The Alps, Summer 2014 – Where are you going and why?

KateD – many thanks, will take a look

Calais to Les Arcs and back will cost you 3 tanks of diesel, tolls are approx €75 each way. I do this trip 3-4 times a year in various diesel cars, fill up in Calais, refuel again in Albertville on the way there and on the way back, fill up again in Calais, all at supermarket prices.

http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

Can anyone share any details on La Clusaz? I can see which lifts are open in summer – if I get an IGN map will I be able to string some routes together? I know what to look for on a map…

Can’t see a decent campsite there though 😥

No Alps for me…. April is Spain – Sierra de maria and sierra espuna followed by Calpe, Alcaniz area and Caspe… then Pyrenees in May/June Biesca on Spanish side and through tunnel to Francais and a week or so around Aspin, Tourmalet and the like 😀 before heading North for some gentle riding around the Loire region and onward for the Grand (Yorkshire) Depart.

For people planning to drive..

I decided to head through Lux and avoid the tolls last year.

It added 3 hours on but I avoided €75+ in tolls for the van and fuel is dirt cheap in Lux so swings and roundabouts if you’re in no mad rush.

Anybody have any experience of the Valle D’Allos area?

Any suitable campsites in the alps ? Thinking of taking the van rather than staying in a chalet.

Week in Les arcs in the goat shed. Just bought a pitch frame (off the classifieds) Pondering a coil shock to give it more gnar

if taking a van just park up at night and move on in the morning…. showers in the river or if feeling plush in the local swimming pool.

that’s how i do it when shuttling luggage around.

cheap, too.

Got the bike

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A different kind of alloy[/url] by Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr

Got the accommodation
http://www.leboomerang.com

Got the tickets
http://www.passportesdusoleil.com/passportes-2014-registration.html

Bravery, skill, spare liver etc not yet obtained 🙂

oh and my mate has a new one of these to drive us down there in

Short of him adding a drinks trolley, hard to see how that journey could be improved!

Off to Les Arcs at the end of June for the Trail Addiction backcountry week. Why? Because I haven’t been there before and because it sounds like a good week with some great riding. Simples.

Loads nunuboogie.

I usually do 2 or 3 nights in the vaan then 1 in a hotel but didn’t bother last year. Stumbled on a campsite every time I had to shower.

Hotels are a bit of a waste if you’re rolling in late and tired and out early.

Great thanks billysugger, thought there would be but google maps didn’t display many.

Where are you thinking of heading?

I went with White Room last year. For all of you going this year, I hate you all!

Trans Savoie.

Short of him adding a drinks trolley, hard to see how that journey could be improved!

We fit a 20″ tele to front headrests and watch films and comedies with audio through the stereo. Driver and navigator can’t see but the audio is often enough and we take it in turns. Makes it much better in the back, which is usually the cheap seats

Assuming its a 2 seater bench in the front, expect epic levels of uncomfortableness unless you’re a midget,

And hope to god there isn’t 3 of you in there.

Although in not exactly looking forward to the drive down this year in a car, it’s not filling me with dread from doing it in a T5, like the last 4 years.

12 hours across the UK and France is not a pleasant in a van.

White Room booked! 😀

White room for me. Driving over with Mrs Marin, mate flying over,then a weeks climbing in Italy. White room mainly due to posts on here.

White Room = justifiably awesome and amazeballs week of riding 😉

Bike Verbier booked again.
Amazing trails that I love, and new ones thrown in.

Going to the area around Alpe d’Huez for a week. In a minibus from the Isle of Wight.

Am basically among a number of guinea pigs for a couple of mates who have set up a company doing supported bike tours. They’re arranging accommodation and hiring guides for an all-in price.

Fingers crossed. 😐

Unsure of where to go, intially thinking about Les Gets/Morzine but now thinking more Les Arcs as we prefer out on the mountrain riding with bike park/marked trails to complement this. Does this sound like the right move to the Alps hardcore?

Can anyone supply any trail maps in the back country around Les Arcs?

Might be a bit late, but in answer to Billy – Val d allos is closed for restructuring this year.

