Col de la Core, an absolute must for road lovers

Col de la Core is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.395m (4,577ft) above the sea level, located in the Ariège department of France in the Pyrenees.

Col de la Core

The road to the summit is totally paved. It’s called D17 and links Audressein and Seix. The road is winding, pretty steep (with sections up to 9.6%), in some places only wide enough for one vehicle, and in many places bordered by a drop of hundreds of meters (many hundreds of feet) unprotected by guardrails.

The pass has been featured in the Tour de France. There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Seix, the ascent is 13.8 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 885 meters. The average percentage is 6.4 %. And starting from Audressein, the ascent is 17.5 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 885 meters. The average percentage is 5.1 %.