Quote:
temm said:
While doing research for my planned trip to the Alps (in a Boxster/911) next summer, I came across this driving report.
Great find
Just returned from an 18 days driver's holiday in the Alps with my 987 S - pure joy (see report & some pics at the Boxster Board)
http://www.rennteam.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=267594&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1Mind you there are over 600 passroads in the Alps - so you better go for a long holiday to enjoy as many of them as possible
Other recommendations: I would avoid the main summer holiday season (July/August): too much Dutch Caravans on the roads
(at least on the main passroads).
I guess best time ist just before or just after the summer holiday season (much earlier or much later passroads will be closed due to snow or - even worse - you might be just surprised by winterly weather on top of the passroads (the highest ones with elev. of 2,500 m). Weather conditions change very quickly in the Alps - you better get daily weather reports about the local weather. Example: while we stayed at the Southern Alps with fine weather (sunny, 27*C) ten days ago wheather reports warned about fresh snow at just 1,600 m elev. in the Central Alps. Only three days later the nice weather returned to the Central/Northern Alps with blue sky and 16*C at top of Timmelsjoch (2,500 m).
Agree with Nick's and Harry's comments on the hairpins (though Carreras - especially 4WD models - won't show the traction problems of the Boxster
). There are great roads in some high valleys (at appr. 1,500 m) with fantastic corner combinations (not just straight-hairpin-straigt-hairpin etc.)
Watch out for some crazy bikers - if they are approaching from the opposite direction they may carve into "your" lane after a curve's apex, if they are in front of you they spoil the corner fun, as they are too slow in tight curves, whereas the following straight may be too short for an overtaking manoevre
Also if you're living in a country with ususally wide roads make yourself familiar with the exact measures of your car if you want to enjoy some remote narrow passroads (often without shoulders or other protection - just don't look down into the valley
)
As a preparation for your Alpine tour I can recommend the "Denzel" - good literature with explanations about almost all Alpine passroads (though I don't know whether it's available in English language also
)
http://members.telering.at/Denzel-Verlag/Seems that you are in the process to decide what Porsche to get next
Good luck with your decision