Col de la Schlucht

Col de la Schlucht
The Col de la Schlucht at the end of winter, March 2006
Elevation	1,139 m (3,737 ft)
Traversed by	D417
Location	Haut-Rhin / Vosges, France
Range	Vosges Mountains
Coordinates	48°3′50″N 7°1′21.6″E / 48.06389°N 7.022667°E / 48.06389; 7.022667Coordinates: 48°3′50″N 7°1′21.6″E / 48.06389°N 7.022667°E / 48.06389; 7.022667
Col de la Schlucht Location of Col de la Schlucht

The Col de la Schlucht (elevation 1,139 m (3,737 ft)) is a mountain pass in the Vosges Mountains of France. The pass takes its name from the German word "Schlucht", meaning "gorge" or "ravine". It connects Munster (Haut-Rhin) with Gérardmer (Vosges) (east–west) and is also crossed by the Route des Crêtes (north–south). The climb over the pass has been used several times in the Tour de France cycle race.

Between 1871 and 1918, the pass was a border crossing between Lorraine (France) and Alsace, which had been ceded to Germany under the Treaty of Frankfurt.

Prior to World war I, the pass could be accessed via two separate tramway lines, from Gérardmer (opened 1904) and Munster (opened 1907) respectively. Both lines were abandoned at the outbreak of the war; that from Munster was never re-opened, whereas the line from Gérardmer continued in service until 1940.

From the pass, it is possible to access the Sentier des Roches, a footpath along the edge of the ridge to Hohneck. This is considered to be one of the most impressive (and dangerous) Alsatian mountain paths.

There is also a ski-lift up Montabey; from the top of the ski-lift, there is a summer luge run back down to the pass.

From the west, the climb starts at Le Kertoff, 4 km (2 mi) before Gérardmer. From here, the climb is 17.0 km (10.6 mi) long gaining 531 m (1,742 ft) in height at an average gradient of 3.1%. The steepest section is at 6.7%. This was the climb used in the 2009 Tour de France.

The climb from the east starts at Munster from where there are 18.0 km (11.2 mi) to the summit, gaining 759 m (2,490 ft) in height. The overall average gradient is 4.2%, which is maintained fairly steadily throughout the climb.