Currently parked up between Briançon and Less Orres.
Rode half a day last week at Serre Chevalier before a massive thunderstorm stopped play. Only one lift was working and I only managed three runs. From this Saturday all the lifts are open.
Rode Les Orres last Saturday and Sunday.
Anyone have experience of the other parks in the area?
Vars?
Risoul?
Reallon?
Montclar?
Puy Saint Vincent?
La Grave?
Or across the border in Italy....
Bardonecchia?
Sauze D'Oulx?
Got a couple of weeks to kill in the area before I have to go to Turin.
Cheers!
not exactly where you are but heard decent things about Les 2 alps https://www.les2alpes.com/summer/discover/the-high-altitude-area/bike-park/
not been myself but was considering it as part of a riding/rockclimbing holiday combo in the future.
Good friend has a lodge at Camping Les Alberts in the Clarée valley, he mentioned the web site for the area. Had a quick look and found this link from their web site. Might be of some use?
https://www.hautesvallees.com/la-claree/en/que-faire/en-ete/vtt-en-claree/
A further link from that site;
https://rando-brianconnais.fr/search?practices=2
La Grave was absolutely sublime when I was there a couple of years ago. It's not bike parks, it's more narrow enduro singletrack tech thats all hand built. Well worth a visit for at least a couple of days. There aren't any easy options however, all the trails there are at least as difficult as a Golfie black.
We were down that way last year and loved it, based ourselves in Puy St Vincent and rode there most days but did one day at Les Orres that the kids loved so much that we're going back again this year and basing ourselves there within riding distance of the bike park lifts.
Puy St V is a lovely quiet little village and the trails there were in really good condition when we went there, it's not on the same level as Le Orres but plenty to keep you busy for a full day, the view from the very top lift is also glorious! There's also an amazing bakery called Le fournil des écrins in the bottom of the valley just below PStV. Worth stocking up as there's no much in the old village itself.
The 'resort' bit higher up seems a bit busier but the MTB runs all finish down by the bottom lift in the old village so that is better place to base yourself IMHO
Meant to go to Reallon but had a mechanical so never actually rode it.
We won't stay in Les Orres every day so any recommendations for areas within 'day-trip' distance with lifts and a good mix of blue/red trails that the kids can handle would be great, we're up for exploring.
Oh.. and any non bike activities, pretty old towns etc in that area that are worth checking out if we fancy a break from battering ourselves on the bikes.
PSV is pretty good.
Whatever you do, don't got to Montgenervre* it's utterly shit. I mean really bad..... Some of the green is just plastic markers on a grass meadow.
As above, L2A is close by.
There's since excellent off piste. Search out the Briancon thread.
There's excellent via feratta, Search out the Briancon thread.
Obviously there's amazing kayaking and rafting.
* Unless you plan on doing l'Infernet. ( Search out the Briancon thread!)
There's since excellent off piste. Search out the Briancon thread.
There's excellent via feratta, Search out the Briancon thread.
Yup, rode up Col Granon the other day. Long, hot slog up, but sublime trails going down.
I've no intention of hanging off a metal wire.
La Grave was absolutely sublime when I was there a couple of years ago. It's not bike parks, it's more narrow enduro singletrack tech thats all hand built.
This sounds good. Little further up the valley, but I've got time.
Never ridden at Golfie so no idea what Black there involves.
Generalist and I were there a similar time a couple of years back and I can confirm Montgenevre bike park is shit. It does however have some cracking off piste riding although it needs a shuttle driver.
PSV is nice but limited in quantity of trails. There is a cracking black enduro trail off the back into Argentierre.and some good trails to the east of the park down into the valley.
Vars is pretty good and you can link it with Risoul, there is a navette up from Guillestre to Risoul that allows you to access a vertical mile descent off the top which is really good but it doesn't run that often through the day.
Abries has a funky little community run park, 3-4 DH runs and the same of enduro trails.
Les Orres was a bit blown out IMO but I prefer off piste type trails so the riding didn't do much for me anyway.
SC has some good footpaths under the cable car and an epic descent off the back of the area.
