Etape 5 - Ristolas > Col Lacroix > Refuge de Jervis

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# Col Lacroix
The Col Lacroix (Italian: Colle della Croce) is an Alpine pass on the border between France and Italy at an altitude of 2,299 metres.
This is essentially a mountain stage, with the passage of the Col Lacroix.
On the lower part of the climb, spot large larch trees, at least two hundred years old, which have contributed to the afforestation of this area
Higher up, you pass through grassy areas that are still wooded, illustrating the fact that larch encourages grass growth and grazing, and explains why it was favoured over pine or fir.
This pass lies between the head of Clot Lapierre (2,730 metres) to the north and the peak of Col Lacroix (2,540 metres) to the south. It crosses the Cottian Alps.
On the west side, the Guil flows into the Durance, which in turn flows into the Rhône. On the eastern flank, the Angrogna flows into the Pellice, itself a tributary of the Po. So this pass lies on the watershed between the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas.

# Refuge Napoléon
On the left, near the pass, you can see the ruins of a ‘Napoleon refuge’, one of 5 refuges built thanks to an endowment from the emperor. This shows the importance of this pass.
‘Every year, at its summit, the pass hosts friendly Franco-Italian and Waldensian gatherings,’ says Chantal Crovi in her guide to the Alpine valleys of Piedmont.

# Jervis and the upper Pellice valley
The descent to Jervis is steeper, reflecting the unique feature of the Alps: on their eastern side, the mountains plunge more rapidly towards the Piedmont plain. This slope, which receives weather shocks from the Adriatic, is more often misty than the Queyras side.
The upper Pellice valley, with the grouping of the Pra chalets and the Willy Jervis refuge, is a beautiful mountain pasture, a small plain suspended at 1,732m, the ‘Combe du Pra’, which is a must-see.

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