Eurotunnel booked for a week at the end of July but not yet decided where to go! Any suggestions? Looking for nice natural, technical singletrack (not really purpose built/bike park). Not afraid of a few climbs but some lift assistance would be nice too!

Initial thoughts are Les Arcs/Bourg or Valloire. If there was any decent sports climbing nearby too that would be a bonus!

Thanks!

I’m going to Valloire on the 4th of August. Went there a couple of years ago and it was brilliant.

They’ve got a couple of lifts, and (when I was there in ’09) they had quite a few different runs, which were all brilliant fun. Much more like trail centre red descents than big wide-open DH tracks, with lots in the woods and a few snaking down huge hillsides on lovely singletrack. They’ve also got a load of natural stuff waymarked all the way up the valley towards the Galibier.

They got a few via ferrata routes locally, and a crag with some single pitch sport.

Best thing was, it was practically deserted. Almost no English people around, and the campsite was in walking distance of the town centre and lift station. Couldn’t have been more different from Morzine if it had tried!

We’re doing a week there climbing and biking, then a week with Trail Addiction.

Dave

If you want company late July/early August then let me know! Not planned anything this year but changed my mind now!

Know my way around the great moraine area well enough but happy to explore

Rachel

Dave – Valloire sounds good. Do you know of any guide books(online or print) for sports climbing in the alps? Struggling to find any. Thanks.

They’ve also got a load of natural stuff waymarked all the way up the valley towards the Galibier.

Careful, that stuff’s quite gnarly:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/article/that-watson-gap-jump-7785/1

no, sorry. I’d quite like one too… From memory, we just turned up and the lines were obvious.

I’m not sure if this is true for Valloire (can’t quite remember), but lots of sports crags near towns in France have route names and grades painted onto the rock at the base of the climbs. Say what you like about vandalism and preserving the natural environment, but it does make it bloody convenient! 🙂

Dave

one of the best day’s riding I’ve ever had was from Valloire – we drove up the galibier, dropped off to the right of the road on a waymarked ‘black’ VTT route, which descended 1000m of lovely technical, flowing singletrack through a deserted valley; joined back up the road, and slogged our guts 1100m up the next valley, through a deserted mining town, then undulated down past lakes and through loads of singletrack into the town, eventually finishing down one of the bike park runs which popped out into the back of the campsite, right next to our tent.

My stupidly fit friend then hopped on his road bike and rode up the galibier to fetch the car 🙂

Bring on August!

Dave

We’ve just spent a day riding at Valloire, first time back since 2010. Unfortunately the rain has taken its toll on the trails and some of them, mainly the ones under the lifts + Gangsta etc are in a really shocking state. There’s also diversions at the bottom of the trails, so they dont return to the lift station via the tunnel any more. There’s a new red trail under the top lift that must have been designed by a particularly dumb marmotte, hopeless – muddy, peters out into uncut grass, a real mess. It’s been a bit of a disappointing day to be honest – sorry!

The long trail, number 22 is still stunning though and very rideable (even if I was warned by a french guy that we should be wearing pressure suits…?!??!).

I guess they are planning to tidy things up a bit, but there are far less riders here today than 2 years ago, maybe the resort is in decline.

But, good bars serving interesting drinks and a few local via ferratas which we’ll do tomorrow before moving on to Les Arc, Tignes or Chamonix.

If you are still going to Valloire, I hope things are better for you. Email if you want any more advice

cheers

Grand Massif

Argh!! that’s not good, I’ve just spent all day fantasising about riding there 🙁

Is it really wet there? do you think it’d be better once it dries out a bit, or is it properly knackered?

Have you been on any of the xc stuff further up the valleys? surely that stuff can’t have changed all that much, since it is ‘natural’.

Dave

Verbier with Bike Verbier. Don’t bother unless you’re booking with them are key to THE best riding in the alps.

The easiest option is to go on a guided holiday (the right one of course), initial price might look higher but when you add in food/wine/guiding it makes a lot of sense.

Given what you are looking for and getting top marks here regularly (and owners are contributors here) are the following …

White Room

Trail Addiction – Destination X

I am going with TA to Dest X, bikeverbier was my first choice but it was sold out. TA of course do Les Arcs too and White Room aren’t too far away.

I’ve just returned from Les Arcs. We went with The Mountain Bike Chalet. I can honestly say, it was the best weeks mountain biking i have ever done. Everyone is really friendly, all of the guides are great guys and really know there stuff, the food is tip top, as is the accommodation. They really catered for the sort of riding we wanted to do and the skill level.

We went to les arcs the year before without a guide, rented an apartment at 1600 and to be honest, it was a shambles and we didn’t find a great deal.

I’m on the ferry 27th July, heading for Verbier/Pila maybe Finale. I know both areas well. I’m heading out in a big motorhome so can decide exactly where once the weather decides. Follow the sun. Verbier is superb lift assisted natural singletrack with awesome climbing as well. I know people who live there who know the best places routes. Ask if you want any info or want to link up, all welcome. email username at hotmail.com

thats a blow to hear that Valloire has been battered by the weather, we were hoping to ride there again this summer. went last year as I’d been in the winter and wanted to see what it was like in the summer. Gangsta etc were really good fun trails and kind of got the Mrs up to speed for some of the bigger stuff we did other places later on in the trip.

i’m off to chamonix in august and as ever, i cant wait 🙂