- Ascent
- 1186 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 19.3 km
- max. gradient
- 20 %
- ø gradient
- 6.1 %
The Port de Balès from Mauléon-Barousse is an HC climb of 19.3 km with 1,186 m of elevation gain at an average of 6.1 %, peaking at 20 %. The road climbs through the Barousse valley to 1,755 m and drops on the far side to Bagnères-de-Luchon. A calm middle section lies between two steeper parts, and the last three kilometres are the hardest.
Epic Climbs: Black Edition DIN A1 poster
Bucket-List Print: Port de Balès
The Port de Balès links the Barousse valley with Bagnères-de-Luchon. From Mauléon-Barousse it is 19.3 kilometres and 1,186 metres of climbing up to 1,755 metres. The 6.1 % average sounds tame, but the profile has two faces. A long calm middle section lies between a steep early block and a hard finish.
The Port de Balès at a glance
The key figures from Mauléon-Barousse: category HC, 19.3 km, 1,186 m of climbing, 6.1 % on average and 20 % at its steepest. The road climbs through the Barousse valley to the pass at 1,755 m. On the far side it drops down to Bagnères-de-Luchon. In our list the Balès belongs to the Pyrenees region.
The climb from Mauléon-Barousse
The first three kilometres are moderate at around 5 %. Then comes a first steep block of about two kilometres at around 10 %, followed by two kilometres at just over 6 %. After that the climb calms down for a long time: for about seven kilometres the gradient mostly stays below 5 %, one kilometre is almost flat. This is where you can recover and eat.
The last five kilometres are the real test and average around 8 %. The final three are the hardest of all, close to 9.5 % on average, with the very last kilometre the steepest. So the Balès keeps its hardest part for the end. The 20 % in the fact box is a short spot, the kilometre values stay well below it.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
With a 20 % peak the Balès has the steepest maximum of all Pyrenees climbs in our list, and across all 100 climbs only five have a steeper one. With 1,186 m of climbing and a 6.1 % average it sits in the middle to lower field, 70 climbs are steeper on average. On the Luchon side it ends in Bagnères-de-Luchon, where the climb to Superbagnères begins.
Practical tips
For the steep final kilometres and the short 20 % spot a compact gearing with a large sprocket makes sense. Use the calm middle section to eat and drink, the finish demands everything. At 1,755 m it is cooler than in the valley, so bring a jacket for the descent. Heading east you drop to Bagnères-de-Luchon, the way back to Mauléon-Barousse is the same road.
