Editing Ballon d'Alsace

{{Short description|Mountain in France}}
{{distinguish|text=the [[Grand Ballon]] in Alsace}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Ballon&nbsp;d'Alsace
| photo = Ballon dAlsace.JPG
| photo_caption = 
| elevation_m   = 1247
| elevation_ref = 
| prominence_m  = 217
| isolation_km = 5.62
| prominence_ref= {{citation needed|date=January 2011}}
| range = [[Vosges Mountains|Vosges]]
| location = [[France]]
| map = France
| range_coordinates = 
| label_position = left
| coordinates   = {{coord|47|49|20|N|6|50|43|E|type:mountain_region:FR_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <!-- frwiki -->
| type = 
| age = 
| easiest_route = 
}}

The '''Ballon d'Alsace''' ({{IPA|fr|balɔ̃ dalzas}}; {{langx|de|Elsässer Belchen}}, {{IPA|de|ˈɛlzɛsɐ ˈbɛlçn̩|pron}}) (el. 1247 m.), sometimes also called the '''Alsatian Belchen''' to distinguish it from other mountains named "[[Belchen system|Belchen]]")<ref>Herbertson, Andrew John, ''A Handbook of Geography: Volume I. General Geography. The British Isles and Europe'', London: T. Nelson (1912), p. 173.</ref><ref>Karfeld, Kurt, Peter; Walter Dirks and Manfred Hausmann, ''Germany in Colour'', Karfeld Verlag, 1956, p. 16.</ref><ref>Schickele, Rene, ''Heart of Alsace'', AA Knopf (1929), p. 164.</ref> is a mountain at the border of [[Alsace]], [[Lorraine (région)|Lorraine]], and [[Franche-Comté]]. From its top, views include the [[Vosges Mountains|Vosges]], the [[Rhine]] valley, the [[Black Forest]], and the [[Alps]].

A road leads over a pass near the peak at the [[Col du Ballon d'Alsace]], {{convert|1171|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The pass is noted as the site of the first official mountain climb in the [[Tour de France]] on 11 July 1905,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/docs/histo2009_02.pdf |title=L'HISTOIRE 1903-2008 |format=pdf |language=French |accessdate=2011-05-05 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605044651/http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/docs/histo2009_02.pdf |archivedate=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> the first rider to the top of the climb being [[René Pottier]] and the stage being won by [[Hippolyte Aucouturier]]. Stage 9 of the [[2005 Tour de France|2005 Tour]] crossed this pass on the centenary of the original climb.

Ballon d'Alsace features Alpine and Cross Country skiing tracks.

The mountain is part of the so-called [[Belchen system]], a group of mountains with the name "Belchen" (in German) that may have been part of a [[Celts|Celtic]] [[sun calendar]].

==Geography==

===Climate===
Ballon d'Alsace has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Ballon d'Alsace is {{cvt|6.6|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|2263.6|mm}} with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around {{cvt|14.9|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|-1.2|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ballon d'Alsace was {{cvt|32.3|C}} on 24 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-19.1|C}} on 20 December 2009.
{{Weather box
|collapsed = y
|location= Ballon d'Alsace (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1987−present); elevation 1153m
|metric first= Y
|single line= Y
|Jan record high C = 14.3
|Feb record high C = 17.0
|Mar record high C = 18.4
|Apr record high C = 22.5
|May record high C = 26.4
|Jun record high C = 29.7
|Jul record high C = 32.3
|Aug record high C = 31.3
|Sep record high C = 26.3
|Oct record high C = 22.4
|Nov record high C = 18.5
|Dec record high C = 13.8
|year record high C = 32.3
|Jan high C = 1.1
|Feb high C = 1.4
|Mar high C = 4.7
|Apr high C = 9.3
|May high C = 13.4
|Jun high C = 17.0
|Jul high C = 18.6
|Aug high C = 18.4
|Sep high C = 14.3
|Oct high C = 10.3
|Nov high C = 5.1
|Dec high C = 2.0
|year high C = 9.6
|Jan mean C = -1.2
|Feb mean C = -1.0
|Mar mean C = 1.9
|Apr mean C = 5.8
|May mean C = 9.6
|Jun mean C = 13.2
|Jul mean C = 14.9
|Aug mean C = 14.9
|Sep mean C = 11.1
|Oct mean C = 7.6
|Nov mean C = 2.8
|Dec mean C = -0.2
|year mean C = 6.6
|Jan low C = -3.4
|Feb low C = -3.5
|Mar low C = -1.0
|Apr low C = 2.4
|May low C = 5.9
|Jun low C = 9.4
|Jul low C = 11.2
|Aug low C = 11.3
|Sep low C = 7.9
|Oct low C = 4.9
|Nov low C = 0.5
|Dec low C = -2.4
|year low C = 3.6
|Jan record low C = -15.9
|Feb record low C = -18.8
|Mar record low C = -15.7
|Apr record low C = -9.3
|May record low C = -3.6
|Jun record low C = -0.9
|Jul record low C = 3.9
|Aug record low C = 2.5
|Sep record low C = -0.2
|Oct record low C = -7.7
|Nov record low C = -13.8
|Dec record low C = -19.1
|year record low C = -19.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 251.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 203.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 196.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 123.7
|May precipitation mm = 178.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 134.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 148.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 157.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 154.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 210.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 215.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 288.6
|year precipitation mm = 2263.6
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 15.3
|Feb precipitation days = 14.8
|Mar precipitation days = 14.0
|Apr precipitation days = 12.4
|May precipitation days = 14.7
|Jun precipitation days = 12.4
|Jul precipitation days = 12.5
|Aug precipitation days = 13.1
|Sep precipitation days = 10.9
|Oct precipitation days = 13.7
|Nov precipitation days = 14.7
|Dec precipitation days = 16.3
|year precipitation days = 164.9
|source 1 = [[Météo-France]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_90065003.pdf
|title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| publisher = [[Météo-France]]
| access-date = August 21, 2022}}</ref>}}

