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Following on from the best UK trails, what are your recommendations for the best singletrack descents/rides that you've ridden outside of the UK.
My two to start are:
- Enduro MTB - Dev'Albertville from the top of Les Saisses in the Beufortain, ending up in Albertville, 1760m lower and 18.5km away. With a brutal 170m vertical climb about a third of the way down. Rooty and technical, with flowy sections and great views it's great fun.
- Meribel Ridge (sorry no link) from the top of (I think) Tougnete following the ridge line all the way to the valley bottom. More flow and less technical, but again endless forest single track.
What are your must rides outside of the UK?
Warner did one in Chile, i think with Finn Iles and that to me looked amazing... Something like that for me, somewhere completely obscure and out there. I'd like to spend weeks/months doing it, living there as well as just a ride.
Well, this section of the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass above Salida, Colorado is probably my favourite single ride (yet) if pushed to make a choice. Descent from here in Autumn through aspen woods is just sublime. Not a particularly technical challenge, just a stunning ride.
It's very nearly as good as the singletrack descent from Crummack to Wharfe 🙂
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Er, actually - need to change my mind. Descent off the Thorung La into the upper Mustang valley in the Annapurna region of Nepal. 1000m height loss, bouldery, steep, loose and exposed. Lack of available O2 at that height makes it extra spicy 🙂 The day after we came over here there was a metre of snow - a German couple we'd been riding with but who stopped an extra day in Manang had a proper epic. Also my 50th birthday, so one to remember!
Top of the World - Whistler. Holy moly, just ridiculously good. You'll need to stop and just take in the view other wise...Crashy crashy. Don't bother with timing it, Dan Atherton did the whole thing in 15mins, You ain't getting near that.
The Whole Enchilada. Apart from the horrid sandy climb of doom about 3 hours in, I could do this trail on repeat until I died. Maybe alternating between this and Portal just to give myself a scare every now and again.
Agree with some above - The Whole Enchilada - especially as GF joined me last year for the full descent.
But closely followed by Top of the World, Monarch Pass or Mount Cartier (heli-lift)
Tenerife, from the top of Mt Tiede to the beach, 18miles all downhill.
How did you manage to get permission to take a bike all the way up Tiede? Lucky man!
Meribel Ridge (sorry no link) from the top of (I think) Tougnete following the ridge line all the way to the valley bottom. More flow and less technical, but again endless forest single track.
Cretes ?
Loved that too.
I've been lucky enough to ride a substantial number of bucket list rides in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and BC (and probably more...)
A couple more suggestions
Keystone Standard Basin,
Frisby Ridge (+ Frisby DH)
Martha Creek DH (all near Revelstoke, BC)
Ape Canyon, Washington (on the side of Mount St Helens)
Palisade Plunge and The Ribbon (near Grand Junction, Colorado)
(Warning: I hate flow/jump trails so none of my suggestions would include those types of trails!)
Lord of the squirrels and dark crystal in whistler. A long way up being told tales of cougars and bears followed by a epic descents right at the edge of my comfort zone
A day out with bike village in Les Arcs. That ended with a train home. I think they called it the magic carpet? Not my video
Santo Antonio and Hole in One trails, both Madeira are absolutely outstanding