We’re planning on spending a couple of days on our way down to the south of France in or near Bourg St Maurice. I’ll be doing a full-on trail day with some mates, but was hoping to have a day doing easier stuff with my wife.

What is there in the way of fun but relatively easy lift-assisted riding in the area? How well does the bike park stuff cater for relative beginners?

unless a lot has changed there is no bike park, most of the blue/green were fire roads.

Look at La Thuile or St Foye, La Rosarie is worth a look too. Have a look at the whiteroom site for some ideas. All within 30 mins of the town

Tignes/Val D’Isere uplift is free and not far from Bourg.

http://www.tignes.net/en/summer-sports/the-mtb-area-1034.html

Thanks folks, accommodation booked in Tignes 🙂

unless a lot has changed there is no bike park, most of the blue/green were fire roads.

It’s changed. There are quite a few marked trails now, and lots and lots of unmarked, ranging from Blue to Black (obviously) but none of them are fire roads.

Not been to Morzine in a long time but when we went last my other half rode a hard tail with 80 mm bounce at the front and there was loads for her to do

must have changed a bit but looking at the map http://www.lesarcsnet.com/item_files/les-arcs-mountain-bike-trail-map.pdf
it still doesn’t look that expansive. It’s the unmarked trails that are good but I much preferred the stuff out of the resort.
Anyway if you can get a lift back up the valley this is a good route down from Tignes
[video]http://vimeo.com/44634547[/video]

It has changed, we went to les arcs last summer, theres plenty for everyone. The blues are nice, swoopy and fast, the reds are a little (but only a little) more technical, and the blacks again are still rideable by mortals.

We loved all of it, but the black that finishes above the funicular end station was my favourite, black 7 or 8, cant remember which.

Tignes is also pretty good, worth spending time at both locations.

There’s lots of lovely waymarked blue and red under the vallandry lift, it’s probably more red by UK standards but kinda hard to compare (it is mostly dug forest floor rather than gravel-topped trailcentre). Natural-plus sorta thing. I didn’t do an awful lot of the higher up blues, they were mostly pretty open and dusty and possibly a wee bit charmless but still good. You could definitely fill a day on these trails.

Tignes up the valley probably caters better for beginners, though again the blues and greens are a little harder than uk blues and greens- the greens are narrower and, well, more like mountain bike trails. By and large the trails are far lower quality at Tignes (IMO) but it’s a really fast and easy place to navigate (Les Arcs is a bit spread out, Tignes all comes off 2 lifts that start in the main resort- probably the chairlift side is better for noobs than the gondola side) , the lifts are free, you ride straight off the hill into the pub… So it’s really good for a brain-out easy day, more of a UK trailcentre experience.

Or so it seems anyway; whenever I’ve been at Les Arcs I’ve been following people so maybe it can work in a whole different way.

PS, if you can, make a day for proper riding at La Thuile, it’s the best place I’ve ever ridden. Like Innerleithen on a proper mountain (only drier).

If any use I live in Val d’Isere and am happy to ride with you. When are you coming out?

Rode Les Arcs with family in 2011. Kids were 9 & 11. The blues are like UK reds, especially below Arc 2000, and it’s quite a pedal back to Bourg if you follow the blues all the way down. The kids enjoyed it (on occasion my daughter felt a little overwhelmed on a couple of obstacles) but there were other activities they enjoyed there.

We’re going out this summer hopefully with my wife who’s not mega confident but somewhere between UK blue and red trail centre equivalent sounds perfect.

We loved all of it, but the black that finishes above the funicular end station was my favourite, black 7 or 8, cant remember which.

Black Eight – We decided to do this as our first run, having never been to the area before, on a couple of hardtails. It was an eye opener to say the least, especially as we tried to race he Funicular timings so we wouldn’t have to wait for it. 😉

Black 8 is ace but not for noobs! Having said that we found a local guide taking a family with kids down it, the bellend. Shouting at one of the kids for not pushing fast enough down a steep section. What a ****.

@mixmaster – We will be there July 22-23. First day will be the easy day with my wife, then open to suggestions. Will have transport and some friends staying in Bourg, so lots of options.

There is a new Blue marked trail under the Vallandry lift which is great. Very “Spooky Woods”. The old Red 7 (now “Dré dans le pentu” or something) from 1800 down to the valley is cool too, although a little steep in places where it goes straight down the fall-line (not very technical, just straight and steep!).

Couple of very mellow but still fun greens up at Arc 2000 (under the Arcabulle chair).

The DH run under the Cachettes lift is actually very easy too. Nice warm-up run! A lot of less-confident trail-centrists actually really like it because it’s swoopy and bermy and pretty wide.

Black 8 was ruined last year (IMO!) by the ongoing engineering work in that part of the forest. I think that’s due to still be continuing this summer.

Tignes has a more DH / man-made feel, quite similar to the Cachettes at Les Arcs. Best bit of singletrack is Wonderboisses.

The best mellow/flowy stuff in the valley is up at Sainte Foy (resort vehicle uplift) or over on the sunny side (no uplift!).

I didn’t like what they’d done to Black 8 last year (and not just because a big pebbly section pinballed me into a fallen tree!) but hopefully it will have bedded in a bit by this summer.

So excited already!

Theres a red under the arcabulle chair which is decent too.

Have a go at “double header” if you can (not for beginners tho). A real eye opener for me 😯

Pushed down most of double header, made me realise how good some riders are (and how bad I am). Sorry to hear about black 8…one of my favourite bits of marked trail I’ve ridden.

Gah… only got two days there before we head down for a week in the Alpes Maritimes. On the way down, I’ll be riding down from the highest point ever visited by the TdF, mind…

Have a go at “double header” if you can (not for beginners tho).

Probably my favourite trail I’ve ridden there in the 2 years visiting. 1st year there I walked several sections, last year rode all of it. Really good mix of steep rocks, roots & switchbacks. Looking forward to giving it another go this year!

@mixmaster – We will be there July 22-23.

Be sure to wave at the knackered looking bloke on a Cube trying to keep up with his teenage sons.

I’ve been to Bourg a couple of times and always with the family, so riding time was at a premium. My only advise would be don’t go looking for off-piste trails if you’re short of time – unless you’ve got a guide you’ll waste most of your prescious riding time looking for trails.

+1 for Red 7 down from Arc 1800. Great fun and anyone could do – just make sure you’ve got plenty of meat on your brake pads!

Black 8 was ruined last year (IMO!) by the ongoing engineering work in that part of the forest. I think that’s due to still be continuing this summer.

Agreed, we were there the first week of July, and the diggers were in, it was a right mess.