Magnificent, majestic, marmottes and motorcycles. Snow at the Col de la Cayolle (2327 m.), on its first day of opening this year. The route connects the valley of the River Var (which goes to the Mediterranean at Nice) with the valley of the River Ubaye in the Alpes-de-Haut-Provence. The Col de la Cayolle was one of the original cols forming the Route des Grandes Alpes, the tourist route to Nice originally proposed by the PLM railway company.