[Closed] Saint Gervais near Chamonix summer riding holiday tips?

I stayed in Les Contamines a few years back which is up the valley from St Gervais.

Riding is good but when I went the lifts weren't working so you had to get to the top the old fashioned way, also that area is not that heavily commercialised for bikers so again buy a map and find your way is the best advice. You can ride any footpath so just plan a route and go. Take your own bike!

Went to Chamonix with Jedi this summer. Riding there is amazing... most technical singletrack I've ever ridden. Not for the faint hearted though...

Just over the hill is this

Well worth a visit or 3!!!

plus

"St Gervais is part of the Diamond Vert VTT circuit which has 90km of track, 11 lifts and covers Megève, Saint Nicolas de Véroce, Demi-Quartier, Combloux, La Giettaz, Flumet, Praz sur Arly, Notre-Dame de Bellecombe and Les Contamines Montjoie. More information and routes can be found on the Diamond Vert VTT website: www.diamantvert-vtt.com
Bike hire is available in St Gervais"

There is certainly riding to be had at the top of the valley as it forms part of the Tour de Mont Blanc route - you ride into that valley from the Barrage de Roseland on the final day heading back towards Chamonix. I'm sure we ended up hitting tarmac at about the 'Eglise baroque Notre Dame de la Gorge'. You can then take the bikes up the cog railway somewhere in that valley to do an offroad descent heading back towards Chamonix(but we did not want to 'cheat' on the TMB and rode the whole way back to Chamonix from there on the road)

It's an excellent base to ride from; use the train (runs from Le Fayet) to go up to Les Houches and beyond. From Les Houches you can get the Prarion and Bellevue lifts off which at least two stellar singletracks run. Ask Zero G Chamonix for trail tips (you can hire good bikes from them too), and buy the mtb guidebook there.

Top tips people and the starter I needed to my research. Next year is looking a cracker already. 🙂

Sone of the best riding ever on your doorstep.
[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/71958789@N00/sets/72157624822288907/show/ [/url]
get the Tom Wilson North book for starters
[url] http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=33195 [/url]
has some routes down from Les Houches down to St gervais which are nice warm ups before heading up to some proper chamonix gnar 😯

St Gervais has no ban but up in Chamonix there is a blackout for july/august

We have an apartment in St Gervais for about 13 years and have ridden out of there for quite a few years. You will easily find there is a weeks biking around, Megeve, Contamines, St Gervais without needing to go further a field, although there is plenty in Les Houches, Chamonix etc etc. Lifts open from the first week in july but somtime operate a limited service for the first week as they sort out issues, can get busier as the school hols start. Never had a problem riding foot paths all season as the area is quieter, people seem more friendly, never had a bad look from walkers etc
Terrain is rooty and muddy, mostly single track in the woods, the odd rocky trail. Most is slower speed technical, especially on the decents into Contamines, rather than wide motorway brake-bumped PtS stuff.
email me if you want more info photos etc.
We will more than likely be there first few weeks of July if you want a guide

Sorry for hijackin thread, but, freeridenick, hello, what trail are you on in pic 18? it does not look familiar and i am concerned! Please help.

lol@gaz 🙂

Amazing photos, I guess they are further up at Chamonix?

If the lifts open at the start of July and the bikes are banned July to August in Chamonix - how does that work?

When would be the best times to have the most riding available? The book on CRC looks spot on as well.

Thanks again! 😀

forgetmename - let me ease your concern 😉
The ridge trail down to Servoz from the Aiguilette des Houches. Makes the Holy Trail look flat in places.

Mr plow - best time in Chamonix IMO is early september. All the snow has melted off the trails, the walkers are less, the lift are still all open, the weather more stable 🙂
yes most of these up higher in Chamonix. The trails are generally steeper and rockier up there..

Ahh, i have only done that a couple of times, thats the trail thats a right turn off the belachat trail with the big push (depending on bike) then down, a lot, ta very much, il be out there a few times come the summer so please let me know when your out there.

The trails between Chamonix and Argentiere are banned, but you can still legally ride the trails in Les Houches and everything north of the Col de Balme, which includes at least six amazing, long descents.

There may though be other disadvantages to riding this area in July and August.

