Grand Ballon, Guebwiller

The Grand Ballon or Great Belchen is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located 25km northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Grand-Est French region.NameGrand Ballon means "great mountain" because a ballon in French is a geographical term for a mountain with a rounded summit.Some still call it Ballon de Guebwiller, after the name of the closest town, Guebwiller, located to the east. It is 1423.7m high.ClimateAlong with the Hohneck the summit of the Grand Ballon is the coldest and windiest point in Alsace. A record low of was recorded on 10 February 1956, a record high of was recorded on 13 August 2003. The difference between the Grand Ballon and the neighboring plain (Mulhouse area) usually ranges from and is higher in summertime.Winter snow cover is usually more than above of altitude. The highest snow accumulation ever recorded was 7 March 2006; in 1969 and 1970 the snow cover was above.TrailsThe well known Route des Crêtes (French for "route of the peaks") circumvents the mountain top around east, crossing a mountain pass at an altitude of, between Le Markstein winter sports station and Hartmannswillerkopf, a rocky spur.Tour de FranceThe road over the pass to the north of the mountain is occasionally used in the Tour de France, the first crossing being in 1969. It is the only Hors categorie (beyond categorization) climb in northern France.