MOTO-CHARLIE.COM

<body><h2>MOTO-CHARLIE.COM</h2> <P><b><center>June 25 – July 5, 2005</b></center> This trip is for those people who want to ride the high Alpine passes, many of which are in France, Switzerland and the northwest corner of Italy, which was formerly part of Austria prior to World War I. Many of the passes are well above the tree line, which gives you a wide open, panoramic view of the mountains and valleys. However, there are still great views to be had from high on top of a wooded pass looking down into valleys or lakes. I've never specifically checked it out but it appears that the tree line stops around 1,600 to 1,700 meters. Either way the view is beautiful. When most people think of the Swiss Alps they think of high sweeping vistas similar to the photo on this page. However, Switzerland has some great, smaller passes and this trip spends time enjoying several of those as well. Switzerland has great roads, excellent food, friendly people, and the postcard picture perfect vistas that you expect. Please check out the <a href=http://www.moto-charlie.com/WSFF/applications/PhotoAlbum/PhotoAlbum.asp?vCompID=9183&vSeqID=1><font color=blue>Photo Album</font></a> for a glimpse of what the view will be like. Note that tabs 1 and 2 show pictures from both tours while tabs 3 and 4 show scenes from the Swiss and Italian tours respectively. <b><u>WHERE WE GO</u></b> <b>For comments about the route, the roads and a map click</b> <a href="http://www.moto-charlie.com/WSFF/applications/Services/Services.asp?vCompID=9183&vServiceID=42974"><font color=blue>here</font></a> The 10-day total tour includes 8 nights away from our base in Steffisburg. Of those 8 nights 6 are in Switzerland (S) and 2 are in Italy (I) near the French border. The schedule of overnight stays is as follows: <ul><li> Saturday – Steffisburg (S) <li> Sunday – Klontaler See (S) <li> Monday – Zuoz (S) <li> Tuesday – Zuoz (S) <li> Wednesday – Zuoz (S) <li> Thursday – Andermatt (S) <li> Friday – Andermatt (S) <li> Saturday – Aosta (I) <li> Sunday – Aosta (I) <li> Monday – Steffisburg (S) <li> Tuesday – Fly Home</ul> <b>A basic list of the passes</b> that we might go over each day would be: <ul><li> Saturday – Free Day – The bike is yours all day. There’s lots of great riding nearby. <li> Sunday – Schallenberg, Glaubenberg, Klausen <li> Monday – Pragel, Ibergeregg, Satellegg, Wolfgang, Fluelapass <li> Tuesday – Forcola di Livigno, Bernina, Julier, Lenzerheide, Albula <li> Wednesday – Bernina, Mortirolo, Gavia, Stelvio, Ofen <li> Thursday – Maloja, Splugen, San Bernardino, Lukmanier, Oberalp <li> Friday – Susten, Grimsel, Furka, Nufenen, St. Gotthard <li> Saturday – Furka, Simplon <li> Sunday – Petit St. Bernard, de I’lseran, de la Croix de Fer, du Glandon, de la Madeleine <li> Monday – Grand St. Bernard, de Croix, du Pillon</ul> <i><b>MOTO-CHARLIE reserves the right to alter the exact route at his discretion.</b></i> <b><u>BRIEF TOUR DESCRIPTION</u></b> This tour focuses on three main areas, which are the high Swiss and Italian passes near St. Moritz, the Andermatt region (considered by many motorcyclists to be the number 1 Alpine riding area), and the Mt. Blanc region in the northern part of the French Alps. <ul><li><b>Saturday</b> – Pick up the motorcycle. There are many wonderful sites to see in the immediate area, either by motorcycle or public transportation. Go visit the neat town of Interlaken located between the Thun See (“see” is the german word for lake) and the Brienzer See or take in Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and gaze upon the Eiger. Or just hang out in Thun or Steffisburg. You’re welcome to just relax in the morning, post jet lag, and partake in a short group ride in the afternoon to get used to the bike and the roads. In the evening please feel to join the other tour members for a group dinner or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It’s all your choice. <li><b>Sunday</b> - Today is full of smaller one-lane passes, forested and less traveled in a quiet part of Switzerland. In the early afternoon we have lunch lakeside at Beckenried before taking the ferry across the lake. From there we take the road south to Altdorf, made famous by the legend of William Tell before we head east over the highest pass of the day, the Klausen pass. We spend the night at a cozy Swiss hotel on the edge of the Klontaler See. <li><b>Monday</b> - We spend the morning enjoying three more smaller, narrow road passes that are a treat to ride before stopping for lunch at a restaurant high up on the rock face with an excellent view of the Walen See immediately spread out below. From here we head off towards the high pass region near St. Moritz passing through Klosters (where the royal family skis) with our final pass being the Fluela Pass. This pass is well above the tree line with spectacular views. We end up at our most excellent hotel in Zuoz. We’ll stay here for three nights. Zuoz is a small, old, neat little town. There are plenty of non-motorcycling activities to do including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and roller-blading. St. Moritz is just a short 10-minute motorcycle or bus ride away. <li><b>Tuesday</b> – Today all the passes are high alpine passes with panoramic views and postcard perfect villages. Start the day by riding through a solid rock tunnel for a quick run into Italy, through the free trade anomaly of Lavigno before looping back into Switzerland over the Bernina Pass. Those tour members who ride all day will get to go over five great passes. The route is designed so that members can ride all day or ride in the morning and peel off close to the hotel before the afternoon loop. <li><b>Wednesday</b> – Today we head over to Italy for two