[Closed] RIP La Varda

Also heard this out there last week. Think they are working on a solution but is sad news if true. We rode it last year and didn't see another person on it.

It's been on the cards for a while really hasn't it? Always been a contentious trail and, the more popular it got with bikers, the more likely there was going to be friction.

We rode it a few years ago and were stopped by quite a few folks claiming we shouldn't be there - they were wrong at the time but it is a very popular walking trail.

The Trail below the 'Pots was always highly cheeky! Not unusual to have to "berm" a cow or two to make it down...... (i said BERM, so stop s****ing at the back!! 😉 )

We didn't do the outright cheeky stuff but that's a bloody shame about la varda, I'd love to do that again, amazing trail. Wonder what the rationale is- you could see they weren't happy about bikes but why? No likelihood of erosion problems, not likely to have contention issues... And if you fall off the edge you just die so minimal rescue costs, it's all win.

Seemed to be a lot of give & take around about walking on bike trails/riding on footpaths - liked that 🙂

Shame. One of my favourite descents. Did it a few times with Trail Addiction.

We got whinged at by some locals on it.

Really? That's a shame, awesome trail. Glad I got to do it again last year if that's the case.

There was a sign at the start of it that said no bikes last week, but we still rode it anyway. We figured that it meant no bikes inside the national park, and since we were skirting it we could get away with it. There were quite a few people on the opening flat section, but once it dropped into ultra tech there was absolutely no one around.

Still a massive shame, it's an incredible trail, a total experience in a very accessible way. Chapel trail was never that good anyway though, so no great loss there.

probably didn't help that some fool put it in the Guardian Newspaper at least i think it was the guardian?
a few months ago with the heading
"10 MUST DO RIDES"
Or best rides in the world "EVER" or what ever it was..........

I did have a vision of hopelesness as i imagined a family tackling it on BTwin bikes or similar.

A few Months ago i was on cut gate on my way back to langsett, as i got to the top of the climb there were a family of 3, Mum, Dad and Son. In Plimsoles on poor quality bikes. They had NO idea where they were or how far it was langsett, it was Very cold and windy. they were on their way out and had yet to return. It was gone 3 o clock and i didnt think they would get before before dark so i told them to retrace their footsteps and get back to Fairholmes. The Mother started to cry, the young tennage son looked like he was about to pile in. it was after getting back that i saw the advert and Cut Gate was on it.

Edited to say: It was open a fortnight ago 😀

We rode down it late last Tuesday afternoon. The ban apparently came into effect Wednesday. We were quite possibly the last people to ride down it legally.

One of the best trails I've EVER ridden.....and was on my list of trails-to-do-again.

I rode it last Tuesday evening twohats.

Nooooo! Managed to ride it at least 4 times now, it was one of my favourite trails in Les Arcs. 😥

If I could be instantly transported to any trailhead, it would be La Varda. Rode it twice in 2007 and 2011. La Varda and Double Header are the two stand out trails in Les Arc for me.

I cant remember which one it is, they all blur into one once a few years have past. Did it start with a tight switchback off a fireroad? I know the one which ended up opposite the bar that sells ruby Leffe was a cheeky ending and the bloke who lives at the end had Le bollocked riders the week before.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Oh well, managed to nail it three times. Proper trail that.

la varda was awesome totally agree

how ever i did think at the time some of the trails we were being guided down were highly cheeky.

i swear at one point we were riding down some steps through someones garden out by white and black 8 - not on those trails but near by.

I think there was a trail called Grannys back garden!

Just watched a video of it on the Tube and it looks proper cheeky with a fair bit of exposure. The guys riding down must have had to hustle past about 20 walkers in the 1 run. I'm not surprised bikes got banned.

2 walkers....... you know how long the trail is right ?

i pass more than that from the driveway to the road most days.

never saw a soul the day we rode it.

Sorry TR was more like 20 - typo.

I remember a (paid) CoolBus guide showing us Granny's Garden as part of a day we spent with them in 2012 - it literally was like riding through someone's back garden!

Interestingly some mates went back to Les Arcs last week and booked CoolBus guiding for 2 days - only, they don't actually guide anymore as they're not MCF qualified. They got shuttled to the top of runs and then given a GPS and some verbal instructions on how to interpret some painted-dots on various trails, which would help guide them....

rotten - Member
I think there was a trail called Grannys back garden!

There sure is 🙂

We always went super early in the morning. Only ever remember passing a few walkers each time.

And yeah, proper exposure. The end bit is awesome - trial bikey time.

Rode white lines and passed more walkers on there than on La Varda?

Also passed umpteen Jiz Gasket, and most of the other trails which are mostly shared with other users.

My best day riding ever was La Varda in the morning with Double Header after lunch, in the sun, with my best mate. Good times... Sad if I could never repeat it...

A shame, but not really surprising. A super tight walking trail in a national park which is a) a bit dangerous b) a pretty sensitive area and c) a popular walking trail.

It was pretty good, but there's loads of similar good stuff there.

It wasn't in the National Park, it just ran very close towards the start, but I'll agree there's plenty of other good stuff around.

Rode Granny's Garden during the enduro 2 race a few weeks back. Good trail.

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Superficial - Member

in a national park

I thought that was the point, is it not literally the edge of the national park?

I thought that was the point, is it not literally the edge of the national park?

Whichever way there were some very good trails elsewhere, so much to choose from outside the resort.

mikewsmith - Member

Is that not like it being all OK to shoot Welshmen with a bow and arrow in certain days in certain towns or 10% over the speed limit doesn't matter just something people tell themselves to feel better about it?

Eh, no. If what I was told was right, it's the difference between speeding, and not.

thats fair enough then, wasn't exactly sure how "it's right on the edge" it was. Obviously somebody has taken a dislike though

I rode La Varda last week as well. Saw quite a few walkers at the lake, but beyond there probably 8 in total - we always made sure we stopped and gave them right of way and had no problems, other than 1 person saying that we should probably be careful as we might potentially not be allowed on that path, he was very friendly about it.

Shame though - hope something gets sorted.

Seems like a good opportunity for some narcism... 😀

[img] [/img]

You do cross into the Vanoise National park for a little while up near the top.

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It's the trail marked in black, the green line is the national park boundary. Still probably on the cheekier side of things, but most walkers seem to stick to the national park, since the end of the trail drops you out in the middle of nowhere with a long walk back. It's all downhill for bikes though, so that works just fine. It's the 2nd half that's the best bit anyway, so maybe if you took the other fireroad to get to it?

I noticed a sign on the trail down the ridge that starts beside kid rock stating that it was reserved for walkers. I did have a couple of runs down it though but was thinking it will be a real shame if all the trails in les arcs go this way.

I blame strava and people more worried about segment times than courtesy to walkers.

I reckon they'll be more banned trails in Les Arcs in the near future.
Running Enduro races down the walking trails isn't going to help matters either. Double header is a prime example, totally knackered after that Enduro 2 race has been down it. You'd think the organisers of such races would at least put some effort into maintaining the trails after holding racing on them seeing as they're not part of the bike park...

Last time I rode La Varda we got chased by a HUGE mountain dog. As if that trail isn't spicy enough! 😛

Running Enduro races down the walking trails isn't going to help matters either. Double header is a prime example, totally knackered after that Enduro 2 race has been down it. You'd think the organisers of such races would at least put some effort into maintaining the trails after holding racing on them seeing as they're not part of the bike park...

Was that organised by Trail [s]Destruction[/s] Addiction?

It is France racing enduro on sentiers ( footpaths) is standard practice, grass roots races through to world enduro races use footpaths even through the little mountain hamlets/villages.