No wars = world bankruptcy … is that not a good enough reason????
If that's not good enough, google the taliban and watch them cut off the heads of other humans with a hunting knife in the name of (twisted) religeous ideoligy (oops too much wine)!
Quit your snivelling and stop being so naive…. rant over!

Theotherjonv – Yep, a recent issue of singletrack. the "northerners" struggled here in Bristol – they weren't used to the tight wooded singletrack i believe?
Leigh woods can be very technical in an XC style – check out the latest issue of Dirt and the interview with Box. The pic where he's rogering Luffman (the mad axeman) is at the entrance to picnic bench that drops down to Avon Gorge. One of many steep techy trails there that do.

Did anyone manage to scroll to the bottom? (no pun intended)
The video of the headcam bus jump……. MENTAL!

TJ go get your health and safety manual
Hazard X risk = severity
Increase the hazard (the place) x increase the risk (MTB) = guess what?

DB,we didnt show the girl the way. At that point we hadn't ridden it and didn't know where the start was – she found it by herself. There is only one way down the mountain for novices at Les Houches – the fire road -and even that is sketchy in places at speed. Every other track gets very technical in places.
I'm pretty sure i know which shop hired her the bike (not a "proper" one),I dont know what, if any, advice they gave her. She was ultimately responsible for her own safety and level of capability – but you'd like to think they'd have given her the heads up- or maybe not where a sale is concerned ?
Why shouldn't the hire shops have a moral duty to enquire about your plans? How else could they advise what the best equipment is for you and where best to ride in the valley to suit your experience. Unless of course, they are only interested in the sale.
The first time i hired a surfboard at Croyde, the shop offered advice on which board to use and suggested, based on my experience, to have some lessons. Some of the best free advice i have ever had – and in the interests of the shop to provide it!

Point i was trying to make in my first post was this guy was alone and from my own experiences i know that potential consequences are much greater as a result.
I love the place with a passion and will always encourage and offer advice to people who are thinking of going – but it is for the most part so very technical – and subsequently so very dangerous.

Terrible & very sad news!
Reminds me how lucky i am after a similar accident a couple of years ago above Cham. i was lucky, the trees caught the bike and me!
I too was solo and often reflect on whether i'd have been spotted from the track?
I'm curious as to who hired him the bike and what advice he was given (if any) on where to, or where not to ride? But 100m drop – body armour becomes redundant.
Last year we saw a young girl in jeans and trainers + full face on a demo 9 at Les Houches. She approached us asking for directions to the downhill track (she looked so wrong we thought she must be so right – if you know what i mean?). We bumped into her ten minutes later, in tears, covered in mud and face first in to the first berm.
My point is she shouldn't have been there – it was too dangerous for an obvious novice. BUT, the hire shop were negligent, they should NOT have hired her the bike AND should have warned her against her obvious plans.
I hope this was not the case with the bike hire shop that hired this poor guy the bike…. Cham valley can be a very dangerous place if you dont know your way.
My sincerest condolences go to his family.

Soooo worth the hike – you missed out… big time
Yes it's a hike (for me) but i did it with vanilla83 and he's 18 years younger than me and didn't appear to break into a sweat….. git!
I was also pushing my dh rig which didnt help.
The descent from aguilletes Des Houches down to Merlet is one of the steepest and hardest in the area – it's a brake burner… but oh so good.
from Merlet down to Les Gaillands is, as Toms book, dh heaven!
Ah well,there's always next time 😉

We rode it on the 22nd June (Monday) and it was amazing. By the end of the week, a sign had appeared at the start of the drop from Brevent saying no bikes(couldnt recall seeing there earlier in the week).
That said, i had an interesting "debate" with a french lady up there about riding in the national park (which you must traverse to get to holy trail) – but managed to persuade her it was all legit.
Still, as my previous replies, i wouldnt try it in August – at all.
ps. PSA do not attempt the descent from Bel Lachat to Merlet. I's unrideable/too steep/very dangerous for it's entirety – i found out the hard way!

Aaarrrghh – thats fifty acre…. just kidding
Mr A, didn't mean to be negative but i am definitely getting more cynical as i get older ie why is a cup of tea now £1 in the golf hut – is it to pay for the fancy cladding on the outside or maybe the "no muddy cyclist" signs inside?(strange when their custom has increased significantly due to mtb's).
I used Ho Chi Minh as an example of the preferred type of trail for myself and riding budddies. Yes the original is now over used and messy but do you recall when it was first built and then extended? now that was spanking and the guys built it perfectly only for the FC to tear down the boardwalk sections etc.
I'm a believer in trail evolution – as one gets closed or disappears, another one is found – something we've been VERY fortunate with in the area.
It may be worthwhile doing a poll to ask who/how many have actually carried tools with them to maintain trails whilst riding – or who have gone out specifically to do it. I have, and i'm pretty sure i'm in the minority.
Anyway, keep the good work

Now there's a surprise – the first phase will be to atract newbies! Call me cynical but there must be money in there them hills! Ashton court and the Timberland trail in particular could not be made any easier for newbies unless we're talking about family friendly cycle path type tracks. Funny, but when we first rode there as newbies (a long time ago), there were no specific tracks, it was technical and when it rained we got muddy – oh yes and the Timberland trail flowed in the right direction.
Lets just hope that trails like Ho Chi Minh 1,2 &2.5, picnic bench, chamonix and bluebell etc in leigh woods remained untouched (for the locals)and cyling is officially on a "right to roam" basis here – but i wont hold my health & safety breath.
I 'm sure Phil and his team will be do a first class job but lets hope the tracks dont end up like the middle part of timberland in fifty acre wood (formerly porn trail) where most of the holes have been filled and the trail significantly widened – ie sanitised!
Rant over – breakfast time!

