Col du Pillon makes up for its lack of excitement with a dramatic cable car ride from the summit.
Notes
The pass is overlooked by the Diablerets and Tsanfleuron glaciers and the Oldenhorn, Scex Rouge and strikingly angular Sommet des Diablerets mountains, all-around 3000 metres in height. The pass is devoid of hairpin bends and overhanging corners and meanders casually through the walled forests and hamlets with only the unnamed bridge right at the start at Les Fiaudères for some precipitous views. After the village of Les Diablerets, you are at the summit and depending on what time of year it is, you are presented with a massive, mostly empty car park and large cable car or huge walls of snow with hundreds of cars parked anywhere they can. The Glacier 3000 cable car takes you up to the glaciers. A short but pleasant descent to Gsteig bei Gstaad, literally Gsteig near Gstaad where you cross the language divide to German-speaking Switzerland. Gsteig was previously Châtelet when it was on the other side of the line.
Statistics
Summit coordinates | 46°21’25.0”N, 7°12’56.0"E |
---|---|
Summit Altitude | 1546 metres |
Distance | 29 Kilometres |
Start | Le Sepey 950 metres |
End Altitude | Gstaad 1050 metres |
Opens | All year* |