The Col de la Croix Fry is a mountain pass in the Haute-Savoie department in France. It sits at an altitude of 1,467m above sea level in the Chaîne des Aravis. It’s between the ski resort of La Clusaz and Manigod. The ski village of La Croix Fry is situated at the summit.
Other popular climbs, such as the Col des Aravis and Col de la Colombière just around the corner in the French Alps.
There are two ways to climb Col de la Croix Fry.
- From Chamossière (west), via Manigod
- From La Clusaz (north)
Starting point : Chamossière
Chamossière is 1.7km south of Thones. From Chamossière, the climb up to Col de la Croix Fry is 11.1km long and averages 7.1%.
The climb can be split into three; the first 3km has gradients between 6 to 8%, before a false flat for 2km, followed by the last 6km that averages between 7 to 10%.
| Col de la Croix Fry from Chamossière | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 11.1km |
| Climb category | 1 |
| Elevation gain | 835m |
| Minimum elevation | 635m |
| Maximum elevation | 1,424m |
| Average gradient | 7.1% |
| Maximum gradient | 12.4% |
| Strava segment | Col de la Croix Fry from Chamossière |
Starting point : La Clusaz
La Clusaz is a popular ski resort near the French-Swiss border. Saint-Jean-de-Sixt is only 3km away from La Clusaz and is a good place to refuel before climbing up to Col de la Croix.
From La Clusaz, the climb up to Col de la Croix Fry is only 6.5km long and averages 6%.
| Col de la Croix Fry from La Clusaz | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 6.5km |
| Climb category | 2 |
| Elevation gain | 397m |
| Minimum elevation | 1,070m |
| Maximum elevation | 1,463m |
| Average gradient | 6.0% |
| Maximum gradient | 11.1% |
| Strava segment | Col de la Croix Fry from La Clusaz |
Col de la Croix Fry in the Tour de France
Col de la Croix Fry is a Category 1 climb. It featured in the Tour de France five times in 1994, 1997, 2004, 2013, and 2018.
In 2018, Julian Alaphilipe won a very hilly Stage 10. The peloton climbed Col de la Croix Fry from Thones and descended into Saint-Jean-de-Sixt. Col de la Croix Fry was the second of the five climbs on this stage that finished in Le Grand-Bornand.
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | First to summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 10 | 1 | Annecy | Le Grand-Bornand | Rudy Molard |
| 2013 | 19 | 1 | Le Bourg-d’Oisans | Le Grand-Bornand | Rui Costa |
| 2004 | 17 | 1 | Le Bourg-d’Oisans | Le Grand-Bornand | Floyd Landis |
| 1997 | 15 | 1 | Courchevel | Morzine | Laurent Jalabert |
| 1994 | 18 | 1 | Moûtiers | Cluses | Piotr Ugrumov |