No matter how tempted, do not under any circumstances do the cheeks of your arse…. regrowth is like having botty crabs…. alledgedly 😳

Type chamonix into the forum search – lots of advice there.
was there 2 weeks ago – the trails off Brevent , Flegere and Argentiere are very restricted in July and August, i got the feeling that they (police & Mayor) will enforce it very strongly this year (although they will probably still be happy to sell you an MTB lift pass).
This pretty much just leaves Vallorcine (DH) and Le Tour at the top of the valley and Les Houches further down. Even Le Tour has some restrictions (& plenty of arsey walkers)!
Check the chamonix website for MTB/Lift and train info. Free public transport for tourists but trains limit to 5 bikes (at the discretion of conductor).
Still good for a visit and worth while getting a guide or the book by Tom @ Zero G in Chamonix (available from chainreaction i think).
Could be a bit dissappointing if you know the place and expect to ride certain trails ie; Holy trail etc.
Have a good time.

I guess (from experience) that initially you need to know what vits you are deficient in and more importantly, which ones may have a detrimental effect on you. The only real way to establish this is via blood tests.
The other factor to acknowledge is the influence of any medication you may be on, eg; i have to take folic acid dailey as my current meds restrict the production of it.
In short, it is different for everybody so there is no single answer – it’s an individual thing.

I’ve had three now, the last one was my right on a mini roundabout last october. They tend to happen if you land with your weight on an outstretched arm (unable to twist causing stress fracture).
Was off the bike two or three weeks with arm in a sling for the first week.
Very important that you rest it initially to give it time to heal – just as important to start moving it as soon as you are able and do as much physio as you can bear.
its a very important joint – just raise your outstretched arm above your head to see the range of torsional movement on it!
Hope it heals soon.

Thanks all for your honest and informative postings.
We all have our own “issues”, luckily mine don’t appear to be as progressed as others here but maybe time will tell?
for me, the hardest thing to absorb is the hidden nature of the problem (ie; you know if you’ve got a cold or broken your leg by the physical symptons). Recognition and acceptance are the first steps to recovery… but those can be awfully big steps!
Aslonghasithaswheels – good luck, i hope everything works out for you and for everyone else in similar situations – it’s reassuring to know we’re not alone.

Never had any problem in Les Houches, it’s not as “cosmo” as Cham therefore a little bit more laid back. google the local tourist office and download the info booklet – they actively encourage biking on the official tracks.There is now a DH track from the Bellevue lift but the traverse halfway down was a real bog slog last year!
the best tracks are GR5 from bellevue lift which can get busy with walkers and and is very technical and Kandahar from the Parion lift which is usually very quiet albeit both are a bit “cheeky”.
guess it depends on your preferred type of riding.
Hope this helps

Before i pop out during the school run to nose wheelie on the pavement through hoards of small children, puppies and frail old ladies thus breaking every cycling law possible, can i please clarify that i was thinking along the lines of exceptional (dangerous) circumstances only when the cyclist deems it unsafe on the road.
Not prone to dreaming things up, it’s in my head from somewhere and it’s bugging me.

Holy trail = lift to top of Brevent (have been told it will be open)?
descend following signs for Bel Lachat and traverse ridge until refuge Bel Lachat. bear right heading for Aguillettes Des Houches (bit of a hike in places). when you get to the top pause for the amazing view, drop the saddle and ride one of the best tracks anywhere in the Alps(imho).
Make sure you bear left towards merlet animal park after chalets de Chailloux or you’ll end up in Servoz (not good if you cant get on a train).When you reach the park follow the fence until you hit the GR5 track and turn right down to the park carpark. Bear left on to the track towards Cham swoopy swoop until the lake /rockwall at les gaillands. spend the next 4 hours trying to take the stupid grin off your face.
Also try the following;
Kandahar at Les Houches (under the Kandahar Lift & brill)
GR5 at Les Houches from the bellvue lift station (very technical in places and rumoured to be Gracias’s favourite track).
Vallorcine DH track (push up from the lift station at the top 300m and over the col des possettes for the descent to Le Tour).
Descent from Refuge Bel Lachat (no good for triple clamps)!
2x Descent from the the lognan lift Argentiere. Bear right for the switch backs back to Argentiere as described above. Bear left for the drop back to Cham.
Be mindful of the train/bike policy which limits the no. of bikes per train(think it’s 5 per train)?
If you stay in a hotel ask for a free tourist train pass.
Avoid the DH track at Les Houches if its wet.
Be careful in Zero G – unless you’re rich or have no choice.
July usually ok – August be very careful as it will be very busy. French will cheer you on, British will moan at you as usual!
Please be aware that nearly all Cham valley trails are “cheeky” so ride accordingly.
Hope to see you there end of July?
Phew! not bad for a first post!