Any advice? I did a shortened version a while back. The traverse from the standard Col de Cou route was great but once past the farm and crucifix it was a bit of a let down.

Nothing to add other than agreement really – we found the same, final bit was quite dull back down into Champery. Believe there are some cheeky trails around there but we never found them!

OP, you sent me the route a while back ( 🙂 ) and yes indeed once off the top its quite boring. Bourgoise/Samoens is much much better.

FYI another STWer did a guided ride from above Linderets to Col Bassachaux to les Roulainnes to La Barme to Lac Montriond which was quite good allegedly inc a bit which was super steep (unridable by the guide)

Your ride from Col Encrenaz you can modify to go to le Plan de Criou then les Places and Graydon and Joranloup before dropping into St Jean d’Aulps. I read about a ride which I think went up to la Chaux de Vie from Encrenaz then direct to Gaydon

Have a look on your friend and mine Geoportal.gouv.fr

Out of interest…is the route finding straight forward from the end of the ridge (crucifix) into Champery.

I’m keen on doing the route and have most of it mapped out bar this section

YGM

We did a ride which involved fireroad decent 🙁 under the cliffs at Balme. It was fairly easy to follow but definitely not intersting.

IMHO the Col ride is all about the views and the Arette and the last bit of the descent off of it, the rest of it is fairly ordinary. I will be interested to try the STW Issue 91 alternative someday.

When we did Col de Cou / Arete du Berroi, it had just been on here.
So it was flippin’ heaving with Orange 5’s. Couldn’t ride up due to so many people, so we had to bail to hiking too.
After the ridge, we didn’t spot the single track that we were going to take, so bailed down the road for lunch and getting back over.
Might try again next month.
Oh, and we got told off by the Swiss for riding in a nature reserve, but we just feigned ignorance, and knew we were almost at the road.

On that Bassachaux, Roulainne, etc. route, we did that too, but also bailed the last single tracky bit (that I think is steep), to go back in to goat village, rather than down to Ardent.

Just looking at Strava heatmap…. think both are there.

Need to check out Encrenaz extra bits. Think we did LG then Mont Chery, Mont Caly (lunch stop), then Encrenaz and back round to LG.

Oh, and we got told off by the Swiss for riding in a nature reserve, but we just feigned ignorance, and knew we were almost at the road.

….

Need to check out Encrenaz extra bits. Think we did LG then Mont Chery, Mont Caly (lunch stop), then Encrenaz and back round to LG.

Yes us too, in fairness to the walkers there are signs 😳

The Mont Caly route you did is a “marked” red trail. you can turn off at the Col and go left via Le Paquis and Bois Noris 🙂 and drop into Esert Romard/Morzine with a little pedalling

The Mont Caly restaurant is ace ! Excuse to post photo on part of the view (only half of it)

The Mont Caly restaurant is ace

yup. and one outside of skiing area, so never even knew it was there until on a bike.
Just looking at opencyclemap and strava heatmap for that Encrenaz one.