Category Archives: Trail conditions

Ultra! (wet)

Posted on 1st September 2012

I’m not really sure what the trail conditions are about Chamonix at the moment, for the last week everyone’s been too busy with the 4 Ultra Trail races, either working, supporting or competing. Using my powers of deduction however, I can predict that biblical quantities of rain + the first of the autumn snows = fairly grim conditions. So if you’re heading out, best pack spare brake pads, spare shoes, spare waterproofs and a spare sense of humour for the slippy trails. Those living in the valley will resort to the usual spare liver techniques until normal service is resumed.… [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions

Time gentlemen, please

Posted on 28th August 2012

It’s been raining, some of the trees in the valley have started to yellow and town’s filling with ultra-runners, it can only mean one thing: the summer’s coming to an end, and the lifts shut down till the snow comes.

The Chamonix lift closures are staggered across the next 2 months:

VALLORCINE: 2nd Sept

PRARION: 2nd Sept

BREVENT CABLECAR: 2nd Sept

LE TOUR GONDOLA & CHAIRLIFT: 9th Sept

GRANDS MONTETS: 9th Sept

PLANPRAZ GONDOLA: 16th Sept (then Oct 27th to Nov 7th)

FLEGERE: 16th Sept

BELLEVUE: 23rd Sept

TRAMWAY … [Read full post]

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Lavancher action

Posted on 12th August 2012

Edit: Ignore all of the below, the mayor has announced that CdMB canny build a road up through either Lavancher or from Les Tines. Does this mean that community action works….

I wrote a while ago that the CdMB were proposing to create an access road through the Lavancher village and along the line of the current MTB track from Grand Montets to facilitate the new Plan Joran chairlift. Unsurprisingly there was a lot of local concern about this, as Lavancher village wasn’t built with large lorries in mind, and the new track would destroy the existing small trail.

Since … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions

CdMB press release (and some Les Houches riding)

Posted on 10th August 2012

Read it here last! A little off the pace (I’ve been on holiday) and some time after everyone else has put it up, here’s an interesting press release from Compagnie du Mont Blanc about their commitment to biking:

Mountain biking in the Chamonix valley

Chamonix, August 3rd, 2012For three years now the Compagnie du Mont Blanc, aware of the ever increasing demand from mountain bikers, have made great efforts and significant improvements on the sites in the valley to offer mountain bikers more tracks to practice their favourite sport.The Balme area is particularly suited to this sport, so
… [Read full post]
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Half time analysis

Posted on 1st August 2012

It’s about ½ way through the bike season here in Chamonix, which means everyone’s discovering what that annoying squeak/rattle/creak has been for the last couple weeks as various parts give up or fall off after a few months abuse.

The trails are kinda the same with lots of bikes, but not much maintenance, going down. So how are things fairing around the valley?

Le Tour seems to be the in place to ride this season with the rarest of all things; occasional queues of bikes for the up lift! The front side is holding up well, the original DH track … [Read full post]

Posted in Trail conditions

Le VTT et les Vaches…

Posted on 11th July 2012

Whilst bikes seem to be getting discouraged in some areas of the valley, they’re looking more and more welcome up at Le Tour.  There’s some sort of link in the alps where the more suitable the terrain is for cows, the more bikes are welcomed.  After all, Morzine is known locally as the mountain for the cows.

As the trains aren’t running from Vallorcine this summer (more information here: http://www.thechamonixbikebook.com/news/2012-the-year-there-wasnt-a-train/ if you’ve not already heard)we had to wait for the Vallorcine gondola to finally open at the start of July before the full potential of Le Tour could be enjoyed … [Read full post]

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Flegere

Posted on 7th July 2012

The bike tracks at Flegere were never going to win any awards or become cult favourites but they still make for a good workout in quality surroundings, so I was pretty disappointed to find out that the bike racks aren’t going to be put on the Index chairlift for the rest of the summer. The liftie didn’t think it was the end of VTT above 1900m, but certainly we’ve lost the 2 tracks that drop the 700m vert from the top.

To make matters worse, there’s been forestry work about 1/3 of the way down the remaining bike track and … [Read full post]

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Crisortunity….

Posted on 5th July 2012

Pop culture has it that the Chinese have the same word for crisis as opportunity (they don’t, but it makes for an easy intro to the blog if we pretend they do). The idea that a forced change, whilst unwelcome, can be for the better. It’s much the same just now in Chamonix with the start of the July & August bike ban. No one wants to stop riding the trails they enjoy, but it’s good to be made to think outside the box a little and try some new places too. That and the trails are generally that hoaching … [Read full post]

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Beaucoup de neiges

Posted on 20th June 2012

Almost all the bike uplift is now running in the Chamonix valley, with just the Vallorcine and Grand Montets telecabines left to open on the 30th June. Pretty much all the walking trails off the lifts are clear of trees and the “Elfe Secret” track at Flegere was nearly clear on Monday and should be clear by now.

There is a wee fly in the ointment though, whilst the Brevant telecabine and Index chairlift are running, bikes aren’t being allowed on for just now as there’s too much snow to ride! The lifties reckon the Index will be open for … [Read full post]

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Summer’s back

Posted on 15th June 2012

Summer has returned to the valley, so before it got here I was keen to get one more day of being wet, cold and miserable in and headed down to Les Houches for a few laps on the Bellevue lift.

With the change in lift operating company, the Les Houches bike park is no more (for this year….) so the north shore shenanigans that used to start the marked bike runs have gone. Fortunately the rest of the courses is still in place, and the hill is just as slippery in the wet as it used to be.

Some of … [Read full post]

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