Little St Bernard Pass

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Col du Petit St. Bernard

View of the stone circle crossed diagonally by the road. Remains of World War II fortifications are also visible.
Elevation 2,188 metres (7,178 feet)
Location Savoie, Flag of France France
Range Alps
Coordinates 45°40′49″N, 6°53′02″E
Traversed by N 90/SS26

Coordinates: 45°40′49″N, 6°53′02″E The Little St Bernard Pass (French: Col du Petit Saint-Bernard, Italian: Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo) is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located in Savoie, France, to the south of the Mont Blanc Massif, close to the border with Italy. There is also a Great St. Bernard Pass and a San Bernardino Pass.

Although damaged by a road that runs through it, the pass is the site of a stone circle measuring 72 m (236 ft) in diameter. A standing stone once stood in the middle. It has not been precisely dated but from coin finds it has been attributed to the Iron Age, possibly being a ceremonial site of the Tarentaisian culture (c. 725 BC–450 BC). A Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter was later erected nearby along with a Roman mansio serving travellers along the pass and it is thought that Carthaginian general Hannibal used this route.

Bernard of Menthon
Bernard of Menthon

The stone circle was partly restored in the 19th century.

[edit] Details of climb

From Bourg-Saint-Maurice to the south-west, the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard is 26.5 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1,348 m (4,423 ft) (an average slope of 5.1%), with the steepest sections at 8.1% at the start of the climb. The first 15.5 km (9.6 mi) to La Rossiere forms the Montée d'Hauteville climb.

From Prè-Saint-Didier (in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy), the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo is 23.5 km (14.6 mi) long. Over this distance, the climb is 1,184 m (3,885 ft) (an average slope of 5%).

[edit] Appearances in Tour de France

The Little St Bernard Pass was first crossed by the Tour de France in 1949 and has been used twice since.

In 2007, Montée d'Hauteville was climbed on stage 8 of the Tour de France.

Year Stage Category Leader at the summit
1963 17 2 Federico Bahamontes
1959 18 1 Michele Gismondi
1949 17 2 Gino Bartali

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