Tignes has a fair bit to do but I would not go there unless I was biking. Its small and pretty ugly. I would also not go to Morzine as its like benidorm with bikes.
It really depends what you want to do and old the kids are. Look at Montgenevre/Briancon/Serre Chavalier, Haute Verdon and down towards the gorge. In the pyranees, Les Angles/Lac Matamale is really great for a family holiday in the mountains. In fact it would be my top tip if you can handle the drive.
I think it depends if you are talking about a race bmx or a dirt park one. If race then 20″ but the dirt park ones are a bit long to be ridden properly by small kids. It would be like making a 9 yr old ride a 26 inch mountain bike.
My son has a 18″ WTP arcade as well, its a pretty good all rounder and even works ok at the bmx track (obviously not as fast as a proper race bike though).
Younger the better IMO. Climbing (particularly bouldering) is a great sport for kids, it builds strength and body awareness and helps with their confidence. They also love jumping off onto the mats.
I started my son at 4, he didnt take to roped stuff but he loves bouldering. As said above though, walls could do with putting up some harder problems that dont involve adult size reaches to allow kids improve.
Definately cheaper to do your own thing. Pyranees are great and there are some areas that are pretty well waymarked (Capcir/Cardagne)but probably the alps has generally better coverage (waymarked trails and Vtopo guides)
Love the pyranees and the southern alps but not a massive fan of the pds and the tarentaise
I wouldn’t go to the northern alps in the spring, weather will be too unpredictable and the lifts will be closed. Go south, either pyranees orientale, alpes maritime/var and over the border into Italy, or Spain.
The accents. Driving south, they start to grate around Northampton, do my head in around Essex and by the time I’m in Kent I am praying to hear some French.
It’s a pretty sketchy way for a professional climber to maintain a profile.
Agreed, it irks me up a bit when OK but non cutting edge climbers choose to do stuff like this to get a reputation rather than actually climbing hard. While at the same time, amazing climbers like Adam Ondra are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and getting very little real media attention.
The mountain bike equivalent of this is Bender chucking himself off a cliff for his 15 mins of fame.
Not the fastest climber ever, but pretty good considering. Rode XC on it winter and spring in southern france no problem and its pretty sorted for the gravity stuff.
It’s funny the way different groups have different perceptions of body type. I used to climb with a pretty well known climber who was about 6 ft, 12st and was regarded as a proper fatty.
It’s the bar across the back that is the problem. I cannot hold it due to a knackered/inflexible shoulder, and I can’t keep good form due to a bit of a curved spine.
Piggy back square would work but I tend to train on my own.
Question for those who know their way around a gym.
I am struggling to put together a decent leg routine because for various reasons I find it impossible to squat. What alternative exercises are there ( other than leg presses and weighted lunges) that hit the same muscles but are not squats? I do dead lifts already.
Weather is crap in the pds. If you choose somewhere further south it is much more stable. In my last four summers the only place where I could have done with mud tyres was the pds. I had a Larsen on in 2 alpes, before heading up to a typical pds quagmire.
Plus as I said, it’s france, mech hanger aside you will find a replacement part in a LBS.
Well my experience:
Bike shop in Barcelonette, 90 euro for a new head set and 3 massive dents on the top tube where they must have dropped it onto a set of stairs. Unfortunately picked it up in the dark and was miles away when I noticed them.
Big bike shop in Perpignan, no pads for avid brakes even though all their bikes were fitted with them. Would have been 20 euro a pop if they had stock. Same shop 19 euro for a downhill innertube.
Shop in St Lary 40euro for a 24″ tyre that costs £18 on CRC
Shops in 2 alpes asking 75 euro for an xt rear derailleur
Shops around 2 alpes/Grenoble asking 500 euro for a set of hope brakes (passed on this one)
I was out for a longish time this summer (4 bikes, me and my son). The things I had to do were:
Replace gear cables (lots)
Replace rear mech
Replace tyres (3 between two of us)
Replace loads of inner tubes (mostly mine with single ply minions)
Replace a brake lever
Service fork and shock
1 There is not much open in June in terms of lifts. Not sure about the PdS but deux alpes opens mid June, Some of the Southern Parks are open before that on Weekends (Montgenevre, Allos) but that’s it. Most stuff kicks off July.
2. The PdS has much worse weather than the parks further south.
3. Anywhere in France other than the PdS will be quiet.
4. No idea about Austria/Germany other than the lifts are pretty expensive in Austria
I did this last year at 48. Bought a bongo and headed south. It was ace, I did loads of riding, had a great time but coming back and having to start working again was a horrible shock to the system.
It worked out a lot more expensive than I thought it would though, even living like a dirtbag!
I would definitely go second hand. Loads of cheapish good bikes on ride io and pink bike. I was looking for one recently and there was some pretty good bikes offered at less than £1K. A solid mission @ £900 and a demo 7 around the same price. I picked up a mint operator with 888 rc3ti/Rocco for £1500 (it is almost brand new!).
That said, you could also pick up a late model stinky really cheap (£700 ish) and they are good fun.
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