Hi Folks,

Looking for a bit of advice, I have booked a week in October in Finale.

I have ridden some of the Lake Garda natural trails and comfortable on most red and black trail features in Scotland. Is Finale a big step up?

I normally only wear race face rallye leg and elbow armour on rocky stuff, Laggan black etc. Any recommendation, should I be wearing a full on pressure suit?

Should I be getting a full face lid or one of the new Bell or Met Parachute hybrids.

Any advice would be appreciated and any reviews on the trails would be great. I am going with Michael (cycle) Shiel (Northerner and Lake Garda guide and guru)

Thanks

We had a few days biking there after Verbier at the beginning of August. We didn’t take full face helmets and the people who were using them found it very hot. The trails are very dusty but we didn’t find them that technical. I would say uplifts are essential to get the most out of the riding, we had two full days with Finale Freeride, did their classic tour and then the Defender. The ice cream in the old town square is divine, as is the sea at the end of the day

You’ll be fine.
Finale is much faster and flowier but (with a few exceptions such as trails like “Inferno” and “Cacciatore”) mostly technically easier than the stuff in Garda.
Because Garda tends to be more technically difficult (depending which trails you rode, obviously) you tend to ride stuff more slowly there.

I know Michael well (fellow Northerner) and have ridden Garda stuff with him on 3 separate visits. I’ve also been to Finale for a week last year and loved it.

There is maybe more of a case for a full face helmet in Finale because you’re likely to be hitting everything a bit faster.

I wore full-face and knee pads all the time in Finale.
In Garda I wore both open face and full-face according to what we were riding, approx equally.

No, Finale is not a step up from Garda, just different.
Yes, a proper full-face is a good idea if you want to take Finale’s tougher trails at full speed.
No, you won’t need a pressure suit for Finale.

Have fun. I’ve run out of holidays this year or I’d have been with you on the Finale trip.

Thanks very much folks, I have ridden Malga Cassett on the tremalzo side and then Ponale freeride and on the Baldo side, Val Diole, Banana Way etc.

I cleaned them all, but dont think they were the most technical. I was only riding for a day and didnt manage the classics like 601 etc. I too only wore an open face and pads.

Any recommendations for a light and ventilated full facer. I don’t do full on downhill here and thats why I was thinking of the Bell or Met Parachute.

If “Ponale freeride” is a name for the trail that goes right down to the old Porto Ponale (metal bridge; steep section; short flight of steps; a few small drops), and you’re OK with that, then you’ll be fine with everything at Finale.

Yip, that’s the one, a few hairy rock steps on that route, then bursting out of effectively a hedge on the road.

The road tunnel back to Riva was worse.