17 passes in a day in the Dolomites - new thread created

Khulu

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Good morning,

I'm heading to the Dolomites early June to do the 18/19 passes in a day stint. I haven't made the route on basecamp yet but, on reading your post, do you happen to have a GPX route you'd be willing to share? If not I'll make one up but as you're usually such a helpful chap I thought I'd ask. I've always made my own and never used anyone else's to date so it's not that I'm a lazy b******* just that I'm working away from home at the moment and don't have a lot of time left as I leave on the 25/26th May.

Many thanks Richard (I hope),

Iain
 
Hi Iain,

Anything for our friends in the north.

I’ll see where I put it and let you know, ASAP. I do remember that it stated and ended in Arabba and that I carved it out of the Alpine bible of all things Alpine and motorcycling by John Hermann. Happy to share. Watch this space.....

PS It might be on an old Sony laptop PC, unless I copied it across at some point onto a memory stick. I hope I did. I do still have the laptop, I wonder if it can be fired up.....
 
STOP THE PRESSES....

I have found a thread I created some time ago, way back in 2009, so the routes would have been made in Mapsource. The pass roads themselves probably won’t have changed that much but some of the linking roads and junctions might have done. Me? I’d definitely have a look at the route and check it before using it, perhaps by making a copy and then recalculating it? You’ll maybe have to do some pulling about anyway, as you’ll possibly not be kicking off from Arabba?

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/205537-Dolomites-Arabba-routes?highlight=Arabba

I am on an iPad, so I can’t tell if the links work properly, enabling the files to be opened up. The download file at least appears on my iPad, which is an encouraging start. Give it a go and let me know, please.
 
Many thanks for that, Richard.

I see it's a "gdp" file so, if I remember correctly, it'll be a Tyre conversion job ( I only look at Basecamp once a year so the memory is a bit rusty). I'm not home now until Friday night so I won't get a chance to try it until next weekend.
Thanks again for your help.

Iain
 
Hi again, Iain

I am now on my Mac and can open up the file.

It's a .gbd file (Gamin database) which opened straight up in Basecamp, running the latest maps Europe NTU 2018.3 It looks near enough OK but:

1. I'll recalculate it, which should bring it up to date

2. I'll zoom in on it and correct any little glitches that I spot, so as to (hopefully) avoid sending you up a goat track. I have spotted one at Colfosco... and where the magenta road doesn't follow the newer map's roads at all, sometimes sitting just a little way off them, running very close but parallel. This might not matter too much as they would probably snap into place when run on a modern Garmin GPS device but just in case... It doesn't take long to check a 227 mile route, so I'll do it anyway. The reason I think for the slight discrepancy is that, besides now using Basecamp over Mapsource is that the shaping points (they appear as little blue flags on my Mac) were on the old maps. The new maps are slightly different. The blue flag doesn't move so BaseCamp draws the route out as closely as it can between them, following an invisible line of breadcrumbs. Whatever the reason, I'll scrub it up as best I can.

I will change all the points along the route into unannounced shaping points only. You might want to add some more, depending on what software you use, particularly if doing anything outside of Garmin.

One tip: I always try to re-check my routes, a big screen Mac makes this easier. I particularly check old routes that I bring back to life and ALWAYS any I receive from a third party or convert from tracks. 10 or so minutes spent at home might translate to hours up a mountain in the rain.

One last tip. The route does cross a pass twice, so you might want to check it anyway. I had to do it this at the time as I needed to get back to Arabba.

3. I'll see if I can save it as a .gpx file, which might make your life easier

Stay with, as they say.

Richard

PS I remember now how I made the route originally. The map / instructions in the book were not always crystal clear but the town were all neatly listed. I therefore asked Mapsource to pinpoint all the towns and create a logical sequential route between them all. This it did; it worked well enough for me and a friend to ride it all in a day. It did though mean that sometimes - not often - the route deviated off a bit to hit the town centre. I'll tidy this up if I spot it happening. That being said, it's easy to ignore the instructions, which is what we probably did. It's funny looking at it again after nearly nine years as I can remember a very sharp turn right to enter one of the passes. I found it on the route.

The great thing about the route is that you realise how different some of the passes are from one another. All good, even so,
 
That's brilliant Richard and much appreciated.

