The Col des Mosses is the centre of Europe

A European waterway hub

The pass lies precisely on a watershed, also known as a hydrological divide. It is at this natural boundary that the fate of rainwater and streams is determined, depending on which side of the slope they flow down.

• On the north side (Château-d’Oex), the waters flow into the Sarine, then the Aare, the Rhine… before ending their journey in the North Sea.
• On the south side (Aigle), the waters feed into the Grande Eau, then the Rhône, Lake Geneva, and once again the Rhône, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

In other words, just a few metres at Les Mosses are enough to determine which sea a drop of water will end up in! This division between the Rhine and Rhône basins makes the Col des Mosses a true geographical and hydrological crossroads at the heart of the Alpes Vaudoises.