{{Weather box
|collapsed = y
|location = Ballon De Servance, 1213m  (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes

|Jan record high C = 13.4
|Feb record high C = 16.2
|Mar record high C = 18.0
|Apr record high C = 22.0
|May record high C = 25.4
|Jun record high C = 30.6
|Jul record high C = 31.2
|Aug record high C = 30.8
|Sep record high C = 25.8
|Oct record high C = 22.2
|Nov record high C = 18.1
|Dec record high C = 14.6

|Jan high C = 0.7
|Feb high C = 0.9
|Mar high C = 4.3
|Apr high C = 9.5
|May high C = 12.4
|Jun high C = 16.3
|Jul high C = 18.5
|Aug high C = 17.5
|Sep high C = 14.4
|Oct high C = 10.3
|Nov high C = 5.2
|Dec high C = 1.9
|year high C = 

|Jan mean C = −1.4
|Feb mean C = −1.3
|Mar mean C = 1.6
|Apr mean C = 6.2
|May mean C = 9.0
|Jun mean C = 12.8
|Jul mean C = 14.9
|Aug mean C = 14.1
|Sep mean C = 11.2
|Oct mean C = 7.6
|Nov mean C = 3.0
|Dec mean C = −0.2
|year mean C = 

|Jan low C = −3.5
|Feb low C = −3.5
|Mar low C = −1.1
|Apr low C = 2.9
|May low C = 5.6
|Jun low C = 9.4
|Jul low C = 11.4
|Aug low C = 10.7
|Sep low C = 8.1
|Oct low C = 5.0
|Nov low C = 0.8
|Dec low C = −2.4
|year low C = 

|Jan record low C = −12.6
|Feb record low C = −18.3
|Mar record low C = −12.8
|Apr record low C = −9.2
|May record low C = −4.1
|Jun record low C = −0.9
|Jul record low C = 3.0
|Aug record low C = 2.2
|Sep record low C = 0.3
|Oct record low C = −7.2
|Nov record low C = −11.3
|Dec record low C = −20.1

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 190.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 141.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 160.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 94.1
|May precipitation mm = 171.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 137.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 146.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 148.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 138.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 161.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 171.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 221.5
|year precipitation mm = 


|source 1 = [[Météo-France]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_70283006.pdf
| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| language = fr
| publisher = [[Météo-France]]
| access-date = September 3, 2023}}</ref>}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Jeanne d'Arc at Ballon d'Alsace.JPG|Statue of Jeanne d'Arc at Ballon d'Alsace
Monument demineurs Ballon d'Alsace.JPG|[[Demining|Deminers]] monument at Ballon d'Alsace
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Col du Ballon d'Alsace]]
* [[Souvenir Henri Desgrange]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Mapping Le Tour|first=Ellis|last=Bacon|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|location=Glasgow|year=2014|pages=280–281|isbn=9780007543991|oclc=872700415}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ballon d'Alsace}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Mountains of the Vosges]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of France]]
[[Category:Mountains of Vosges (department)]]
[[Category:Mountains of Haut-Rhin]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Territoire de Belfort]]
[[Category:Mountains of Haute-Saône]]