I don't intend updating to 2018 maps as I had such an issue last year updating to 2017 but I'm sure it'll be fine.
Thanks again,

Iain
 
All done, as best I can.

I have renamed the file: Dolomites - 17 Passes in one day - 226 miles - Updated April 2018 and saved it as a GPX V1.1 It should run and display on any device or software that is capable of accepting .gpx (exchange) data. The file should open straight up in BaseCamp or Mapsource, for example. If it doesn't and all you see is a mass of what looks like code, DO NOT PANIC. In the transfer between a Mac and Dropbox the .gpx file sometimes gains a .txt extension, changing it into a text file. Simply save the file to anywhere convenient, your desktop will do. Then, rename it by deleting the .txt bit ONLY and leave the rest as ending .gpx All should then be good to go.


It's hosted on Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d6gkvgksz...ay - 226 miles - Updated dApril 2018.GPX?dl=0

Whilst the route starts in Arabba, I ended it up the road in Corvara In Badia, at the top of the Passo Campolongo, which joins Arabba to Corvara In Badia, in a south to north direction.
 
All done, as best I can.

I have renamed the file: Dolomites - 17 Passes in one day - 226 miles - Updated April 2018 and saved it as a GPX V1.1 It should run and display on any device or software that is capable of accepting .gpx (exchange) data. The file should open straight up in BaseCamp or Mapsource, for example. If it doesn't and all you see is a mass of what looks like code, DO NOT PANIC. In the transfer between a Mac and Dropbox the .gpx file sometimes gains a .txt extension, changing it into a text file. Simply save the file to anywhere convenient, your desktop will do. Then, rename it by deleting the .txt bit ONLY and leave the rest as ending .gpx All should then be good to go.


It's hosted on Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d6gkvgksz...ay - 226 miles - Updated dApril 2018.GPX?dl=0

Whilst the route starts in Arabba, I ended it up the road in Corvara In Badia, at the top of the Passo Campolongo, which joins Arabba to Corvara In Badia, in a south to north direction.

You're a fantastic help, Richard!

Thanks immensely and I'll look at it at the weekend.

Ta,

Iain
 
Hi again, Iain

I am now on my Mac and can open up the file.

It's a .gbd file (Gamin database) which opened straight up in Basecamp, running the latest maps Europe NTU 2018.3 It looks near enough OK but:

1. I'll recalculate it, which should bring it up to date

2. I'll zoom in on it and correct any little glitches that I spot, so as to (hopefully) avoid send you up a goat track. I have spotted one at Colfosco... and where the magenta road doesn't follow the newer map's roads at all, sometimes sitting just a little way off them, running very close but parallel. This might not matter too much as they would probably snap into place when run on a modern Garmin GPS device but just in base... It doesn't take long to check a 227 mile route so I'll do it anyway. The reason I think for the slight discrepancy is that, besides now using Basecamp over Mapsource is that the shaping points (they appear as little but flags on my Mac) were on the old maps. The new maps are slightly different. The blue flag doesn't move so BaseCamp draws the route out as closely as it can between them, following an invisible line of breadcrumbs. Whatever the reason, i'll scrub it up as basest I can.

I will change all the points along the route into unannounced shaping points only. You might want to add some more, depending on what software you use, particularly if doing outside of Garmin.

One tip: I always try to re-check my routes, a big scree Mac makes this easier. I particularly check old routes that I bring back to life and ALWAYS any I receive from a third party or convert from tracks. 10 or so minutes spent at home might translate to hours up a mountain in the rain.

One last tip. The route does cross a pass twice, so you might want to check it anyway. I had to do it this at the time as I needed to get back to Arabba.

3. I'll see if I can save it as a .gpx file, which might make your life easier

Stay with, as they say.

Richard

PS I remember now how I made the route originally. The map / instructions in the book were not always crystal clear but the town were all neatly listed. I therefore asked Basecamp to rind them all and create a logical route between them all. This it did and it worked well enough for me an a friend to ride it all in a day. It did though mean that sometimes the route deviated off a bit to hit the town centre. I'll tidy tis up if I spot it happening. That being said, it's easy to ignore the instructions, which is what we probably did. It's funny looking at it again after nearly nine years as I can remember a very sharp turn right to enter one of the passes. i found it on the route.