1: weather - the weather in September is always more stable (though can apparently be "stable bad"). The weather in July and August is meant to be punctuated by thunderstorms, and if you look at the records on the CMB site, it's been awful in the middle of August for the last four years or so, I think.

2 - snow - query - does anyone who's been during July know whether the snow tends to have cleared by the last two weeks of the month? Last year huge swathes of the best riding were covered in snow at the end of June, and I don't know if that much neve could melt in a few weeks. Did anyone go in July and find it had gone? I mean up on the Index lift and over the Col de Balme. Would be annoying if the trails in the valley are banned and the trails you can still ride are snow-covered. Take up boules?

3 - crowds - I've heard the trails get unpleasantly busy with walkers in July and August. Can anyone who's been at this time comment on whether the trails at the top and bottom of the valley are badly affected by walkers during high summer? Is this really an issue? I mean on the trails which fall outside the ambit of the ban (into Switzerland, Les Houches, and over Brevent to Sixt)

This kind of info will help you plan but I admit to having a vested interest in asking these questions, as I'm looking at going in July or August too...

I have been first week of july for a few years and if you get the right week its been good. That week though is when the lifts are running well but before the school hols in france start. I tend to ride up the St Gervais way though.
Last year we were there last week of june and it was a bummer as the lifts were still getting going (even though they said they were open, only 1/3rd were working reliably). We then did the Tour du Mont Blanc in just under 4 days and didn't encounter any snow, but avoided the very high bits due to hike a bike.
This year we went in august and it was frustratingly busy, we didn't venture over to Chamonix but St Gervais only runs 4-5 boxes on each lift every 30mins, some times there were walkers that filled all boxes, luckily the we know the people on some the lifts and most of the times they would run a second lot of boxes round, but it would still mean waiting 15mins extra each time. Chamonix town center was definitely heeving. Most paths were still rideable in St Gervais area but some involved riding down behind crowds op people, especially Notre Dame de La Gorge which is normally fun flat out!

Agree with the comments about the weather, this year we had two days not riding due to rain, then everything turns to greasy mud, but most of the storms come in the evening. Its definitely hotter in july so the mud dries out again quicker, in august it stayed muddy for the rest of the week. I get the impression this year was quite wet though

Hmmm. It looks like July is the best option if September's not possible - providing the snow has melted up above Le Tour and on Flegere, which it probably won't have. There will be crowds but what can you do??? September sounds great except that the Grandes Platieres lift is closed from mid-August and that's one of the areas I want to ride next year (within range of St Gervais)

got some big routes planned under the midi next summer - not for the feint hearted - unless we try it Dan Milner style with bikes in bags on the lift. Also some stuff on the Italian side
😛
[img] [/img]
And a 3000m metre peak
[img] [/img]

These photos are nuts, in a good way!

2 - snow - query - does anyone who's been during July know whether the snow tends to have cleared by the last two weeks of the month? Last year huge swathes of the best riding were covered in snow at the end of June, and I don't know if that much neve could melt in a few weeks. Did anyone go in July and find it had gone? I mean up on the Index lift and over the Col de Balme. Would be annoying if the trails in the valley are banned and the trails you can still ride are snow-covered. Take up boules?

Last year was a really cold, wet spring in the Alps and snow lay a lot longer than usual. We were finding trails impassable in late June that are usually rideable by late May. I would expect everything to be snow-free by late July.

Cool that's good to know. I recall skiing last March and not having quite enough snow and then riding in June and having too much of the stuff 🙂

Sorry for hijacking with my own queries! For the OP, basically the ban is a pain but it doesn't affect the best riding in the area in the slightest

Those Italian photos look great, always pushing boundaries! I'm looking forward to checking out more above Vagnys - that was a great tip

Who is good at French? Am I right in thinking this is a blast from the top of a Glacier down to St Gervais?

http://accrobikemontblanc.com/Surlaneige.aspx

Is there anywhere I can check when the VTT shuts down as I have to finalise dates and the 1st week of September is looking best? I think this says open until 10th Sept but does not look too up to date?
http://www.diamantvert-vtt.com/dates-douvertures-et-horaires.htm

Thank you for your help.

summer opening now up on cmb website

that link looks a bit farcical to me!

i'm there for an early trip June 11-16 just because why not, and then we're heading down for a longer trip when everything's fully open July 15-31