has anyone ridden from the Ski center all the way up to the cafe – google earth showns a track –
ive google searched and it seems its only guided mtb DOWN thats allowed as some kind of restricted access?

if anyone has ridden it — cross bike or full mtb required?

You can do it – the zig zags is a road. I’d want low gearing on whatever I was riding up and probably a bit of squish for the way down.

I suspect scotroutes may have done it on his fatty.

But why wait for the snow to go?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeFPUeDnnj8[/video]

Its a fair bike on a dull track but yep, it leads to some amazing mountain trails 🙂

ive just seen a great reason to buy a fat bike now.
are you allowed to bike on ski slopes ?!?!?!

the reason i wanted to know, is…well…because i like climbs, and wondered if i could use the CROSS bike from the bottom all the way to the top and when others in the party might be out walking i can at least out biking.

There’s no restriction on cycling up to the cafe or, indeed, beyond. In fact, the best bit of the descent is the bit past Marquis’ Well. The rest is a boring (if steep, loose) fire road.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/oAVxQt]Cairngorm[/url] by ScotRoutes, on Flickr

No need to start at the ski centre either. Follow the Allt Mor trail and the old zig-zags for a much nicer climb/descent than the road.

@scotroutes – i tip my hat for that photo – lovely

thanks for the info on the Trail – would any/all of this be possible on CROSS or are we talking MTB here?

edit: pic here seems to suggest its not too rough…

That photo you’ve linked to is the bit of the Allt Mor trail looking down from the ski centre towards Glenmore. There’s some steep, rocky steps and some stepped boardwalk just where the path disappears in that photo. To avoid that, I usually ride down the road and then onto the old zig-zags before cutting back on to the Allt Mor path lower down. You could CX that all the way.

From the summit down to the Ptarmigan you could manage on a CX.

From the Ptarmigan down to the ski centre I personally prefer to have as much tyre width as possible as it’s steep, loose gravel.

@scotroutes – many many thanks – might give me something to do other than walking 😉