The great thing about the route is that you realise how different some of the passes are from one another. All good, even so,

I had planned to do the route last year while going to the Austrian MotoGP race but I started a new job in July so the trip never occurred and I didn't make the route on basecamp. I'll be at the Austrian race this year but will visit Romania and the Black sea during that trip so the Dolomites will be during the Mugello MotoGP tour.
It's a big ass world!
 
You can add a few more to this if your really keen on clocking up Pass Points, a few years ago I was staying with a group and one guy clocked up 20 passes and was still back before me and the Mrs, but we probably had a lot more coffee, took a load more pictures and had a significantly longer lunch, not to mention an extra couple of hours in bed that morning....

...but I reckon 21-22 is probably do-able around Arabba if you go out early, ride all day and eat / drink on the go.
 
As Rasher says, you can certainly add some in.

We added in Cortina, I think and another. You don’t have to cross the entire pass, just go up to the top and come back the same route if it suits you on the day. Nobody will shoot you.

We stopped on each pass to take a picture of two, buy the obligatory sticker or fridge magnet and often have a coffee. Lunch was in a cafe (I forget where) and we were definitely back in good time for a shower and supper. It was in late September, so the light was starting to go a little (and the temperatures fall) when the sun fell behind the mountains.
 
You can add a few more to this if your really keen on clocking up Pass Points, a few years ago I was staying with a group and one guy clocked up 20 passes and was still back before me and the Mrs, but we probably had a lot more coffee, took a load more pictures and had a significantly longer lunch, not to mention an extra couple of hours in bed that morning....

...but I reckon 21-22 is probably do-able around Arabba if you go out early, ride all day and eat / drink on the go.

As Rasher says, you can certainly add some in.

We added in Cortina, I think and another. You don’t have to cross the entire pass, just go up to the top and come back the same route if it suits you on the day. Nobody will shoot you.

We stopped on each pass to take a picture of two, buy the obligatory sticker or fridge magnate and often have a coffee. Lunch was in a cafe (I forget where) and we were definitely back in good time for a shower and supper. It was in late September, so the light was starting to go a little (and the temperatures fall) when the sun fell behind the mountains.

Short stops are how I normally operate. I leave early and return in time for beer, no later than 7PM, if the weather's nice. I also have to stop for a sticker and fridge magnet (very few places do shot glasses these days!)
I'll be arriving via the Timmelsjoch and Grossglockner (if they're open at the end of May) so it should be a fun trip with lots of photos, good food and beer / wine.
Then, of course, it'll be party central at Mugello / Scarperia (again).
 
I'll be arriving via the Timmelsjoch and Grossglockner (if they're open at the end of May)

They both have good websites - as you would expect for commercial entities these days, I believe they will both be open unless they are closed - which is pretty much the same for every high pass in the Alps throughout the year.

These two are more likely to be open than many other passes as they are both cash cows so a lot more effort is put into clearing them early in the season and then clearing them ASAP after snowfall - which is probably getting less common by late May.

Impossible to be sure until a day or two before you plan to cross at best, so as long as you have an alternate route all should be good. I think the Dolomites are generally a bit warmer so hopefully they will all be open by then as well.
 
They both have good websites - as you would expect for commercial entities these days, I believe they will both be open unless they are closed - which is pretty much the same for every high pass in the Alps throughout the year.

These two are more likely to be open than many other passes as they are both cash cows so a lot more effort is put into clearing them early in the season and then clearing them ASAP after snowfall - which is probably getting less common by late May.

Impossible to be sure until a day or two before you plan to cross at best, so as long as you have an alternate route all should be good. I think the Dolomites are generally a bit warmer so hopefully they will all be open by then as well.

Col D'Iseran was still closed late May last year!
 
I'd be surprised if all the passes are open in late May. When we were in the Dolomites in early August last year they was still snow about, though I have been in late June before and there was none, but early May you'll need to be lucky.
 
but early May you'll need to be lucky.

He is leaving at the end of May ;-)

Possibly needs a bit of luck, but I would imagine there is a lot of change from Early to Late May in road conditions.
 


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