.
Hopefully there won't be any big storms and the path will last a long time
Very nice round tour, road on the ascent often in poor condition but rideable with e-bike and uphill technique.
Absolutely impossible from Fenils - the road is completely slippery!
From Claviere possible with a bit of pushing/carrying.
The military path is buried between the Pra Claud Alp and the pass. The path is closed, even for hikers! At the moment, it doesn't look like it will be restored.