Author Archives: chamonixbikeblog

Not new, but improved.

Posted on 25th June 2013
Chamonix Bike Blog, biking in Chamonix, it's what we do

After a year of amusing myself with making up the titles of blog posts, I’ve decided it’s time to move the Chamonixbikeblog on to bigger and better things. So with a huge amount of help from Lorne Cameron’s web design I present to you the new, Chamonixbikeblog.

All the content from the old wordpress site has been moved over, and that site will just contain links to move you to here.

Look out for exciting new content!, or possibly just the same old text and images but in a different wheel size format.

… [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions

Just…a….bit….longer…..to…wait

Posted on 24th June 2013

Lifts open next weekend. Which is nice. There seems to be a bit more of a buzz about town than usual for mountain biking this year. I don’t know if it’s the long winter making everyone over eager for summer activities, the rise of “enduro” racing in magazines and websites making everyone excited about shiny new toys or what, but basically, we’re looking forward to the lifts opening. A lot.

Of course, folk haven’t stopped riding just because they have to get up the hill themselves. The snow lines been slowly working its way up the hill and the trails … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged

Forever delayed…

Posted on 28th May 2013
Jumping for joy at dusty trails

I’m beginning to sound like a stuck record (or best-of album), but this blog’s here to give y’all an idea of riding conditions and trails around Chamonix, so I can only say what I see!

Yes, winter is STILL in force in the Chamonix valley.

I’ve been back in Scotland for a wee visit (where I got to ride the excellent new Commonwealth Games track at Cathkin Braes, good work guys. Almost made me wish I was back working in Glasgow. Almost) and had expected that upon return to Chamonix the sun would be shining, the air warm and the … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions , tagged ,

Back out

Posted on 13th May 2013

The last of the piste skiing in Chamonix has closed for the winter and town is now definitely in interseason mode. That means empty bars, closed hotels and quiet trails, though no uplift alas. Normally the train takes the strain at this time of year, however the entire line is closed for renovation until the 28th June. Everything has a silver lining and it helps move from ski legs to bike legs if you have to get up everything under your own steam.

It got sunny again today so with Sandy, Spencer and Nina we headed out for a … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions , tagged

Winter in ‘fat lady still not singing’ shocker

Posted on 30th April 2013

It might be the end of April, but winter still refuses to loosen it’s grip on the Chamonix valley. Fortunately May looks like it’s going to start with higher freezing levels, some fohen wind and a bit of sunshine which will hopefully help shift the snow from lower down, whilst sorting out the higher mountains for some spring ski touring!

It’s not stopped folk getting out on the bike though, so below’s some shots from some recent rides around the valley with Sandy and also Spencer from Chamonix Bike Rental who has some great plans for the biking community in … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions , tagged

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. Finale Ligure.

Posted on 23rd April 2013

It’s been a long snowy winter here in Chamonix and spring is yet to make much of an appearance. A trip away to the sun was called for, so the car was laden with people, tents, climbing gear, bikes, our best pizza eating bibs and we headed south to the Italian Riviera.

I try to keep road trip stuff to less than an hour from Chamonix but it’s only 3 ½hr down to Finale, and as it’s so good down there it seems fair to bend the rules. Besides, it’s Italy, the country made for bending the rules.

The last … [Read full post]

Posted in Road trip , tagged

Risoul Deval (turns out the deval IS in the detail…)

Posted on 19th April 2013

Across the world, the end of the ski season is marked by weird races thought up by, usually drunk, ski bums who don’t really want the snow to melt, but if the inevitable’s going to happen then they might as well have fun doing it. Hence the “Peak to Pub” multi sport carnage which takes place annually from Mnt Hutt to Cairngorm.

Risoul’s been running the Deval for 9 years now, which involves an off-piste ski from 2500m down to the resort at 1800, then a 10km ish enduro bike down to the River Durance at roughly 900m where the … [Read full post]

Posted in Race, Road trip , tagged , , , , ,

Melt. Freeze. Cycle.

Posted on 6th April 2013

Ah, the birds are singing, flowers poking through the grass. It must be spring, and so the bike has been dragged out of the cave it’s languished in for the last 4 months of winter and I’ve been back in the saddle.

Of course, this being the mountains, no sooner had the sun come out and the snow melted then it started to dump with snow in the valley and the big skis came back out of the locker again. This pattern will be set to continue for the next month or so, but at least it means we get … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions , tagged ,

Known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns

Posted on 28th November 2012

I grew up riding in Scotland and sometimes, just sometimes, I can really miss the riding there. Don’t get me wrong, Chamonix trails are ridiculously good, who wouldn’t want to be quickly whisked up 1000m to ride off on trails, almost every one looking and feeling like it’s from a movie, all in great weather. Or at least great if you’re Scottish.

But despite this, or perhaps because of this, I miss having to ride up singletrack roads, fire roads, push up muddy sheep tracks and, when all else fails, just sprachel straight up the hill with the bike all … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged ,

Telepherique des Glaciers. Uplift of a sort.

Posted on 24th November 2012

Jan’s starting to get a bit fed up. For a month now every time he’s been out he’s called last ride, cleaned his bike and put it away for the winter, only to be persuaded to get it covered in mud again the next weekend. Sure enough as we were packing the bikes away at La Saleve he was sure that was it for the autumn. Then I suggested we ride the trail down from ye olde abandonned “Telepherique des Glaciers“….

Just as well he did, I’d have gone up solo, but it’s much easier to take photos when there’s … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged