Bike Forum
Why Chamonix is my favourite Alpine destination....
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Posted 6 months ago #
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...presumably because you haven't yet been to Verbier?
Posted 6 months ago # -
Great stuff - I've had a couple of trips out there and both times managed to find something to scare myself silly on. Some of the stuff off Brevent ain't for the faint heated!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Yup, been to Verbier.
Didnt find the riding as good and struggled to find much descent climbing, plus a distinct lack of ice. Not bad though, beats the Mendips at the moment.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Is descent climbing like trying to run up the down escalator?
Posted 6 months ago # -
thats the reserve eh?
Posted 6 months ago # -
would love to try chamonix but not sure i could handle the exposure
Posted 6 months ago # -
chamonix is awesome!!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Proper town with 2 curry houses and the MBC bar for the after ride stuff. Cant wait for June.
Sadly, no escalators I know of though...
Posted 6 months ago # -
Great Vid. Thanks for sharing.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Proper town with 2 curry houses and the MBC bar for the after ride stuff
went to chamonix on a really mad mountain train from martigny.
had the bestest burger ever at the coco loco burger bar made with the local rustic french bread.
Posted 6 months ago # -
shit curry there though
Posted 6 months ago # -
Nice few trails on that vid!Big fun factor when its been raining on those roots! Have you ridden off Chalet des Chesery? Mega!
Posted 6 months ago # -
tis all about the Poco Loco Burger. my mouth is watering now!!
Posted 6 months ago # -
ah poco loco not coco loco
iirc it had the strangest toilet ever. made you feel like you were on a small boat in a big swell.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Great trail that, was lucky enough to do that 12 times this year, for a change turn left at 8.14ish, its not better, but has a super fast section in it, then stop for lunch at the auberge le buerne (i think its called that), best flan in the valley.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Tho that is by no means chamonix's toughest singletrack tho.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Curry, yeh, but Annapurna's is at least edible, Tiger Tiger is just chicken stew and best avoided. Personally, I'd avoid the Dirty Burgers too....
No, not the the toughest trail I'm sure. It's a mate's vid from his company site - I'm some there's some artistic licence here but it's really a claim that this is the toughest one he regularly rides with clients (esp in the wet).
Still a great piece of trail, even though part of my experience involved an exit through the front door into onto a German rambler's feet.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Agent - shame you didn't find the good stuff in Verbier - it's definitely there. Did you stay with Bike Verbier? I reckon it's impossible to find the best stuff without their help - no one knows the region and its trails like them. For starters, lots of the best descents aren't actually in Verbier itself - you need a van (and Phil or Lucy to know where to drive it).
Posted 6 months ago # -
I climb chamonix for three weeks most summers... Love the place, add into that, they are building a pretty tasty looking concrete skate park!
Yet to ride there though!
Posted 6 months ago # -
had the bestest burger ever at the coco loco burger bar made with the local rustic french bread.
also love that place the biggest one has 3 Burgers on it! yumm!! althoug i do believe its Poco Loco
Posted 6 months ago # -
Col de la Possette from Valorcine?
Rode it in Sept. It's ace. My Magura forks had died by that point. 160mm down to about 30mm and stayed there. Back brake was packing up by that point too but the descent was ace.
I would imagine it's nowhere near the most tech in Chamonix though. It was flowy and lovely but I reckon there's a lot more steep and tech to be found. As WL says, Verbier is the place for the steep tech. That's not to talk down the descent though as I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to ride it again with a bike that works!
Midnight Express for the Burger win for me!:D
Sanny
Posted 6 months ago # -
Alright Sanny!
Midnight Express raclette sandwich kept me going the entire summer.
Love the Possettes trail and its variants
If you ever want a full-on Montana style wilderness trail experience ending with one of THE great descents of the Alps may I recommend Prarion - hotel visible from Bellevue - Bionnassay glacier bridge (accessed via an extremely gnarly and in some places unrideable descent/traverse - Sanny this is your kind of trail) - vicious push up for about an hour to one of the most epic passes I've been - couloir descent down the Col du Tricot - coffee at the Miage refuge - bear right for the Gruvaz gorge trail (one of the top three singletracks I rode this summer - huge exposure the whole way) which takes you into Champel. Then you descend on the road to St Gervais and can finish on the pipeline trail.
Epic day. You can also just freestyle down the huge face next to the Col du Tricot but as it was the first time I rode it, I took the trail.
I think it's fine to put specifics up as most people will be put off by the remoteness, the difficulty and the push. But it's a good one. I've put pictures on my Pinkbike (search under Chamonix freeride photos) and here.
Posted 6 months ago # -
rooty bit from 4:10 onwards looks good. Get yourself some leg/arm armour...
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hi Jack
Are you up this weekend?
Cheers
Sanny
PS Will do the pics tonight. Not forgotten! Got some crackers of your good self!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Unfortunately not
I have to work. Freewheeling twenties spent in office! After this summer I can't complain though. They are refunding my ticket though so can come out again as and when.Do you ride all through the winter? I'm toying with the idea of an ice climbing course in late January subject to my bank manager...could take the bike for an extra few days if it won't kill me...
They were impressive - does your Lumix have the Leica lens? I've just picked up an old-school Pentax K1000, no electronic parts except the light meter, it means you have to be on the ball but when they come out well, boy do they come out well...
Posted 6 months ago # -
That looks fun indeed. Nice and easy flow. Like the rocks.
Chamonix is truly a fantastic place but there are many, many more places in the Alps. I think the thing that puts me off is the trail usage/conflicts.
We had some die hard Chamonista's come to verbier on a BikeVerbier day off once. Chamonix this, chamonix that. They were shooshed
There is plenty of climbing in Verbier area, obviously not like Chamonix though but still better than the Mendips.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Both Verbier and Chamonix are brilliant and a different category from anywhere else
Verbier has slightly better trails. Verbier also has quite nice scenery but Chamonix has places where you feel like you're reaching up and touching the face of God. But you have to suffer to get there.
The big plus of Verbier is they have Bike Verbier who sort everything for you. Chamonix you're on your own.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Love that trail but it is one of the easiest trails in the Valley!!
Try Sick Track or Bellachat refuge trail for some proper GNAR....
Having ridden both Verbier and Cham a fair bit I would Cham is actually more tech overall...
Posted 6 months ago # -
belachat is sweet
Posted 6 months ago #
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