great photo,how about a wee write up
Hoping to do this next summer
A few questions
1-Clockwise or anti
2-Guided or self supported,Is it easy enough to follow trail- i believe its all waymarked
3-Accommodation did you pre book or just pitch up
4-Trails around Chamonix,is there a summer ban on MTB’s
I did it in 3 days in June. It was **** brutal. I also did the carry over the last col into the valley which leads to Saint Gervais. I was very tired at the end. Did I mention its very hard?
I’ll be publishing a video in a few days. I went Chamonix>Champex>Courmayeur direction. I did it with bike packing gear and a small tent, staying the first night near Champex and the second night on the col at the end of the Val Veny.
I did it with MBMB/Phil/Fraser in 2011. It was my first foray into the Alps and a nice introduction. Although a lot less descending than I imagined and a hell of a lot of climbing/road work. That photo looks like the descent down from Col Ferret into Courmayeur.
Ben Jones MTB looks to now do a much better route these days staying high and focussing on alpine singletrack and using vans/lifts for more height gain.
Just read your blog, looks like an awesome week! I’m going out to Cham in a few weeks with this as an objective. Your route looks particularly good, do you have a GPX for it?
Just come back from Ben Jones MTB Adventures Tour de Mont Blanc. It was fantastic. Not only are the trails absolutely amazing but the whole trip felt like a real holiday with really lovely hotels, excellent food and guides. Despite tough riding (and plenty of hike-a-bike) I felt more relaxed than I ever have on a biking holiday and really felt like I had a great adventure.
I’ve been on plenty of guided holidays but I’d say this was the best biking holiday ever, perhaps joint with Basque MTB: both of whom really have got the idea of biking on a holiday nailed.
Out there to do it this Sept, so on the lookout for good info on places to stay as pretty much decided to forego the bivvy gear in favour of full sussers and refuges, etc.
Any recommendations on accommodation appreciated from those who have done it.
Certainly looks like a tick-lister trip 🙂