Our destination for the day: just 65 kilometers, around 30 of which are off-road. It’s called Mont Jafferau – and in the run-up to the trip, various reports said that it would be pretty tough from “below”, that you had to climb up a ski slope. How nice that we came from this side and wanted to get over there 😅.

Right at the start of the trail, we headed straight into a gravel road unlike anything we had ever experienced before. Gradients of up to 30° led over rutted gravel paths with sharp and tight bends. Master-class driving skills are required here! The Vitaralino also had to work hard, because “uphill is always worse” – we needed momentum for the climbs, and that almost brought it to its knees. We often took breaks along the way to calm our nerves and let the Vitara take a deep breath.

Today was much less busy than at Colle Sommeiller, but many off-roaders and bikers crossed paths here too. With motocross bikes and experience, you can certainly have a lot of fun here – the beaming faces at the summit spoke for themselves. For us, on the other hand, it was really nerve-wracking at some points and our adrenaline levels were at the limit throughout.

But there were also some memorable encounters: Right at the start, we met a biker from Stuttgart with whom we had a brief conversation. A few uphill sections later, he suddenly found himself halfway up a bend – his bike had gone out. He waved us past with a smile. His buddy knew about it. We only found out later: After his fall, he no longer had the confidence to ride the bike up himself. Another biker helped out and brought it up for him. Phew!

Before the last steep climb, we took another break and let the Vitara – such a brave, hard-working little fellow! – to cool down. Shortly afterwards, the man from Stuttgart also came trudging up, panting. Climbing the meters on foot is not to be underestimated. We helped him with some armor tape to get his bike back on the road, and after a little shop talk he took the last hurdle. We also faced up to the passage, mastered it – and were greeted at the summit with applause and cheers. Our endorphin levels were at their absolute peak.

The summit itself offered an impressive backdrop: Fort Jafferau, built at the end of the 19th century, was once an important fortress in the Vallo Alpino and one of the highest fortifications in the Cottian Alps. Today it is just a ruin, but all the more impressive – behind it the Alpine massifs, sun and clouds wafting through the mountains. In the next valley, the next ruin, almost picturesquely situated. Regine could have spent hours here with her camera.

After that, it was time for the “easier” part – relatively relaxed, but still challenging. The path meandered around the mountain, partly supported by walls, and old kerbstones gave an idea that this had once been a “real” road. Roughly paved, but still. Overtaking maneuvers became more difficult as the road was very narrow in places. An oncoming motorcyclist pleaded with us not to “push him down” – don’t worry, we were good 😅.

The highlights of the way back: another impressive fort and a tunnel around 450 meters long through the middle of the mountain. A narrow, damp tube – we kept honking our horns in case someone was coming the other way, as there were no alternative routes. Fortunately, we were spared this.

The last few kilometers dragged on a bit. The day had been long and exhausting – riding at such a high level of concentration takes its toll at some point. So we decided to warm up one of our tinned soups for dinner and head straight to our accommodation for the night. Again, uphill and around hairpin bends to a small mountain settlement. It’s wonderfully quiet here. We’re sure to get a good night’s sleep.

Conclusion: A day full of adrenaline, encounters and breathtaking scenery. Monte Jafferau demanded everything from us in terms of driving, but also rewarded us richly: with off-road challenges, historic ruins, an adventurous tunnel and unforgettable impressions. The Vitaralino has once again proved to be a faithful companion – and we fall into bed happy and exhausted today.