Wanted to go to TWR again this year,had an amazing week last year but theres only one space left(two of us) on the only week i can do. O well back to the drawing board unless Stevo can quickly Knock up an Anexe and extend the dining table:D

Unsure of where to go, intially thinking about Les Gets/Morzine but now thinking more Les Arcs as we prefer out on the mountrain riding with bike park/marked trails to complement this. Does this sound like the right move to the Alps hardcore?
Can anyone supply any trail maps in the back country around Les Arcs?

I’ve ridden the BC stuff at Les Arcs twice: guided. I returned solo and tried to find some of the trails again: it was tough. Buy yourself some IGN 1:25000 maps and try and figure out the trails. Unless you’re an experienced orienteer it’ll be fragmented riding, unless you enjoy that sort of adventure.

At Alpe d’huez, Vall d’allos & Font Romeau (Pyrenees) I got VTT maps from the tourist office and then mapped the routes using memory map (I bought IGN 1:25k mapping) & loaded onto a garmin etrex. With a paper map & gps it’s possible to ride unguided trails, just needs a bit of research.

Off to the Megavalanche for me again this year, with a stop for an afternoon of riding in Annecy on the way. Really looking forward to it again.

Re Les Arcs trails, you can find some info here on old threads. You can access the IGN maps online via a search for geoportal.goiv.fr or similar. In my opinion the best way is to take a guided holiday, when you add up all the benefits (often inc van uplifts) they are good value.

jambalaya – Member
In my opinion the best way is to take a guided holiday, when you add up all the benefits (often inc van uplifts) they are good value.

Jambalaya is spot on. After 2 guided trips with TA in Les Arcs and BBB in Whistler, we had a semi-guided holiday in Chatel last year which was a bit crap as the guiding wasn’t up to par. We’re returning to TA for Dest. X. If you’ve only got a week you don’t want to spend half your time trying to find the good stuff (and without local knowledge you’ll never find the ‘secret’ trails).

Don’t forget Tignes-Val d’Isere if you like the area. 5 FREE lifts linking the 2 resorts and some pretty good trail and ‘off-piste’ riding (and I’m no expert!).
Val’s not the ghost town you expect during July-August and there’s some pretty good accommodation to be had.
PM me if anyone’s around. I’m there and welcome riding buddies.

Has anyone ever though of going to the Alps to do any proper riding, ie not just going up lifts for a week? You could even enjoy the mountains and be on your own for a bit, have some adventure.

………….just a thought…..

C

So what is ‘proper riding’ – in your opinion?

If you want to go somewhere for a week and cram in as much descending as you can, you go to the alps and use the lifts. That’s the point of it to most of us contributing to this thread.

just a thought.

Better leave the thinking to those more capable in future, it’s not your strong point.

Has anyone ever though of going to the Alps to do any proper riding, ie not just going up lifts for a week?

To be honest in a place like this I think you would struggle without them!

Torihada, jambalaya and mixmaster, thanks for the info. Would normally go guided with TA or TWR but we are travelling Tuesday to Tuesday and they all offer a Saturday to Saturday service. Still we will hire a guide for 1-2 days and use him for the more secret trails. Just wondering what the other more well known trails there are? Also quite fancy a day in Tignes so thats another day gone.

ChrisE – quality troll comment. People go to the Alps to experience things we can’t in the UK.

Livigno for the dreilander tour plus a 2/3 days of lift assisted\park riding.

Has anyone ever though of going to the Alps to do any proper riding, ie not just going up lifts for a week?

Do you mean bike park ski lifts? Or being driven up as far as you can go and then riding all day in ‘backcountry’ as White Room do. Option two is what I do. Sometimes the lift is thrown in to get us to where we need to go. But I don’t do just the ski lifts and parks for a week, nowt wrong with that, just not my thing. Want to do and see all this:

cblair246 – Member

Just wondering what the other more well known trails there are? Also quite fancy a day in Tignes so thats another day gone.

One of the most famous trails at Les Arcs is La Varda. A beautiful ride, great technical descending, which will take 2 – 3 hrs. But its exposed in places and isolated, so something you’d not want to ride alone. If you’re happy riding something like the Rangers Path, Snowdon you’d like it: