Stella Alpina 2010

[karnevil]

scouse wrote:

Ohh yes please PM the details ... and if you rode that OK then the Stella will be a piece of the proverbial as it is a lot smoother...just steeper

I wouldn't so much say I rode it as bounced down it more or less the right way up if not the right way round!

Im not precious about the bike.don't mind bumps and scratches would want to avoid major money spending damage but mostly need to avoid doing anything to myself.Am totally on my own see so may as well be dead as a busted leg or the like.

If I went,and I would love to,I guess I would go a few days before hand get a hotel somewhere near have a look at some passes then try to camp at the site,the refuge one looks fun,but try to leave most of my gear locked in a railway station locker or the like:)

[Alun]

Karnevil, can I ask you to start a new thread in Ride Reports on this route. I'm sure a few people here will be looking at it and thinking...let's go. I am. Would be good to have it in a thread of its own.

[karnevil]

Alun wrote:

Karnevil, can I ask you to start a new thread in Ride Reports on this route. I'm sure a few people here will be looking at it and thinking...let's go. I am. Would be good to have it in a thread of its own.

Err yeah OK then.May be a bit mundane for you hard core types but nice scenery.

[africajim]

???? WTF? It's too early for me!

Any how, Alun, I've not asked yet, could you tell us all exactly how the track was, and how far up the Col before the T-shirts this year?

Last year we went as far as possible until the snow stopped us and the T-shirt guy was just right there. The bad step around halfway had been removed, (it was a sump smasher!) and the trail was much improved compared to the previous year. There were a few corners that were quite loose and a few bits had large rocks protruding, possibly the size of turnips, but ridable on the Varadero. If you didn't pay attention you could pan in your sump or slide in the loose but ridden carefully, no problem. I'd like to know if there was any problems,track or camping?

If I do the Stella again,my plan would be Newcastle to Ijmiuden, on to Koblenz, follow Rheine to Switzerland, into France, stop at Val Desere, over the Col d'Iseran and the Col De Monte Cenise into Italy, stay Sat/Sun at camping Bokki for the Stella then off Monday over into France by Becancon,up through France back to Holland for the boat.

I was invited to a few days safari in the mountains following the rally this yr but due to work commitments I couldn't make it, maybe next yr? We'll see!

[Alun]

Jim if I told you all the details now there wouldn't be an Issue 2 of ABR. I'm afraid its a wait and all will be revealed, all I can say is things didn't work out as planned and that's not a reference to dropping the Tiger.

My route to the Stella next year would have to take in the Black Forest to Friedrichshafen - for an exhibition. From there it's down through Switzerland and France. I'd probably then head on down to the Med take in a few of the old military roads on the way, skip across northern Italy and back up through Austria and Germany.

[africajim]

Wouldn't want to spoil next months episode!

Never mind, that's the beauty of the Stella, you make your own way there, meet up with folk you haven't seen for a while, then enjoy your own route home! I make it a holiday with my Fiona, she has a quiet day in the campsite while I assault the mountain!;)

No plans for next yr yet, we'll see, I have been invited to Normandy in May but holidays are limited so careful planning required!

[scouse]

Jim,
The badge van was om the small plateau just above the Pian del Morte this year and the snow was at the same point as 2008 , the last plateau before the summit at around 2860m.

The track was in parts better than it had been a couple of years previously but the rock step that appeared in 2007 has been filled in, and was just above actually the corner I came off on as it looks like they filled it with shale and mud.

Above the badge van the track was fairly broken up with small landslides being the main culprits and several boulders in the track. Higher up it was worse than I have seen before with very loose rocky surface on some corners that was starting to form into ruts. Nothing spectaculary bad really. 2007 was a lot worse.

[africajim]

Cheers Scouse, just what I wanted to hear! Glad to hear it's still in good nick, some of those tracks are left to deteriate once closed to vehicles. 2007 and 2008 I did it on a 955i Tiger (Orange) 2009 I was on the mighty Varadero.