of the highest passes on the trip and five passes in all. By mid-day we will have ridden two of today’s passes and should be heading up Passo di Gavia. At over 2,600 meters this pass is the 7th highest Alpine pass. This is a prelude to the next pass, Passo di Stelvio, considered by many riders to be the “must ride” pass of the Alps. At 2,758 meters it’s the third highest pass in the Alps. With close to 40 switchbacks on both sides, year round skiing at the top, and the carnival like atmosphere at the pass itself there is nothing else like it in the Alps. <li><b>Thursday</b> – We head for Andermatt, famous with bikers for the six high, unbeatable passes in the immediate area. But first we go over several high passes to get there including one of my favorites the Splugen Pass just over the border into Italy. This pass has it all, tight narrow twisty roads, two-lane panoramic views, Italian espresso and Swiss hospitality. We come into Andermatt on the Oberalp pass, considered by many motorcyclists to have the finest set of sweepers that there are to ride. Andermatt is a fantastic, quintessential Swiss town and we stay right in the village for two nights. <li><b>Friday</b> – All of the passes we ride today are spectacular. The Susten, Grimsel, and Furka passes make up one loop. The afternoon goes backwards over the Furka and up over the Nufenen (Switzerland’s highest) and Gotthard passes before coming back into Andermatt. These passes plus a couple of side trips up some unbelievable dead-end roads make for an unforgettable day of riding. <li><b>Saturday</b> – We head down to the northern Alps of France by way of some exciting riding in Italy where we end the day in the Italian town of Aosta near the French border. On the way we have the option to ride up behind the Matterhorn, or to visit the area immediately around Mt. Blanc, which is the highest peak in the Alps. <li><b>Sunday</b> – Today we do a loop through the French Alps crossing over several passes including Col de l’Iseran. At 2,769 meters it’s the second highest pass in the Alps. Val d’Iseran was the ski center for the winter Albertville Olympics. The French roads and mountains have their own character distinct from the Swiss Alps. The riding today will include up to six high Alpine passes before heading back to Aosta. <li><b>Monday</b> – today we work our way back north to our home base at Steffisburg. During the morning we ride mostly in France and in the afternoon in Switzerland. We have a choice of routes and passes, almost all of them in the mountains right up to our return. We should get back in time to return the motorcycles to the rental shop. Here again as on the first night please feel to join the other tour members for a group dinner or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It’s all your choice.</ul> <b><u>KEY DATES</u></b> <ul><li><b>The tour dates</b> are shown at the top of this page. Naturally, you are welcome to come sooner. I generally arrive on Friday. If you would like to come sooner, or stay longer, hotel and motorcycle arrangements can readily made to suit your schedule. <li><b>When to book your reservation</b> obviously depends on your schedule. As a rule I suggest at least 3 months in advance of the tour date in order to ensure that you get the motorcycle that you want and to secure a place on the tour. There is a limit of 10 people per tour. There are approximately 12 different BMW models, 20 Honda models, and 5 Aprilia models to choose from. In the case of certain BMW’s there are several bikes of the same models available. In the case of the Honda’s and Aprilia’s, one of each. If having a specific bike is a high priority for you then please book early. <li><b>The final cut-off date</b> is technically 30 days before the tour starts. At this point there is enough lead-time for any adjustments or cancellations as they relate to our motorcycle supplier and related hotels. If someone contacts me to sign up with less than 30 days to go every effort will be made to accommodate you. The issue will usually be the motorcycle availability.</ul> <b><u>TOUR COST</u></b> The cost for this tour at the current exchange rates will be: <ul><li>Single rider in a single room - $3,095 <li>Single rider sharing a double room - $3,015 <li>Passenger sharing a double room - $1,650 <li>Couple riding together sharing a double room - $4,665</ul> These cost numbers should cover your motorcycle rental, all hotels and meals, gas and my fee. For a more complete discussion of the cost of this tour please click <a href=http://www.wsff.com/WSFF/applications/Services/subLayout03.asp?vCompID=9183&vSeqID=1&ServiceID=1347><font color=blue>here</font></A>. <b><u>HOW TO BOOK THIS TOUR</u></b> Please refer to the “Contact Me” section for my telephone or e-mail address. There is also an e-mail link to me at the bottom of this page. I am not a paperwork intensive person. So, the process of making a reservation and getting what I need for my records is pretty simple once you contact me. Feel free to contact me to ask any questions about my tours in particular, or the Alps in general. If I can be of help in any way I’ll be glad to do so. <i><b>If you are a pass junkie, and you crave high Alpine adventure, you'll get a kick out of this tour. It is possible to ride over more than 30 great passes, some in opposite directions, or more than once. This trip will give you a great taste of the Swiss Alps, plus a sampling of France and Italy, with enough things to do for pass junkies and non-pass junkies alike.</b></i>     <script language="javascript" src="http://www.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/easycode.cgi?usr=00036016P002"> </script>  </P></BODY></HTML> <P><A href="Links.htm">Links</a></BODY></HTML>