Monthly Archives: April 2014

What, where, when. 2014 lift openings

Posted on 14th April 2014
Spring, because there's flowers and snow in the same shot

In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of mountain biking (Tennyson was a keen early mtber, award yourself 10 smug points if you got the reference), lift accessed mountain biking at that, but where?

Well here’s a list of when Chamonix’s lifts open (probably, subject to usual CdMB changes) and some other options for nearby if that’s too long to wait.

Le Tour: 14th June

Flegere: 14th June

Brevent/Planpraz: 14th June

Prarion: 14th June

Bellevue: 14th June

Tramway du Mont Blanc: 14th June

Grand Montets: 28th June

Vallorcine: 28th… [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions , tagged

Public transport: Dorenaz.

Posted on 7th April 2014
Dorenaz isn't only about steep and rocky

Generally when you think of using public transport to ride your bike, it’s looking sheepish as you trail mud through a Scotrail carriage to hook your bike up by the toilet then sit getting cold on the way back home.

Switzerland is a bit different. In Switzerland the topography lends itself more to cable cars than trains so access to many smaller villages is by publicly run telepheriques. Dorenaz is one such place where the local bus driver also sells tickets and presses buttons on a 670m height gain gondola.

As Dorenaz is at only 450m and the hill faces … [Read full post]

Posted in Road trip , tagged , ,