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Marmotte chasing in the Alps…… (There are alternatives to the PDS)
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Posted 12 years ago
This years road trip went without a hitch once again and the trusty LDV (which is incidentally now up for sale) performed her second trip to teh Alps faultlessly once more.
Really just to show folk that there are other places to go that are more inspiring than the PDS!
This year we took a more relaxed approach than in previous years deciding on where to go once we set off pretty much. The main objective being to hit up a few new resorts and have a break and catch up with friends in Pila for a few days (and because its ace)
Crans Montana, and in typical northern Alps style it started raining. The next day was a washout unfortunately. The coffee was highly rated, the others said the riding was decent.
Off to Cham Valley. Staying in Vallorcine to ride the DH track there. I had other ideas. Over the top and to the swiss border, singletrack heaven just like the peaks followed by trail centre style fun DH to Le tour, then one of my favourite tracks of all time, the steep rooty switchback world walkers track that runs down from the lift station below the Argentiere Tele cabine. If you havent done it then go just for this!
Accomodation in Vallorcine (SQUAT!)
Les Praz, Cham. New track, new this year but shite, well at least the top half is, gets better after the second lift
Started raining again so off to Italy where its ALWAYS sunny
2100m vertically and 16km to Aosta
And not a bad view to wake up to either
Halfway through the trip and bikes are starting to feel the pain (especially as half the crew have things thrown together on a whim and a prayer. In this case a buggered circlip holder meant no rebound damping. So with an inner tube, zip ties and gaffer tape its fixed! Hey presto – desperate times and all
Some time was spent taking pics of riding
Top of Pila (3rd lift) ridge ride. Prob the scariest thing i have ever rode. 2000m of scree and cliffs to the left that WILL kill you if you go over and enough scree to the right to do you in good style
The classic Aosta run from the Pila lift
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fdcgLC1lo&feature=player_embedded[/video]
Fantastic new descent in from the top that you can link in all the way down to Aosta, including a snide walkers path (21b) that a local pro showed us. Basically an unridden gulley run that falls all the way to Aosta and is hit flat out with wall rides the entire length and loose loamy soil, an absolute gem!
Then say our goodbyes and head back via a new place that we were keen to scope out, Lac Blanc. Its in the Savoire region and close to the Swiss & German border. Only really a hill in comparison, but a real fast lift and loads of graded green, blue, red and black runs ranging from not as basic as you would think to jumpy fun, to challenging to fu%* me, i need to man up!
The best bit was that we were able to get a full day in before leaving Pila, drive up and get there in time bed down and ride all teh next day, have tea and leave for a 4am ferry!
Lac Blanc NUTS Track
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq-XM54hDKc&feature=player_embedded[/video]
Huck
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNZ_gc1JLEo&feature=player_embedded[/video]
So in short, get out and explore as there are a lot more resorts out there that a) have decent trails, and b) have much better weather than the PDS
In fact, scrap that, the PDS is ace, everyone go there, having more than 10 people in a lift queue (who were all with us) would be shite.
Yeah the rest of the alps including the above are utter toss!
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