Forum menu
thomthumb - Member
you people do realise you can ride up an alp?
speak for yourself
some great riding (nearly 2000m of descent) on 3 or 4 trails near Montreux (about an hour from Chatel), not lift assisted, but train assisted. And thats not even the alps.
Reminded me a lot of La Varda in Les arcs.
If you go to the area on holiday, get a decent guide who knows the off piste stuff, otherwise, you'll just be doing pleney run after run, like the majority of UK bikers in the area.
I ****ing love the Alps! And I love Whistler Bike Park, UK uplift days and all forms of not having to pedal up. However I also love Scotland, Wales, Spain, man made and natural trails... even a pootle down a canal towpath to the pub!!
I'm lucky I can and do ride a bit of everything. I've visited all the above and more. Those of you that haven't tried any of them should. If you like or dislike any particular type of riding more than any other then do what the hell YOU enjoy. Don't go all narrow minded and slag off others just cuz they are different to you.
thomthumb - Member
you people do realise you can ride up an alp?
I can think of nothing more duller than that.
So you have ten days with hundreds of miles of singletrack out there. Yet you spend most of the day climbing.
Its really not making the most of the time or opportunities is it?
If you must birch yourself that much I'd just cut out the singletrack completely and take a road bike.
I can think of nothing more duller than that.
i'm not arguing for it.
I just find it bizarre that the argument against the alps seems to be an argument against lifts?
Don't go all narrow minded and slag off others just cuz they are different to you.
Well said, but I doubt anyone's listening. There's some awful sneery attitudes on here.
The Alps may be the highest and largest mountains in Europe, but there's a few chairlifts and cablecars so they must be for lightweights, eh?
I ride because I like riding- the feeling of freedom, the glide, the movement, the feeling of almost soaring...
Not grinding away in granny-gear thinking 'I'm going to beat this hill'.
Then your in roadie-territory.
I like the top of the hill to get down the otherside. The climb is to be endured not relished.
I quite like big mountains, good weather and plenty of space to muck about. I like long climbs, and I like long descents.
The alps are considerably superior to Surrey in these respects. But then so are many other less frequented mountain ranges. 🙂
i love scotland and have chosen to remain here, but the alps offers vast route selection and variation....
in addition, summer can almost be relied upon, so dust isn't so scarce......and living in scotland dictates i yearn for dust......
What next?
"I prefer the Peaks as it has less angry northerners per square foot'?
😀
From what I worked out from going to Chamonix and Les Gets is that if you just go on your own and follow the marked trails then they are all reasonably rubbish and blown away by the trail centres in the UK. I really think you need to go with a guide that can show you all the great tracks. You can see them often from the cable cars but just don't know how to get to them.
Clearly riding up all the Alpine trails on an uber-niche fixed/rigid 96er is the choice of all real STWers. After making the highly enjoyable climb, taking the cablecar down might be the right idea, as descending sounds like it might be a bit too much fun, and anyway, the increased windflow flaps your beard around a bit too much.
And that's only if you're forced to ride in the Alps. Obviously, [i]real[/i] riders shun any such frippery, choosing instead to ride in the Peaks on a wet weekend in November.
choosing instead to ride in the Peaks on a wet weekend in November.
Oh gawd. That will be all of us soon enough.
Must be the same people that shun chair lifts when skiing...you see so many of them
how useless do you have to be not to find a track you've just passed on a chairlift?
So you have ten days with hundreds of miles of singletrack out there. Yet you spend most of the day climbing
You can climb on singletrack, too. And then descend on it. Best of both worlds.
Unless you're a bit of a fattie, then I can see why you might not want to climb.
You can climb on singletrack, too. And then descend on it. Best of both worlds.Unless you're a bit of a fattie, then I can see why you might not want to climb.
Yet again a niche within a sport feels that others that don't conform to their idea of the sport must be lazy/out of shape and not that committed?
You know, it could be that some mountain bikers live for almost 100% sweet singletrack or descents? Nooooo??? Get awaaaaay!!
"The Alps may be the highest and largest mountains in Europe"
Err... Caucasus are a larger and generally higher range it think. Very undeveloped and possibly a bit politically unstable to boot.
it could be that some mountain bikers live for almost 100% sweet singletrack
So. Are you or are you not a fattie? 😉
"The Alps may be the highest and largest mountains in Europe"Err... Caucasus are a larger and generally higher range it think. Very undeveloped and possibly a bit politically unstable to boot.
They sound [i]way[/i] more niche to ride up. And I bet they don't have ski-lifts to allow the unwashed masses onto the trails.
Sounds perfect.
Yet again a niche within a sport feels that others that don't conform to their idea of the sport must be lazy/out of shape and not that committed?You know, it could be that some mountain bikers live for almost 100% sweet singletrack or descents? Nooooo??? Get awaaaaay!!
Don't get your knickers in a twist, dearie, the use of the word "fattie" was meant to indicate it wasn't a comment to be taken too seriously.
i think the alps with it's lazy type cycling is fine, but just not for me.
i like to earn my rewards.
I like being rewarded without effort. Seriously, I like the challenge of a climb, but I prefer looning downhill. If I can do that all day and then chat to mates on the lift on the way back up, great. Skiers realised this long ago 😀
i think the alps with it's lazy type cycling is fine, but just not for me.
i like to earn my rewards.
Yeah, exactly. Sam Hill, Gee Atherton, Greg Minnar, Steve Peat, etc. What a bunch a lay about, wasters they are.
This is a masterful piece of trolling by the way. 🙂
I think ton half-means it though.
Totally agree with what you say. Posted the same about the bike specific trails being a wee bit samey [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-do-you-think-alps-bike-specific-man-made-trails-verses-the-original-ones ]http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-do-you-think-alps-bike-specific-man-made-trails-verses-the-original-ones[/url]
But the other trails were cool. Exciting getting chased by a Alpine mountain polar bear sheep dog down the steepest switchbacks I have ever been on. I think the general policy should be if you are prepared to do the öleg work and search for good trails you will find them but I don't think they should be published or they would just get trashed.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
GEDA.....STOP IT!
I think a few have missed the real reason we prefer uplifts in the Alps.....the bloody altitude!
It doesnt matter how fit you think you are. Cycling up at 2000m is rather different to cycling up at 500m! Plus in some cases you would spend the entire morning climbing, do one descent, spend most of the afternoon climbing, do one descent. Good luck cycling up to the Col D'iseran (2770m) from Val D'isere!!! I'll stick to the van i think.
I think I must have been in the wrong place as we went to Samoens couple of years ago. The road riding was good but as for MTB'ing, I found myself thinking for all this uphill I want a very long downhill but wasn't rewarded in the slightest, far too short. Won't be rushing back.
😉
Ps. Geda, please take me with you next year 😈
Buzzlightyear - Member
"But I do wonder if UK "biking resorts", with lift-assisted riding (and I don't mean just DH riding) is the next step for us over here."
We have rubbish mountains and not many existing lifts, all of which are in the middle of nowhere. Are there any ski lifts or gondola type things in england and wales at all? I can think of 5 in scotland all but one of which now have at least some biking attached, but then there's loads of problems with building on these mountains, they're often protected sites.
Fort William's probably the only real contender, since it's got a mainline train service and a proper big mountain to play with, and it's already famous for biking, but even if they had money to burn I'm not sure how much more they'd be able to build since aonach mor's a ssi. Plus the gondola's already busy at weekends.
as others have pointed out, to think that the alps consist of morzine and les gets and a few dusty purpose-built trails and nothing else is incredibly naive.
the alps stretch across 7 countries and there's a plethora of historical events shaping different trails in different regions - old goat tracks, smuggler's trails, dilapidated world war 1 military roads, the list goes on.
if you're not afraid of a bit of internet research or buying guide books, you're looking at several lifetimes of riding that will blow your mind. the good thing is that a LOT of the trails require your personal effort, i.e. pedalling up, to get there, which ensures a small amount of bike traffic, keeping the uplift-only crowd away and the trails in good condition.
i'm not saying there isn't awesome riding to be found in the UK, it's just not on the same scale.
some photographic proof..
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
please make it stop, i can't handle it anymore................pleeeeaaaassssseeeeeeeeeeeeee............ 😉
I WAS JOKING.................FFS.............. 🙄
Where were those taken Tamworth?
quote by Hora:
lazy/out of shape and not that committed?
comedy gold.
You need to get out of Surrey more and into the Peaks Gary 😉
We have rubbish mountains and not many existing lifts
I'll explain my thinking a bit:
1) Families and twice-a-year holiday makers dominate skiing holidays. Without the cable-cars 95% of skiers would not have bothered. Without cable-cars there would be no skiing industry (as we know it), it would be all telemarking, a niche interest just like mountain biking has been. Uplifts make the heights accessible to all.
2) Our mountains may be small and bleak, but our hills and their trails are lovely. If 5-15 minute descents aren't worthwhile, why am I constantly thinking about them?
3) Lifts are mega-bucks to build. In the Alps, they're just getting extra use of the skiing industry stuff. Who will risk a massive building project in our, often protected countryside - probably no-one. I'm thinking more about vehicle uplift, like cwmdown.
4) While I want DHers to have more uplifts, but I'm really thinking about family holidays, the equivalent of family ski holidays, but in the UK.
It's probably a stupid vision. But who in the 19th century would have imagined a million European families sliding down 3000 metre mountains on a couple of planks every winter?
I Think its a good idea Buzz. How about Snowdon? Already got the train going up and one of the longest downhills around. They just need to get rid of the walkers and put a few more trails in 🙂
If you were going to spend a one week summer holiday at a luxury mountain bike resort, with uplifts, in Mid Wales, how many km of runs would:
1) you need
2) you wife and kids need
?
You'll never get a mtb resort off the ground in the Uk - not enough space and too many land use considerations.
Having said that - you could do a DH centre with half a dozen trails and a road uplift fairly easily. I know of one sterile trail-less forestry plantation that's on a wicked site near Dinas Mawddwy in North Wales.
Mynydd Talyglannau/ Mynydd Llyn Coch Hwyad?
Maybe it's the weather or the talent. UK = bad weather and manly women.
our hills are big enough;
300m vertical drop (plenty of those) would make for 6km descents (1:20 which is plenty) = 12minutes at 30kph.
300m is about the same as the pre la joux bike park in chatel, and the whistler A-line (and plenty of others).
a brand new high-speed chairlift costs about £2million. s'nothing really...
we could definitely do something similar in this country.
(the fort william Dh track only drops about 500m, and that's a whopper)
I've never biked in the Alps. Would love to but I only get so much time off. When you've taken off 3 weeks skiing, a week somewhere hot, 2 weeks visiting in laws and friends around Britain, 3 weekend festivals, Christmas and that it doesn't leave much time for mtb hols. I just make do with the 840m peak I open my curtains to every morning and all of its smaller siblings. Sometimes I do its bigger siblings too but I have to drive 30-60 mins for them. Uplift? Aye it would be nice but there's a lot to be said for earning a descent.